Board Members
Ann Burroughs
President and CEO
Ann Burroughs is the President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum and its Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. She is an internationally recognized leader in the field of human rights and social justice. She is Chair of the International Board of Directors of Amnesty International, the immediate past Chair of Amnesty International USA and a former Chair of Amnesty International’s Global Assembly, its highest decision-making body. She is also on the board of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation. Her lifelong commitment to racial and social justice was shaped by her experience as a young activist in her native South Africa where she was jailed as a political prisoner for her opposition to apartheid. For over twenty-five years, she has worked with leaders, organizations, and networks in the US and abroad to promote racial justice and a rights-based culture. She has previously served as Executive Director of the Taproot Foundation and as the Executive Director of LA Works, and has worked as a consultant to private philanthropic foundations such the Omidyar Network and the Rockefeller Foundation.
William T Fujioka
Chair, Board of Trustees
William T Fujioka is a third-generation Japanese American who started his forty-four-year career in public service working for the County of Santa Cruz while attending the University of California, Santa Cruz in the early 1970s. After graduating in 1974, he interned with the Los Angeles Police Department for the City of Los Angeles. In 1978, he left the city and spent the next nineteen years working for Los Angeles County. In 1999, he was appointed city administrative officer for the City of Los Angeles, the first person of color to hold that office. He initially retired in February 2007, but returned to public service in July when he was appointed the first chief executive officer for Los Angeles County. He retired from public service on November 30, 2014. He steps into his role as chair in 2022 after serving on JANM’s board for the past five years and as the executive committee chair for nearly two years. His mother, Linda Fujioka, participated in JANM’s initial fundraising effort and was a long time volunteer and docent.
Board of Trustees
William T Fujioka, Chair, Board of Trustees
Robert T. Fujioka, Vice Chair
Kristine M. Nishiyama, Secretary
Kari Nakama, Assistant Secretary
Harvey H. Yamagata, Treasurer
Ann Burroughs
Kathryn Bannai
Ford Fujii
Bryan Fujita
Koji F. Fukumura
Meloni Hallock
Paul Kosasa
Ed “Sugi” Morimoto
Susan Morita
Gene Ochi
Michael Okabayashi
Mark Okada
Kenneth A. Picerne
Wendy C. Shiba
Dennis R. Sugino
Joe Takai
George H. Takei, Chairman Emeritus
Jane Yada
Gordon Yamate, Chairman Emeritus
Emeritus Board of Trustees
Bruce T. Kaji,* Founding President and Chairman Emeritus
Honorable Norman Y. Mineta,* Chairman Emeritus
Henry Y. Ota, Chairman Emeritus
Margaret Y. Oda, EdD,* Chairman Emeritus
Francis Y. Sogi,* Chairman Emeritus
Yoshihiro Uchida, Chairman Emeritus
Elaine Y. Yamagata,* Chairman Emeritus
Board of Governors
Diana Abouali
Devon Akmon
Vicki Ariyasu
Julie Azuma
Akemi Kondo Dalvi
Tracey Doi
Shinichi Fujinami
Glen S. Fukushima
Nate Gyotoku
Kenneth S. Hamamura
Ann F. Harakawa
Anthea Hartig
Jennifer Hirano
Chris Hope
Doug Ichiuji
David Ige
Thomas Iino
David Inoue
Ken Inouye
Yuko Kaifu
Glenn Kaino
Gene S. Kanamori
Michael T. Kawachi
Hiroshi Kawano
Darin Kita
John E. Kobara
Nikki Kodama
Akemi Kurokawa
Randall R. Lee
Jeff Maloney
Warren H. Maruyama
Stan Masamitsu
David Mineta
Michele Miyakawa
Josh Morey
Floyd Mori
Richard I. Morimoto
Erika Moritsugu
Gary S. Moriwaki
Greg Nakahira
Douglas W. Nelson
David Nishida
Daniel Nishikawa
Rick Kaz Noguchi
David Ono
Susan J. Onuma
Jennifer Sabas
Kelly Saito
Lisa Sasaki
Leigh Sata
Koji Sato
Jay Shiba
Floyd D. Shimomura
Moira Shourie
Lisa Sugimoto, EdD
George Tanaka
Taiji Terasaki
Tamlyn Tomita
Kent Tsukamoto
Jill Watanabe
Richard Watanabe, PhD
Toshizo “Tom” Watanabe
Christine Wilkinson, PhD
Duncan Williams
Mark Yamagata
Audrey Yamamoto
Christopher Yang
Emeritus Board of Governors
John N. Fuyuume*
Honorable Daniel K. Inouye,* Chairman Emeritus, Board of Governors
Richard H. Kosaki, PhD
Takashi Makinodan, PhD*
Sanbo S. Sakaguchi, MD*
Tomoye Takahashi*
Honorary Board
Honorable Judy Chu
Honorable Tammy Duckworth
Representative Jimmy Gomez
Honorable Mazie K. Hirono
Honorable Michael M. Honda
Honorable Doris Matsui
Honorable Al Muratsuchi
Honorable Alan Nakanishi
Robert C. Nakasone
Honorable Lucille Roybal-Allard
Honorable Sharon Tomiko Santos
Senator Adam Schiff
Honorable Mark Takano
Honorable Jill Tokuda
Peter V. Ueberroth
Honorable Lynne Kobashigawa Waihee
*deceased
As of 2/20/26