James Robert (JR) Bunda, LMHC, joined the University of Hawai‘i Athletics Department in February 2023.
Bunda currently holds the position of Mental Health Therapist. In his role, Bunda is responsible for providing mental health services to the student-athletes at UH.
Bunda played Division I baseball at University of Portland from 2009-14, where he served as co-team captain for two years. He went on to play professionally from 2015-20 with stints in the U.S. independent leagues (American Association and Pacific Association), Japan, and the Australian Baseball League. Bunda most notably represented the Philippines National Team in the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers.
Highlights:
- University of Portland’s WALLY Most Inspirational Athlete Award - awarded to the most inspirational Pilot athlete of the year (2014)
- University of Portland’s WALLY Sam Bridgman Award - awarded to the Pilot athlete that shows the most perseverance and dedication in the area of sports performance (2014)
- College Baseball Insider’s Tom Walter/Pete Frates College Baseball Inspiration Award (2014)
- Spencer Stevens Swan Districts Baseball Club Pitching Award (2015)
- San Rafael Pacific’s Reliever of the Year Award (2016)
- Lincoln Saltdogs’ Rookie of the Year Award (2017)
The Wahiawa, O‘ahu native earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a minor in history from University of Portland in 2014. Bunda earned his Master of Arts degree in clinical mental health counseling from the Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine in 2021.
Bunda is licensed as a Mental Health Counselor in the state of Hawai‘i and is a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), and the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
He currently resides in Wahiawa, O‘ahu.
