The Downtown Los Angeles Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and the Japanese Women’s Society of Southern California have selected five noteworthy Japanese American community leaders for the 2024 Women of the Year Award: Sue Yanaga Kawasaki, Genevieve Hatsumi Uyeda Lew, Michele (Misaki) Nagata, Trudy Nodohara, and Barbara Kato Yanase Shirota.
This year’s luncheon event will be held at the Quiet Cannon, Rooms Crystal 1 & 3, 901 N. Via San Clemente, Montebello, on Sunday, May 5, at 12:30 pm.
Sue Yanaga Kawasaki
Sue Yanaga Kawasaki, a retired Special Education Administrator and Learning Disability specialist, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and lived in Kailua Oahu until aged ten when the family relocated to Crenshaw area of Los Angles.
While attending UCLA, Kawasaki was a member of Theta Kappa Phi Sorority and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History. She earned her teaching credential at UCLA in 1969 and a Learning Disability Credential in 1978. She earned a MS in Special Education in late 70’s and an Administrative Credential at Mount Saint Mary's College-Doheny Campus in early 80’s.
In 1980, Kawasaki transferred to the ABC Unified School District in Cerritos to implement the newly instituted statewide Resource Specialist Program in Special Education. She remained as a Resource Specialist at the elementary and high school level before becoming a District Supervisor of Special Education programs for infants to post high school in the late 90’s.
Kawasaki left ABC in 2004 to pursue SE Administrative duties in El Segundo Unified School District until her retirement in 2006. In 2007, she came out of retirement to assist the Director of Special Education in the Wiseburn School District part time until she completely retired in 2013.
Kawasaki was highly active in the 3,000 member CA Association of Resources Specialists and Special Education's Teachers (CARS+). She joined the State Board as Region 4 Director responsible for the Greater LA area in 1990 and served as Vice President Elect, and finally as State President in 2000. She also coauthored the Statewide Goals and Objectives Handbook for the State Curriculum Standards, which was adopted by the CA Special Education Commission and used by all Special Education teachers in California from 2000-2010.
When her daughter, Allison, was selected in 2003 by the Yonsei basketball team traveling to Fukuoka Japan, Kawasaki immediately became immersed in the organization. After a positive Yonsei Mom experience the first year, Kawasaki joined the Yonsei Board for the next five years organizing exchange programs, fund-raising, setting Yonsei vision policies, and assisting families in preparing for their new adventure. Kawasaki traveled to Japan on three different occasions as one of the Yonsei board representatives, and hosted many Japanese players during their stay in the United States.
In 2013, Ralph lchikawa, the president of the Nikkei Widow's group (CENW), approached Kawasaki for help as her parents had originally nourished the group from its inception. Thus. although not a widow herself, Kawasaki began a new journey to fill the needs of the Nikkei widows and widowers of the South Bay area. During the past ten years of her tenure, the By-Laws were updated, Federal IRS nonprofit status finalized, and the financial stability of the organization was established. She tirelessly wrote to obtain grants and finally successfully received grants from Keiro to help fund speakers and special educational programs. Despite the membership aging in place (average age is 86-87) and attrition taking its toll, Kawasaki continues to hold meetings for CENW members to provide grief sessions as well as companionship, friendship, and socialization amongst peers who share a common bond.
Genevieve Hatsumi Uyeda Lew
Genevieve Hatsumi Uyeda Lew, a sansei, was born in Poston, Arizona, to parents, Yoji and Setsu Nishimoto Uyeda. Lew attended the Maryknoll church and school, near Japanese Town in Los Angeles, when it reopened after the WWII internment. While attending California State University Los Angeles, she met her husband, Gene. After graduating, they were married at the Maryknoll church.
Even as a stay-at-home mom for their three children, Lew always found time to help others. She volunteered at their schools and shuttled her children to their various activities.
In 1988, while working as a teacher’s aide at Sepulveda Junior High School, Lew was asked to apply for, and ultimately attained an emergency teaching credential. She enjoyed a successful career teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in junior and middle schools for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She taught ESL for 15 years before retiring to care for her grandson, Allen, who was born in June of 2003.
Lew was also an active member at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center (SFV JACC). She began volunteering at the SFV JACC, when she joined the CC Newsletter staff in 1986. In 1990, Lew, along with Helen Nakada and Irene Nakamura, were awarded the CC Appreciation Award. Lew was the membership chairperson for the SFV JACC from 1988-2003.
In 1996, Lew was the pledge drive administrator for the newly acquired Nikkei Pioneer Building. Through donations and pledges, the $500,000 loan from Union Bank was paid off in just five years.
Lew was president of the San Fernando Valley Meiji Senior Citizens Club in 2009 and 2010. She served as the Meiji Club's membership chair from 2011-2015, and as their treasurer from 2019 to the present. Behind the scenes, Lew continues to purchase and maintain the SFV JACC coffee and meal utensils inventory, provide transportation for seniors who are no longer able to drive to the CC, and picks up delicious bakery cakes that are served at the senior Hot Meal lunches.
