Born and raised in Hawaii and a fourth-generation Japanese American, Darin Arita brings over 20 years of financial leadership experience in businesses spanning around the globe. He serves as Head of Capital and Financial Planning at New York Life, leading capital strategy, corporate financial planning, and rating agency engagement. Darin’s career encompasses senior roles at Prudential Financial, Voya Financial, and Deutsche Bank, where he has led transformative initiatives and advised on complex cross-border transactions. Darin is passionate about fostering connections between the United States and Japan. He serves as Co-leader for the New York Region of the US-Japan Council. He also serves the community as Trustee and Treasurer of the New York Choral Society and was a Board Member and Audit Chair for the National Investor Relations Institute. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, he is a CFA charterholder and speaks Japanese, holding the JLPT N1 certification.

Prefectures in Japan of ancestral origins: Kumamoto, Niigata, Yamaguchi.

Georgette A. Furukawa is the Founder and CEO of Aestival Strategies, with over 20 years of leadership experience across multinational corporations, government, and nonprofits. In the Biden-Harris Administration, she served as Chief of Staff at U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Advisor in the White House Office of the Chief of Staff, and Director of Public Engagement at the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. Her previous roles include senior positions at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the U.S. Department of Energy (Obama-Biden Administration), the U.S.-Japan Council, and Sony. She also served in the U.S. Congress and the State of Hawaiʻi for former Lieutenant Governor Mazie K. Hirono. Furukawa was Board President of the JACL DC Chapter and is a longtime community volunteer. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College and lives in Washington, D.C. with her 23-year-old turtle son, Kame-chan.

Prefectures in Japan of ancestral origins: Maternal side from Fukushima, paternal side from Kumamoto.

Steve Hobbs is the proud son of a Japanese immigrant who raised him to work hard, value education, and serve others. Currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Washington Army National Guard, Hobbs completed tours in Kosovo and Iraq. He has worn the uniform for more than 30 years. As Washington Secretary of State, Hobbs created the Information Security & Response Division, which defends the election system from the threat of cyberattack, provides county election administrators with security support, and strengthens our partnerships with experts in national security and cyberwarfare. Hobbs received his Master’s of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2025; he is also an alumnus of the University of Washington, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master’s of Public Administration. He is the first person of color to serve as the Secretary of State and only the second Washington Secretary of State born in Washington. A proud husband and father, Hobbs and his wife, Pam, are raising their three sons.

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: Kochi

Mona Miyasato is a third-generation Japanese American (sansei) and serves as the County Executive Officer for Santa Barbara County, California—the county’s chief appointed executive. With more than 20 years in public service, she has focused on fiscal stewardship, equity, and community resilience, and is among California’s longest-tenured county CEOs. Her leadership during recovery from the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flow was recognized in 2018 with the Santa Barbara County Woman of the Year honor. She continues to advance innovation in government and prudent fiscal management and serves on regional and national boards dedicated to community resilience, the advancement of Asian American public administrators, and secure retirement for public employees. Miyasato recently earned certification from the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: Okinawa.

Dr. Christopher Morita is a healthcare professional and lifelong community organizer with deep roots in the Japanese American community. Growing up in Lodi, California, he and his family were active in local Japanese American organizations, fostering cultural preservation and community engagement. Christopher has served as a board member and national conference delegate for the Japanese American Citizens League and participated in the Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) Program in Hiroshima, where he shared Japanese American culture while reconnecting with family. Currently based in Detroit, Michigan, he helps coordinate the Great Lakes Taiko Center (GLTC) Obon (MiBon) festival, bringing together Japanese and Japanese American organizations to

celebrate and share Japanese culture with the broader community. Through the Japanese American Leadership Delegation, Christopher seeks to strengthen U.S.–Japan connections, foster cross-cultural collaboration, and promote a more interconnected future between Japan and the United States.

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: Hiroshima

Mana Nakagawa is a Shin-Nisei Japanese American leader working at the intersection of technology, social equity, and global leadership. She is currently the Head of People Experience at Scale AI, an AI infrastructure company enabling the development and deployment of advanced AI systems across industries and governments worldwide. Her career highlights include serving as Director of People Development and DEI at Facebook/Meta, consulting for the United Nations on global education policy, and leading international research for Sheryl Sandberg’s global best-seller, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. A distinguished speaker and author, Mana is committed to advancing social equity, strengthening U.S.-Japan relations, and building inclusive systems that empower the next generation of leaders to create a sustainable and equitable future. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Prefectures in Japan of ancestral origin: Hiroshima and Fukushima.

Steve Sakanashi is Chair of the Japan–Texas Economic Summit, a premier forum convening top business, government, and civic leaders to advance economic collaboration between Texas and Japan. As chief architect of the Summit, he shapes its vision, program, and stakeholder engagement to strengthen bilateral partnerships. Steve also serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships at ABeam Consulting, leading growth and ecosystem partnerships in the U.S. market, and as Texas State Director at Make Us Visible, advocating for Asian American representation in Texas education. Before returning to America, Steve spent a decade in Tokyo raising a family and serving as Director of Marketing and Global Strategy at Matchbox Technologies, where he helped launch Japan’s first government-backed gig work platform. He also founded Sekai Creator, a startup incubator that equipped Japanese students and corporations with entrepreneurial leadership skills. Steve earned his B.A. in History from Seattle Pacific University.

Prefectures in Japan of ancestral origins: Maternal side from Wakayama, paternal side from Kumamoto, Hiroshima, Fukushima.

Adrianne Aiko Thompson is a professor at Miami Dade College (MDC) with over 30 years of experience in academic English instruction. Before joining MDC, she taught English in Japan. Thompson holds a doctorate in educational technology (University of Florida), a master’s in TESOL (Columbia University), and bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and global studies (University of Iowa). A dedicated advocate for global education, Thompson founded the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander heritage committee at MDC and chaperoned students on a study abroad program to Japan through the Kakehashi Inouye Program. Her passion for Japanese culture extends beyond the classroom, as evidenced by her Japanese tea ceremony demonstrations and board membership at Ichimura-Miami Japanese Gardens.

Thompson is a Fulbright alumna and co-director of a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad in Asia. Additionally, she serves on the Asian American Advisory Board of Miami-Dade County, demonstrating her commitment to community engagement and advocacy.

Prefecture in Japan of ancestral origins: Yamagata.

Erika Uyterhoeven is the State Representative for the 27th Middlesex District in Massachusetts, representing most of the City of Somerville. Elected in 2020 with the highest vote margin and voter turnout for a first-time candidate, she has been a vocal advocate for advancing equity, community empowerment, and participatory democracy. Erika brings experience working in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and her legislative achievements have spanned public education, workers’ rights, expanding voting access, and investing in affordable housing. She is an active member of the AAPI Caucus, where she has worked to ensure that AAPI communities have a seat at the table in shaping state policy. She is the daughter of a Japanese mother with Portuguese ancestry and a Belgian and Dutch father who both immigrated to the United States. Erika earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, MPP from Toulouse School of Economics, BA from Wellesley College.

Prefectures in Japan of ancestral origins: Maternal side from Kanagawa and Iwate