Hosts

The Dalai Lama visited Oahu at the invitation of Pierre and Pam Omidyar, who served as hosts during his stay. Through their philanthropic work, the Omidyars have developed relationships with many of the Nobel Peace Laureates and leaders who will be invited to Hawaii as part of the Pillars of Peace Hawaii program.

Guided by their belief that people are inherently capable and basically good, Pierre and Pam have committed more than $1 billion to help individuals improve their lives and ignite change across a variety of sectors and geographies. The Omidyars received the 2011 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in recognition of the lasting impact of their work and generosity.

In 2009, Pierre and Pam Omidyar announced an historic $50 million commitment over six years to the Hawaii Community Foundation to establish the Omidyar Ohana Fund, which is being used to launch several community initiatives in addition to Pillars of Peace Hawaii.  To learn more about the Omidyars' commitment to Hawaii and ongoing philanthropic interests around the world, please click here.   

Peace is an active state of being; it is not passive. We hope that the Dalai Lama’s visit will inspire individuals to consciously embrace compassion and apply peace in their everyday lives.

— Pierre Omidyar

About Pierre

Pierre Omidyar is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is best known as the founder of eBay. Starting from the premise that people are basically good, Pierre Omidyar created eBay in 1995 - an online platform that gives people equal access to information, opportunity, and tools to pursue their goals. Today Pierre is Chairman of eBay, which enables more than 90 million buyers and sellers to connect and prosper over shared interests. The company also enables buyers and sellers to send and receive payments through its global online payment engine, PayPal, which operates in 190 markets and 24 currencies.

Pierre and his wife Pam are active philanthropists who believe that every person has the power to make a difference. They have contributed more than $1 billion to programs spanning a range of causes, from poverty alleviation to human rights to disaster relief. To fulfill their mission Pierre and Pam created four organizations:  Omidyar Network,  Humanity United, HopeLab, and the Ulupono Initiative.  While each organization has a specific focus, they are united in that they all aim to create opportunities for people to improve their quality of life. 

As a founding partner of Omidyar Network, Pierre provides the vision and strategic direction for the organization and helps shape the investment initiatives. To date, Omidyar Network has invested nearly $450 million to support organizations around the world in areas such as microfinance, property rights, and government transparency.

Pierre serves as a trustee of Tufts University, Santa Fe Institute, Punahou School, and as a commissioner for President Barack Obama’s Commission on White House Fellowships. Pierre is also CEO and Publisher of Honolulu Civil Beat, a local news service in Hawaii that encourages greater civic participation through media. 

Pierre was born in Paris, France, and moved to the U.S. during grade school. He graduated with a computer science degree from Tufts University in 1988. Pierre lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, with his wife and three children. 

About Pam

Pam is a philanthropist dedicated to building peace, advancing human freedom, and creating opportunities for people to improve their lives. 

In 2004, Pam co-founded Omidyar Network with her husband, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. Since then, Omidyar Network has invested in and supported a variety of organizations around the world that help catalyze economic and social change in areas such as microfinance, property rights, and government transparency. As a member of the board, she plays an ongoing role in steering the organization's work.

Pam is the Founder and Chair of the Board of Humanity United, which she established in 2005 with Pierre’s support. Humanity United is a philanthropic organization committed to building peace and advancing human freedom by leading, supporting, and collaborating with organizations that also envision a world free of conflict and injustice. Humanity United’s work is based on the belief that mass atrocities and human slavery threaten not just global peace and security, but the common humanity of all people.

In 2001, Pam founded HopeLab, a nonprofit organization that combines the highest standards of scientific research with innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of life for young people with chronic illness. In August 2006, HopeLab released the Re-Mission video game for cancer, and in August 2008, research demonstrating the efficacy of the game in improving the health of young cancer patients was published in the medical journal Pediatrics. HopeLab is now applying insights from the Re-Mission research and development process to create new technology-based interventions that support the health of young people.

Pam serves as a board member of Tufts University's Tisch College of Public Service and a Member of USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. She is also a member of the advisory council to The Elders. At home in Hawaii, she is also a board member of Hanahauoli School. She earned a BS in biology from Tufts University and studied molecular genetics at the University of California at Santa Cruz.