David Lassner is the 15th president of the University of Hawaiʻi.  In that capacity he leads the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) 10-campus system as well as its flagship research university, UH Mānoa.  Lassner’s current agenda includes a focus on helping more Hawaiʻi residents earn college credentials and developing and strengthening the state’s economy while creating more high-quality jobs. He is also advancing UH’s commitments to sustainability and becoming a model indigenous-serving university.

Lassner began working at UH in information technology in 1977, eventually becoming UH’s first chief information officer and vice president for IT before assuming the presidency in 2013. Lassner has taught online and in-person in computer science, communications, business and education and has served as a principal investigator for more than $450 million in extramural funding.

Lassner is currently vice-chair of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), chair of the National Association of System Heads, and a member of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center.  

Lassner earned an AB in economics summa cum laude followed by an MS in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his PhD in communication and information sciences from the University of Hawaiʻi.