Marsha Aizumi, founder & Former Executive director/chair

Marsha is the proud mother of a transgender son and author of a memoir, Two Spirits, One Heart, with her son, Aiden. She is founder and chair of Okaeri, co-founder of PFLAG SGV API, and writes a column for the Pacific Citizen newspaper called A Mother's Take. Marsha has served on the PFLAG National Board of Directors, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Parents of Transgender Children, and The Biden Foundation LGBTQ+ Equality Advisory Council, along with speaking to over 250 organizations, corporations, schools, and churches across both the US and Asia.

matthew Yonemura, ltsc program manager

Keith is a queer bilingual shin-Nisei Japanese American community leader. Keith served as a national Pride program director for the North American Association of Asian Professionals, was invited to speak at Bain & Co., Movember Foundation, and Chambers of Commerce, and consulted for global brands like Toyota & Disney. With 20 years of professional experience, he is honored to currently serve as Okaeri’s Interim ED and Lead Japanese Facilitator for Okaeri Connects!, a free monthly virtual LGBTQ+ & parents/ally support groups program. His collection of poems in the Okaeri Book: Letters To Home, speaks to the diversity within the LGBTQ+ JA community.

matthew Yonemura, ltsc program manager

Keith is a queer bilingual shin-Nisei Japanese American community leader. Keith served as a national Pride program director for the North American Association of Asian Professionals, was invited to speak at Bain & Co., Movember Foundation, and Chambers of Commerce, and consulted for global brands like Toyota & Disney. With 20 years of professional experience, he is honored to currently serve as Okaeri’s Interim ED and Lead Japanese Facilitator for Okaeri Connects!, a free monthly virtual LGBTQ+ & parents/ally support groups program. His collection of poems in the Okaeri Book: Letters To Home, speaks to the diversity within the LGBTQ+ JA community.

cody Uyeda, program coordinator

Cody is a fourth-generation (Yonsei) Japanese American currently based in Orange County. He received his BA in English and Communication from USC, and an MA in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is one of the co-editors of Letters to Home, and has also led other programs including a symposium on allyship and another on trans API individuals, the 2024 Okaeri Matsuri, and the Okaeri Voices program. His interests center around the intersections of culture, identity, and the Nikkei community.

sohei Wu, intern

My name is Sohei, and I am currently pursuing a BS in Neuroscience at UCLA. I am also hoping to soon become a licensed EMT, and in my free time, you'll most likely find me in a rock climbing gym. I am so excited to be joining the Okaeri community as an intern and hope to meet and work with a wide variety of people in the LGBTQ+ and Japanese American communities!

marie Sekiguchi, intern

I'm thrilled to contribute my fullest to Okaeri and support my Japanese American community in Little Tokyo, while also deepening my connection to my queerness this year. I'm a third year urban and regional planning student at Cal Poly Pomona with emphasis on resiliency, sustainability, and the environment. Not to mention, I am particularly interested in cultural and historic neighborhood preservation. I also love sewing to create costumes and personas.

FORMER STAFF/TEAM MEMBERS

Keith (former Interim ED) is a queer bilingual shin-Nisei Japanese American community leader. Keith served as a national Pride program director for the North American Association of Asian Professionals, was invited to speak at Bain & Co., Movember Foundation, and Chambers of Commerce, and consulted for global brands like Toyota & Disney. With 20 years of professional experience, he previously served as Okaeri’s Interim ED, and is currently Lead Japanese Facilitator for Okaeri Connects!, a free monthly virtual LGBTQ+ & parents/ally support groups program. His collection of poems in the Okaeri Book: Letters To Home, speaks to the diversity within the LGBTQ+ JA community.

Rino (former Tech, Media, Marketing Coordinator) is a nonbinary shin-nisei artist based in Los Angeles, originally from the Bay Area. They received their BA in Fine Art at UCLA with a focus in ceramics, and minored in Asian American studies. They are one of three co-editors of Letters to Home, and Okaeri’s former Tech & Media Marketing Coordinator. They strive to shape a compassionate Japanese American community that is able to hold our queer and trans multiplicities and expansiveness.

Okaeri Steering Committee

Deena Umeda is queer woman from Los Angeles. She grew up in San Jose, California before returning to Los Angeles post-grad. She joined Okaeri as an intern in 2023 and continues her work with them on the steering committee. She graduated from UCSB in 2022 with a Degree in Asian American Studies and currently works for LTSC’s Changing Tides. In her free time she enjoys cooking, tending to her indoor plants and doing different kinds of arts and crafts, like felting and painting!

Justin Kawaguchi is a fifth-generation (Gosei) Japanese American based in Los Angeles. He currently works as a management consultant and is a proud USC alumnus (Fight On!). He has been involved with the Okaeri community since 2019 and helped to launch its virtual programming and first hybrid conference. When not at work or volunteering with Okaeri, catch him in Little Tokyo, trying new street taco spots, or visiting his partner in San Francisco!

Eric Arimoto

Gloria Fujita-O’Brien

Karen Murakami

Glenn Murakami

Daniel Tomita

Shelly W.

Miho Asada

Wayne Itoga

Mizuki