Other activities that Lew participates in at the SFV JACC include Tai Chai, Country/Western guitar, Taiko, Line Dancing, Ukulele, and Ondo dancing. Lew and her husband have been married for 58 years and live in the same house that they purchased in 1967. Their son Gary and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters and live in Danville, CA. Their daughter Gena and her husband, Stuart, have a daughter and three stepchildren and live in Clovis, CA. Their son Greg and his wife, Susie, have a son and daughter and live in Northridge, CA.
Lew believes her life has been fulfilling and is full of purpose. Her family life continues to bring her many smiles and cherished memories. She continues to share her time, energy, and efforts to serve the community. She is a volunteer who is always available and who is willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep things running smoothly.
Michele (Misaki) Nagata
Michele (Misaki) Nagata, 51, is a 27-year hotel industry professional with lifelong work in the local Centenary United Methodist Church.
The daughter of Dr. Gordon and June Nagata, Nagata grew up in the small town of Orosi, CA along with her younger brother, Keith. It was during those years that her family taught her the importance of being connected to a church and the value of service to others. Through her schools and home church, Palms United Methodist Church in Dinuba, CA, she kept busy with activities in the life of the small, close-knit community.
After graduating as high school Valedictorian in 1990, Nagata attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. There, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication and graduated with Cum Laude honors in 1994. She started in the hotel industry a few years later by working as an administrative professional in sales, catering, and marketing at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Downtown LA, the Hilton Universal Hotel near Universal Studios Hollywood, and the LA Grand Hotel Downtown. Nagata is currently the Delphi Administrator and Catering and Marketing Coordinator for the Pacific Palms Resort in the City of Industry.
Nagata started attending the Centenary United Methodist Church in Little Tokyo in the spring of 1994 as a Youth Advisor to a high school group, several of whom she knew from the United Methodist Church Asian American Summer Camp where she was a counselor and later a Design Team director. Since then, she has fully joined the life and leadership of Centenary, serving on many committees and project teams. Her leadership highlights include coordinating service projects like the annual Souper Bowl Sunday charity fundraiser and Thanksgiving Dinner project delivering homecooked meals to seniors and those in need in Little Tokyo; being the former Youth Worker overseeing junior and senior high youth group ministries; developing the church’s first Safe Sanctuaries policy; organizing the 125th Anniversary Celebration Lunch; being the current Arigato Bazaar Chair; and coordinating the many special occasion meals enjoyed by Centenary’s families and friends.
In addition to her work at the Centenary United Methodist Church, Nagata is also very active in two other organizations: Kotobuki No Kai and the Disneyland Alumni Club.
Nagata joined the Minyo dance group, Kotobuki No Kai, in March 2014. Under the direction of Imoto Hoshunjyu Sensei, she performs both group and solo dances throughout Southern California at the Nisei Week Grand Parade and Closing Ondo, Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival, Aquarium of the Pacific Autumn Festival, and various other cultural events.
Around the same time, Nagata was asked to join the Disneyland Alumni Club to help with charity fundraising for their 60th Anniversary Gala. She stayed on the Leadership team as an Event Manager, often organizing larger club activities and fundraisers. Nagata currently serves on the Board of Directors as Club Secretary.
Trudy Nodohara
Trudy Nodohara was born and raised in Sacramento. From the age of six, Nodohara's artistic pursuits included ballet, tap, jazz, Hanayagi Japanese Classical Dance, and Japanese Folk under Matsutoyo Kai, where she is an accredited master known as Matsutoyo-E.
While in high school, Nodohara enrolled at Sacramento City College and was certified to teach ESL. She taught ESL to children at a nearby elementary school and modeling at Barbizon Modeling School. She moved to Los Angeles to study business at El Camino College and founded TELEPORT USA in May 1985. She interpreted for Mayor Tom Bradley and LAPD Chief Daryl Gates. She worked with an array of distinguished personalities and corporate entities, including singer/song writer Paul Anka, comedian Bob Hope, record producer/composer David Foster, futurist Dr. Alvin Toffler, casino mogul Steve Wynn, DreamWorks, National Police Academy (Japan), NASA, and Walt Disney Imagineering.
In 1995-1996, she coordinated a substantial portion of a Japanese government project worth 54 million dollars, becoming the liaison between Hakui City Hall in Ishikawa Prefecture, NASA, and the Russian space agency. Her pivotal role included overseeing the establishment of a Space and UFO Museum, bringing construction workers and specialists from abroad to the City of Hakui, Japan. Nodohara purchased an RL-10 Rocket Engine and authentic space suits made by NASA currently on display at the museum.
