The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) announces the retirement of Henry Ota, Esq., and the appointment of two new members to the Board of Directors, Linda Taira and Stacy Toyota.

After 33 years of dedicated service, Ota announced his retirement from the JACCC Board of Directors. During his tenure, he served as board chair and co-chair of the Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships Committee.

Ota’s contributions to JACCC have been immensely gracious, and his commitment to advancing the organization with new initiatives, inspiring. JACCC was fortunate to have him on the board and thanks him for his many years of excellent service.

The two new board appointees hail from backgrounds in communications and human resources and will offer counsel and support as the organization embarks on its vision of connecting people and cultures locally and internationally.

Taira is founder and principal of Taira-Welch Communications, offering strategic, executive communications counsel and support to corporate and nonprofit clients, drawing on her experience in journalism, public broadcasting, public relations, and corporate communications.

Toyota is a human resources executive at Starbucks Coffee Company, where she supports retail leaders in Los Angeles County, Ventura County, and Hawaii. She also serves as the executive sponsor for Starbucks’ Los Angeles/Central California region’s employee resource group, the Pan Asian Partner Network. A former board member and board chair of Kizuna, Toyota was involved in programs and development for the JACL Pacific Southwest District and JACCC.

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