Forum Facilitators in the Media
Listen to interviews with Diversity Leadership Forum Facilitators Jennifer Brown and J.D. Hokoyama:
Jennifer Brown, Founder and President, Jennifer Brown Consulting on CBS
J.D. Hokoyama, President & CEO of LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc.) on OK Radio
Meet the Facilitators
Facilitators for the Forum will direct hands-on and interactive business and leadership development workshops and provide actionable items for participants to walk away with and apply back in their offices.
The 2009 Diversity Leadership Forum Facilitators:
Linda Akutagawa is Senior Vice President of resource and business development at Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics Inc., where she is responsible for LEAP’s fund-raising, business development and oversight of program design, development and delivery. Linda is a member of LEAP’s Executive Management Team and co-manages the operations of the national nonprofit organization. As chief fundraiser, she develops and executes strategies focused on increasing earned and contributed income, building interest among clients and donors to support and participate in LEAP’s leadership programs.
Jennifer Brown is the Founder and President of Jennifer Brown Consulting, a leadership, communications and diversity consulting firm based in New York City. Her company advises leading businesses and non-profits such as Cisco Systems, BASF, Schwab, Ernst & Young, American Express, The New York Times, Working Mother Media, GenderPAC, and many others on the creation of inclusive workplaces that resonate with current, and future, employees and leaders. She speaks and consults globally, specializing in generational differences, leadership development, team dynamics, and personal branding and presence for executives.
J.D. Hokoyama is the President & CEO and a founding board member of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP). A former Peace Corps volunteer serving in Ethiopia, he has been a high school English teacher and department chair, a K-8 elementary school principal, an executive vice president for fund development and public affairs, the acting national director of the Japanese American Citizens League and the director of the Office of Asian Pacific American Students Services at the University of Southern California. He speaks and trains nationally in all sectors on topics such as becoming a 21st century leader, understanding cultural values, risk taking and breaking the glass ceiling.
Jane Hyun is Founder and President of Hyun & Associates a company that provides executive coaching and leadership strategies to Fortune 500 companies, MBA programs, and government/nonprofits. The firm focuses on the impact of culture on leadership, workplace interactions and business strategy. Her firm’s expertise in the area of talent management of Asians, women, and multicultural professionals has been internationally acclaimed by clients. She advises senior management teams, ERG (Employee Resource Groups) leaders, and diversity councils on the importance of building effective multicultural teams and practical strategies for winning the talent war.
Alan Kumamoto is a Partner of Kumamoto Associates, a marketing, management and communications general partnership. His career spans international business, government, and nonprofit jobs before co-founding Kumamoto Associates. Alan has 40 years of experience in management consulting, resource development/fundraising, and human relations training. He was a consultant to the Ford Foundation Working Capital Fund for mid-sized minority nonprofit institutions and assisted the National Marrow Donor Program with a national Asian Pacific Communications Campaign. He teaches fundraising at the University of California at Los Angeles to nonprofit and public agencies and taught grant writing to teachers for the Miliken Foundation. He has presented planning workshops and seminars in Australia, Canada, Ghana, Japan and Ukraine.
Karen J. Watai is the President of Karen Watai Associates LLC, a firm dedicated to working with professionals through coaching and customized training to enhance performance and achieve results in a long-term and sustainable manner. Karen has spent almost 20 years in the investment banking and private equity industries. She was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs where she executed transactions in the Private Finance Department and was a relationship manager in the Capital Markets Department. She also worked in the Management Development and Training Department where she designed, developed and delivered major initiatives including mentoring, diversity, compliance, and business programs.
Janice Won is the Founder of The Inclusion Strategies Group. She is a diversity strategist and consultant recognized for championing enterprise-wide diversity initiatives in a global Fortune 100 company, for coaching leaders and providing leadership in driving the diversity agenda in corporate, research and non-profit sectors. Ms. Won works with clients to develop strategies for building vibrant, credible and sustainable employee affinity groups that bring maximum business value to the company and to their employees. She consults with corporate executives and employee affinity group leaders on creating strategies that are aligned with business goals, drive employee engagement and build leadership capabilities.
