About the author

Scott Oki is the Founder and Chairman of Oki Developments, Inc. and is a professed entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and community activist. His personal mission statement is “to marry my passion for things entrepreneurial with things philanthropic in ways that encourage others to do the same.”

Scott was born in Seattle to Nisei parents who had been interned during World War II. In 1982, he joined Microsoft, founded the International Division and served as Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing, and Service.

In 1987, he and his wife Laurie founded The Oki Foundation and in 1992 Scott left Microsoft to pursue his interest in helping children. He is former President of the U.W. Board of Regents and a member of Governor Locke's Commission on Early Learning.

Mr. Oki serves on dozens of advisory boards and boards of directors for both for-profit and not-for-profit companies. He has founded or co-founded sixteen non-profit organizations. In addition to his philanthropic activities through The Oki Foundation, he has taken leadership roles in many other organizations. He is a Co-Founder of SeeYourImpact.org, Sounders For Kids, Seattle Parks Foundation, Executive Development Institute, America's Foundation for Chess, First Tee of Greater Seattle, Microsoft Alumni Foundation, Social Venture Partners, and Seattle Police Foundation. He is a past-President of the Board of Regents for the University of Washington and a past-Chair of the Children's Hospital Foundation. Mr. Oki has served on the national boards for United Way of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Japanese American National Museum, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation and currently serves on the national board for the Boy Scouts of America, Microsoft Alumni Foundation, America's Foundation for Chess and the National Science Center.

Scott and Laurie have three children.