In 1993, Nodohara joined the LA Little Tokyo Lions Club, and in 1999 became the first female president of the club. During her presidency, Nodohara supported Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M) to aid leukemia patients. She led free glaucoma testing at both Little Tokyo Tower and the Keiro Retirement Home in Boyle Heights. She holds the record for the most funds raised in her club and previous district. Nodohara raised funds for disaster relief locally and globally, including the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and the 2020 Kumamoto, Kyushu landslide. In 2021-2022, she became the Lions District Governor.
In 1994, Nodohara joined the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California (JCCSC). She is currently the Senior Vice President, Director, and Membership Chair. She actively donates her time, coordinating seminars and mixers throughout the year, serving on the annual Golf Tournament, and assisting the president as a member of the Executive Committee.
Nodohara produced many “Enka” concerts and shows for the Yoshimoto Kogyo Production Company. She was the first to bring “Kagetsu” to Los Angeles, cojoining in performances held in Las Vegas and New York. In 2000, she produced an “Evening with Mori Shinichi,” a fundraiser for the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC), to a packed house at the Dorothy Chandler Theatre.
Nodohara and her husband, Hideki “Alex” Takagi, have been married for 38 years. Although they have no children, they are surrounded by a loving family, including Nodohara's mother in Northern California and her happily married brother with a daughter residing in Tokyo. Nodohara will turn 60 years old in May.
Barbara Kato Yanase Shirota
Barbara Kato Yanase Shirota, the eldest child of Issei and Kibei Nisei parents, Katsumi and Ayako Kato, was born in Merced, California. By 1940, the Kato Family had settled in Los Angeles, in the Seinan area. Shirota’s grandparents had a significant and important influence in the lives of the five children; they were always there with extra love and discipline.
In 1942, Executive Order 9066 disrupted the Shirota family. They were first incarcerated in Santa Anita Assembly Center where the family lived in a horse stable. The relocation to Heart Mountain, Wyoming ended up with more space. Sadly, Shirota’s grandfather died in camp. In Spring 1945, Shirota’s father was able to leave camp to work in a cannery in Utah. In June 1945, Shirota and her mother left camp to join her father; her mother cooked for the Nisei boys working at the cannery. When the war ended, the family was together again. In 1948, the family moved to Los Angeles.
Shirota graduated from Belmont High School and attended East LA Community College where she met her husband, George Yanase. They married after graduation. In the fall, both enrolled at California State University Los Angeles. Shirota graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in education, a teaching credential, and a teaching job in Alhambra, where she taught fifth grade. In 1958, she went on maternity leave. By 1961, her husband had graduated and worked for an insurance company, enabling them to buy a home in the La Puente area.
Shirota’s children participated in the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center (ESGVJCC) and Buddhist temple activities in West Covina. Both Shirota and her husband became board members of the ESGVJCC and the temple in the 1980’s. By then, Shirota was teaching and her husband was an attorney for the Department of Corporations.
In 1984, Shirota became president of the ESGVJCC and served three terms; she was their first woman president. Currently, Shirota serves as a member at large on the board. She is also an inaugural member of the Kibou Legacy Circle, which is an annual giving group of donors. Shirota also sponsors scholarships at Southwestern Law School, San Gabriel Valley JACL for high school students, ESGVJCC for graduate students, and the University of La Verne.
Shirota was married to her husband for 31 years, until his untimely death. In 1990, through the Center’s Singles Group, Shirota met her second husband, Jon Shirota. They were married in 1992 in Las Vegas. In 1993, Shirota took her first trip to Maui for the Shirota Family Reunion. In 1994, she took her first trip to Okinawa when her husband was invited to speak at Ryüdai, also known as the University of the Ryukyus. In 2005, Shirota and her husband spent six months in Okinawa; her husband co-taught “Lucky Come Hawaii” at the university while Shirota volunteered at the Amerasian School. She found the six months spent in Okinawa to be culturally enlightening and a wonderful experience. Shirota and her husband remained together for 28 years until his death.
Shirota and her first husband, George Yanase, have two children: Sumiye Yanase Arnheim and Craig Yanase. Shirota is the proud grandmother of three: Alyssa Arnheim, currently a Ph.D. candidate in bioengineering at UCLA; Lauren Yanase, senior at Portland State University, majoring in history with a focus on Asian American studies; and Bryan Yanase, second year student at Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colorado, studying kinesiology.
Ticket Information
Tickets are $60 per adult and $30 per child (ages 10 and under). Specify if vegetarian is requested. The deadline for reservations is April 20. Registration begins at 12:00 pm. No gifts please. Seating arrangements are made in tables of 10. Make checks payable to Downtown LA JACL. Mail check and the list of attendees to Amy Tambara, Women of the Year Chairperson, 526½ W. Riggin St., Monterey Park, CA 91754. For more information, call Amy Tambara (English/evenings) at (323) 722-3897, Rodney Nakada (English/Japanese/days) at (213) 628-1808, or Toshie Kawaguchi (Japanese) at (323) 434-3899.
