Parker Ranch CEO to Speak at UH-Hilo Commencement

Neil “Dutch” Kuyper, the head of Parker Ranch and the fledgling Paniolo Power Co., will be the keynote speaker next week for the spring commencement at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Linguistics major Dylon Koehn will be the speaker for the graduating class at the ceremony to be held 9 a.m. Saturday, May 17, at Edith Kanaka`ole Stadium.

Born and raised on Oahu, Kuyper graduated from Punahou School. He holds a graduate degree in business from Dartmouth College and an undergraduate degree from Occidental College.

Kuyper became president and CEO of Parker Ranch in 2011 following two decades as a senior executive on the mainland and in Asia.

Parker Ranch is a 130,000-acre enterprise which produces 10 million pounds of beef annually. It announced last month the creation of the Paniolo Power subsidiary to investigate the production and distribution of electricity generated by renewable resources.

Kuyper previously served as chief operating officer with Capricorn Investment Group and with Morgan Creek Capital Management. His previous employers include Wellington Management, Boston Consulting Group and Coopers & Lybrand.

Originally from Greeley, Colo., student speaker Koehn transferred to UH-Hilo two years ago. He has a 3.52 GPA and made the Ka Haka `Ula O Ke`elikolani College of Hawaiian Language Dean’s List the past two semesters.

The university will award a total of 724 degrees and certificates from its various schools, as well as 28 post-graduate honors.

Among those taking part is Earl Harbin, who began his academic career in 1957 and will now graduate with a double major in political science and administration of justice.