James Higa — OIST Graduation 2022 Commencement Speech
Channel: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)
Date: 2022-07-26

James Higa grew up in Okinawa, was educated in Palo Alto, and has a long and storied career in Silicon Valley. He reported directly to Steve Jobs at Apple, working to change the face of technology and consumer industries. He was a member of the original Macintosh team. His work negotiating and launching iTunes changed music forever. He is embedded in the fabric of Silicon Valley as Managing Partner of Offline Ventures. His early-stage investments include companies like Slack, Clubhouse, Notion, and Blue Bottle Coffee. Companies worldwide from Fast Retailing, Airbnb, Siemens, and Lawson have sought his counsel as an advisor.

James is the Executive Director of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, a nonprofit community foundation in Oakland known for its bold new approaches to philanthropy and impact in the world. His deep connections to Japan include on-the-ground volunteer relief work during the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku disasters and the formation of Apple Japan and NeXT Japan.

James received his Bachelor's Degree ’81 in Political Science from Stanford University. He serves on the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee Board, Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources Advisory Council, US-Japan Council Board of Councilors, Silicon Valley Japan Platform Executive Committee, Shizenkan University Board of Councilors, and is Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Okinawa Institute for Science and Technology. He has previously served on the GRAMMY Foundation MusiCares Board, the Haas Center for Public Service National Advisory Board, and the Stanford Alumni Association Board.

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