A knee injury ended Hisaoka’s hopes of making the U.S. Olympic judo team, but he includes the Olympics in the 20 plus charities and causes on his philanthropic list.
Also included is his support for assisting people living with cancer having lost his sister, Joan Hisaoka, to the disease.
The successful auto dealer and investor is the chairman of the advisory board of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute (see Dwight Schar entry below), and sponsors an annual gala to benefit Inova and the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, which has raised over $12 million since inception. He has also been an important benefactor to numerous other charities in the national capital region as well as the University of Maryland’s Robert H.
Smith School of Business, most recently chairing and funding the Pitch Dingman entrepreneurial contest and The Robert G. Hisaoka Speakers Series that has brought leading businessmen and women, such as Ted Leonsis and Raul Fernandez, to the university to interact with the students.
