Vince Okada Ph.D., MPPM

College of Liberal Arts - School of Social Work

BSW Program Director, School of Social Work Chair

Associate Professor of Social Work

Education

Bachelors of Science in Education/Recreation, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey 

Masters of Public Policy and Management, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 

Certificate in Asia Pacific Leadership, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 

Certificate in Social Change, Brown University Institute of Humane Studies, Providence, Rhode Island 

Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Welfare, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 

Biography

Dr. Vince Okada is deeply committed to community development, focusing on diversity, well-being, and social justice across Japan, Hawaiʻi, and the Asia-Pacific region. He shares these core missions alongside the goals of expanding youth leadership, international education, and the field of Indigenous knowledge—including identity formation, resurgence, and sustainable community development.

Dr. Okada has been involved with the Polynesian Voyaging Society since Hōkūleʻa visited Japan in 2007. He serves on the board of ʻOhana Hālāwai and is a co-founder and director of education for the League of Japan Social Work. He was a visiting scholar at Kansai University (2024) and Toyo University (2026), as well as a visiting adjunct faculty member at Musashino University since 2022. Dr. Okada serves as an editorial advisor for the Journal of Indigenous Social Development. His interdisciplinary research focuses on Japan’s Indigenous people, the Ainu, as well as their welfare and related policy issues. His article, “The Plight of Ainu, Indigenous People of Japan,” was published in the Journal of Indigenous Social Development. (https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/21976/v1i1_02okada.pdf)

Expertise/Interests

Education and Policy related to Indigenous Peoples and Diversity, Youth Empowerment, Social Work Education and Professional Development in Japan, Community Engagement and Development, Program Management & Evaluation, International Social Work, Inter-Cultural Training