Governor Jay Inslee selected Steven Yoshihara, Senior Vice President for Washington Trust, to serve on the Board of Trustees for Community Colleges of Spokane. Yoshihara has worked in banking for nearly 40 years and currently works with businesses whose credit needs range from $250,000 to $25 million.
Yoshihara is familiar with CCS, having graduated from Spokane Falls Community College in 1977. He served on the SFCC Business Advisory Committee and his four sons also attended SFCC. Yoshihara and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Gonzaga in 1979 where he played on their baseball team.
“Graduating from Spokane Falls Community College gave me the opportunity to pursue my dreams and help start on my path to higher education,” Yoshihara said. “I strongly support the economic benefits of attending Community College where I also learned practical life skills and the opportunity to pursue an education that has helped me fulfill my career goals.”
“I am honored to serve on the Community Colleges of Spokane Board of Trustees and look forward to contributing to its continued success where not only I benefited but where my four sons also began their college studies prior to completing their higher education degrees with honors, ” he said.
Yoshihara is a long-time business and community leader in Spokane, moving here from Hawaii the year after he graduated from high school. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Union Gospel Mission and the Fairmount Memorial Association. He also has served on the boards of the Salvation Army, the YMCA, Rockwood Retirement Communities, and the Washington State Board of Accountancy. He is a 1986 Leadership Spokane graduate and was a Downtown Spokane central advisory member.
“We are honored to have one of our graduates and such a prominent community leader join our board,” said Chancellor Christine Johnson. “His first-hand experience with SFCC will be invaluable for this important role.”