A prominent personality with strong ties to the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles has been named chairperson of the board of trustees for the Ford Foundation, a well-known and long-established philanthropic organization based in New York.
Representatives of the Ford Foundation recently announced the selection of Irene Hirano to the post, choosing the woman who oversaw the founding and expansion of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Little Tokyo. The efforts have included a new, 85,000 square-foot facility that draws national acclaim while serving as a touchstone of the ethnic enclave on the northeastern edge of Downtown.
Inouye has been a trustee of the Ford Foundation since 2006. She will serve as the 10th board chair in the foundation's 75-year history, succeeding Kathryn S. Fuller, who plans to retire in September.
The Ford Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers grants as part of its work with "courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide" as part of a mission to "strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement." The foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to complement its headquarters in New York.
"Irene will bring to this role invaluable experience as a social entrepreneur, having built a large, independent, and mission-driven organization," said Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation. "Her national reputation has been built on a record of vision, collaboration, and accomplishment, as well as an unyielding commitment to the values of collective fairness and individual opportunity that lie at the heart of Ford's mission. She will play a critical role in guiding our work to improve lives and create opportunity for people throughout the world."
Hirano served as president and founding chief executive officer of JANM until 2008, when she stepped down from the post upon her marriage to U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii.
The Japanese American National Museum opened to the public with its restored Historic Building at 1st Street and Central Avenue as its main facility in 1992. JANM debuted its current state-of-the art main facility seven years later, with the Historic Building still in operation just across a broad pathway at the busy location. The new facility led to an expansion of various arts and cultural programs. The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy established its home at the facility in 2005, marking a third phase of expansion for the museum.
JANM currently counts more than 65,000 members spread over the entire U.S. and 16 others countries, according to representatives of the museum. The facility is currently an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution operated by the U.S. government.
Hirano's recent elevation to chair of the Ford Foundation board is only the latest entry on a schedule that has remained chock full over the two years since her departure from JANM. Last year saw President Barack Obama appoint Hirano to a newly created U.S.-Japan Council that keeps offices in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, and aims to foster connections between individuals from both countries as a way to strengthen diplomatic relation.
Hirano earned a bachelor's and master's degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and has worked for more than 35 years in the fields of administration for non-profit organizations, community education and public affairs, with an emphasis on cultural diversity a common thread through various duties.
Hirano has also served on the boards of the American Association of Museums, the Kresge Foundation, Board Member, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Smithsonian Institution, and L.A. Inc./Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau. She has also served as a member of the Toyota Corporation's Diversity Advisory Board, the Business Advisory Board of Sodexho Corporation, the Accreditation Commission of the American Association of Museums, the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the California Commission on the Status of Women, among other organizations.
Jerry Sullivan is editor of the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
Initial funding for the LA Beez Hyperlocal News Project was provided by The Ford Foundation to New America Media, LA Beez's parent organization.
Photo of Senator Dan Inouye and Irene Hirano from inouye.senate.gov; screenshot of the Japanese American National Museum from www.janm.org.
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