Erin Kaneko ’96
Erin Kaneko ‘96 received a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2005 and earned an M.A. in International Economics from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan in 2008.
Erin opened the Seattle office for Wilshire Capital, a multi-faceted real estate investment company specializing in acquisition, asset management, construction management and development, in 2016 and formed WCS Group, a minority and women-owned real estate company working in conjunction with Wilshire Capital, in 2019. Erin has hands-on experience encompassing all facets of real estate investment, including acquisition, financing, asset management, construction management, and disposition. Before joining Wilshire Capital, she was a managing partner at a multi-family office and was responsible for the investment strategy for the West Coast. Erin was a member of the alternative investments committee and was responsible for sourcing, due diligence, and selection process for internal and external investment funds.
Before her involvement in the alternative investment committee, she was a member of the strategic planning committee. She was responsible for negotiating provider costs, cash flow planning, liquidity management, and capital sufficiency analysis.
Prior to the above-mentioned, Erin was a consultant in charge of the overall financial and operational restructuring of businesses facing bankruptcy. Her responsibilities included assisting in the transaction details and negotiations concerning the acquisition of the company’s real estate assets, investigating what factors led to unsatisfactory financial performance, and debt restructuring.
Erin also actively supports and has served in various capacities for several NGOs, including UN Women, CARE, Construction for Change, and UN Crisis Relief. Erin serves on the Board of Trustees for St. Thomas School, is co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and is a member of the Finance and Governance Committees. Erin and her husband, TJ Young, have four children and currently reside in Bellevue, WA. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, reading, and painting.
