Misaki Takabayashi Will Be the Next Chancellor of Kapiʻolani Community College in Honolulu

Misaki Takabayashi has been appointed the next chancellor of Kapiʻolani Community College in Honolulu, Hawai’i. She will take office on March 1.

Kapiʻolani Community College enrolls 6,100 students, according to the most recent statistics available from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 65 percent of the student body.

“Hawaiʻi is stepping into a new era with important lessons learned through the pandemic and novel opportunities ahead. Kapiʻolani Community College is the jewel of higher education in Hawaiʻi and will be a key partner in empowering the future educated workforce here and abroad,” said Dr. Takabayashi. “I am truly humbled to be entrusted to lead and support Kapiʻolani Community College in our next chapter. Together with all faculty and staff on campus, I look forward to innovating learning experiences where we draw the best out of every student firmly grounded in Hawaiian values and help them reach their full potential of global significance.”

Dr. Takabayashi is a marine scientist specializing in coral reef molecular ecology. She has been serving as the associate vice president/vice dean of the graduate school at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University in Japan. Previously, she was interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, and department chair for marine science at the University of Hawai’i Hilo.

Dr. Takabayashi holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from the University of Sydney in Australia. She earned a Ph.D. in marine science from the University of Queensland in Australia.