Nitahara Named JACL Interim Director

The Japanese American Citizens League on April 14 announced the appointment of Stephanie Nitahara as interim executive director, effective as of April 3.

Stephanie Nitahara

“We are grateful for her commitment to the community and willingness to step up in a variety of roles over the last year,” the JACL National Board said in a statement. “Ms. Nitahara has nearly five years of experience on staff for JACL working out of the Pacific Southwest Regional Office.

“Hired as the Pacific Southwest regional director, she most recently served as interim associate director, working in partnership with former Interim Executive Director William Yoshino to manage the organization in this period of transition.

“Prior to joining the staff, Ms. Nitahara served JACL in a variety of board roles, including Midwest District governor, Midwest District youth representative, and Chicago Chapter board member.

“Her experiences in these varied roles provide her with a unique perspective that is an incredible asset to our organization. We thank her for taking on additional responsibilities as we work towards selecting a permanent executive director.”

Yoshino retired from JACL at the end of March after 38 years of service, which started when he was hired as Midwest regional director.

Following the resignation of Executive Director Priscilla Ouchida last year, Yoshino was named interim executive director and Nitahara interim associate director in June.