Washington, DC -The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), a national organization devoted to providing scholarships for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans students, recently announced the appointment of Neil Horikoshi as president and executive director.

Horikoshi joins APIASF after a 30-year career at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), where he served in a variety of legal and executive management positions. Most recently, Horikoshi served as IBM’s director of global business development.

In addition to his corporate experience, Horikoshi is active in the community. He serves as chairman of the Board of the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation, is an advisory council member for both the Asian American Justice Center and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, and he is a Board of Governors member for the “Go for Broke” National Education Center.

“APIASF has been about paving roads to success and inspiring dreams and providing opportunities for our next generation of Asian and Pacific Islander leaders," said Wai-Ling Eng, chair, APIASF Board of Directors. "We are delighted to have someone of Neil’s experience with corporate and legal expertise, governmental knowledge, non-profit leadership and compassion to help broaden our programs and to ensure students who dare to dream of a higher education believe in what is possible in their lives. With Neil’s leadership and vision, we now know that APIASF will continue to drive today’s minds for tomorrow’s future.”

Horikoshi knows first-hand the value of college scholarships, as he was the recipient of a four-year scholarship from the Fukunaga Scholarship Foundation in Hawai’i, which enabled him to attend the University of Hawai’i in Manoa as an undergraduate.

“There was no doubt in my mind that APIASF has success written all over it," Horikoshi said. "With a pure mission and passionate Board and Advisory Council committed to making a difference in people’s lives, I am honored to be selected to lead such a strategic organization for our Asian and Pacific Islander American community. Scholarship is about igniting a spark in students that leads to profound results in our communities over time. APIASF is the fuel in our broad Asian and Pacific Islander American community that will keep that fire alive in scholars, so that we not only make a difference in our scholars’ lives, but our scholars become the next generation of torch bearers throughout the global community.”

A resident of Potomac, Md., Horikoshi received the “Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award” and Federal Computer Week’s “Fed 100 Award” earlier this year. He holds a bachelors degree in business administration from the University of Hawai’i and a juris doctorate degree and a masters degree in business administration from the University of Southern California. He is a member of the New York State Bar and the American Bar Association.