The “Japanese Americans & Japan: Legacies” series continued with an interview of Tracey Doi, Chief Financial Officer and Group Vice President of Toyota Motor North America. During the interview, Ms. Doi shared stories about her childhood, career and experiences as a Japanese American.
Ms. Doi is an extremely successful businesswoman who has also played significant roles within various nonprofit organizations. In addition to her work at Toyota Motor North America, she is an active board member of the National Asian American Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce, 2020 Women on Boards, and the Japanese American National Museum. She also volunteers for the Orchid Giving Circle at the Texas Women’s Foundation. Ms. Doi was a 2020 Maura Women Helping Women Award winner, an honor presented to leaders who have catalyzed change for women and girls. In addition, she has been recognized by Automotive News three consecutive times as one of the Top 100 Women in the automotive industry, as well as by D CEO as one of the Top 500 most influential business leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth. Ms. Doi is a member of the USJC Legacy Council and an alumna of the Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD).
Ms. Doi discussed growing up in California and detailed her close relationship with her grandfather. She described her experiences at UCLA and a variety of work experiences. She also talked about her journey at Toyota and how the pandemic has impacted her work.
When asked about lessons she has learned, she said, “Surround yourself with talent. We all grow so much more if we are surrounded by talent that complements each other and… pushes us to a different level.” She also suggested we “build a personal board of directors” made of those from both our professional and personal lives. When detailing her experiences with USJC and USJC Founding President, the late Irene Hirano Inouye, she said that Irene was the “ultimate connector of people. I love the fact that the U.S.-Japan Council focuses on people-to-people relationships because to me, that’s Irene’s legacy.”
The interview with Ms. Doi is available to watch online here.
The Legacy series is produced and moderated by Council Leaders Dianne Fukami (JALD ’09) and Debra Nakatomi (JALD ’09), who together co-produced a TV documentary “An American Story: Norman Mineta and His Legacy,” on the life and career of Secretary Norman Y. Mineta (Vice Chair of the USJC Board of Councilors). This series is brought to you through a mix of live webinars and privately recorded sessions released on YouTube. Click here to access the full series of interviews.
-Kazuma Parkinson
USJC Intern