This story was originally published spring/summer 2025 issue of Shidler Business.

Jordan Odo, EMBA ’17, is a proactive leader driven by purpose, innovation and community. These qualities coalesced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he started a virtual summer internship through the Jordan and Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation with classmate John Doyle, EMBA ’17, and his former colleague Jeff Berlin. Odo describes it as a challenging but rewarding time. The program continued for four more years as the Next Gen Leaders Program, empowering dozens of students with essential leadership skills.

“The overwhelming feedback we received from student interns was that they felt inspired to make a difference in the community and we helped them grow as collaborators and problem-solvers,” Odo reflected.

These days, he wears many hats, including first vice president and compliance associate at American Savings Bank, president of the Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation, chair of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s (COCH) Young Professionals (YP) Program and serves as director on the larger COCH board. He also serves as fund development chair and director at Family Promise Hawaii and sits on the U.S.-Japan Council’s Annual Conference Host Committee.

Odo’s time in Shidler’s EMBA program had a big impact on where he stands today and for him, the people were the most valuable part of his experiences. He says the program was the driving force in transforming a young attorney into a multifaceted changemaker.

From law to leadership

When he entered the EMBA program in 2015, Odo was working full-time as an attorney at a local law firm and had recently started the Jordan & Cara Odo Scholarship Foundation with his wife. He wanted to make a larger impact in his firm and clients and in the community. The program helped him become comfortable with business topics he once avoided, like finance and strategy. He says that his foundation in those early days was his “educational laboratory.”

The foundation was part side project and part passion. From its humble beginnings in 2014, the organization has now awarded more than $85,000 in scholarships to students thanks to the generosity of donors and hard work of volunteers. Odo’s long-term vision for the organization is to have a lasting impact on Hawai‘i through empowering the next generation of leaders.

“One day, I hope to see more thoughtful, action-oriented civic discourse in Hawai‘i, so we–as a community–can solve problems quickly and not have them linger for years,” he said. “I have a lot of faith that our young people can pave the way.”

"The best way to learn is by diving in, making mistakes and improving along the way." – Jordan Odo

Odo became the new chair of the YP Program in July, an organization with more than 500 members that he’s been a member of since 2018. In this role, he is helping expand the organization’s focus on civic engagement and leadership development. The program recently launched YP Onward Hawaii, a nine-month fellowship that explores key local industries through site visits and roundtable discussions. In October, the third annual Cost of Living Summit will examine solutions to the state’s affordability challenges. The program is also growing its reach through volunteer committees, including a neighbor island one and a new emerging technologies subcommittee.

For someone as busy and involved as Odo, balance must come into play. His philosophy for juggling such a packed schedule involves integration. For him, this involves continuity across the areas of his life–including his professional life, community service and life with family and friends–and is based on values.

“It’s easier to get things accomplished if your core values run through the various aspects of your life,” he said.