Irene Hirano
Irene Hirano currently serves as President of the newly created U.S.-Japan Council. With offices in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, the Council seeks to enhance relations between the United States and Japan through people-to-people connections.
Irene is also the former President and founding CEO of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, which opened its doors in 1992. After twenty years of service to the National Museum, she stepped down in 2008.
The Japanese American National Museum
Presented in partnership with regional communities and diverse organizations, the National Museum offers to a wide array of visitors national and international programs in arts, culture and history. Initially housed in a restored historic building, the National Museum in 1999 expanded its size and services, operating out of a state-of-the art 85,000 square foot facility. In 2005, the Museum marked its third major facilities and programs expansion, opening the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. The National Museum has grown to more than 65,000 member donors representing every U.S. state and 16 countries. It received accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 2002 and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.
Irene’s work with the Japanese American National Museum included sharing Hawaii’s rich history with national and international audiences through collaborative partnerships with Hawaiian organizations. During its first year of operation, the National Museum featured the exhibition “Issei Pioneers: Hawaii and the Mainland, 1885 to 1924” which told the story of early immigration and settlement years of the Issei, the first generation of Japanese immigrants in the United States through never before seen photographs, documents and artifacts from Hawaii.
The National Museum also developed a major traveling exhibition, “From Bento to Mixed Plate: Americans of Japanese Ancestry in Multicultural Hawai’i which traced the evolution of Japanese American identity in multicultural Hawai’i. The exhibit was presented at the National Museum in Los Angeles in 1988, and later traveled to major institutions in Hawaii, including the Bishop Museum, Lyman Museum, and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The exhibit was also presented at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and in major museums in Hiroshima, Osaka and Niigata, Japan.. An earlier exhibition, “The Kona Coffee Story: Along the Hawai’i Belt Road” told the story of the coffee-growing industry on Kona from the earliest pioneers in 1828 to today. The exhibition was shown in Los Angeles, at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, and in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The projects included the development of new curriculum material for students, extensive teacher training and hundreds of public programs. A current traveling exhibition, “Fighting for Democracy,” features seven diverse individuals, including Hawaii’s Domingo Los Banos and the story of Filipino veterans’ contributions to World War II. The exhibition was presented at the National World War II Museum and will be at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. in early 2010.
After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, Irene spent more than 35 years in nonprofit administration, community education and public affairs. She has dedicated her career to helping culturally diverse communities nationwide, including serving for 13 years as the Executive Director of T.H.E. Clinic, a not-for-profit community health facility serving low and moderate income women and families.
Irene is extremely active in professional organizations, boards, and community activities. She serves currently as former Chair and member, Board of Directors, of the American Association of Museums; she is also a Board member of the Ford Foundation; immediate past Chair and Board member of the Kresge Foundation; Board Member, National Trust for Historic Preservation; a Member of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Board; and a past chair of L.A. Inc./Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she serves currently as a Board member. Her previous Board appointments include serving as a member of the Toyota Corporation’s Diversity Advisory Board; she was a member of the Accreditation Commission of the American Association of Museums; she sat on the Business Advisory Board of Sodexho Corporation; she served as Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women; served the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (by Presidential appointment); she was also a Board member of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
Irene has been recognized for her outstanding civic and cultural contributions, and for her museum leadership skills. She has received awards from the Anti-Defamation League, the League of Women Voters, the National Education Association, the University of Southern California Alumni Association, the Liberty Hill Foundation, the Arab American National Museum, the Asian American Federation, the Asian Justice Center, and the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, among others.
Irene is also the former President and founding CEO of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, which opened its doors in 1992. After twenty years of service to the National Museum, she stepped down in 2008.
The Japanese American National Museum
Presented in partnership with regional communities and diverse organizations, the National Museum offers to a wide array of visitors national and international programs in arts, culture and history. Initially housed in a restored historic building, the National Museum in 1999 expanded its size and services, operating out of a state-of-the art 85,000 square foot facility. In 2005, the Museum marked its third major facilities and programs expansion, opening the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. The National Museum has grown to more than 65,000 member donors representing every U.S. state and 16 countries. It received accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 2002 and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.
Irene’s work with the Japanese American National Museum included sharing Hawaii’s rich history with national and international audiences through collaborative partnerships with Hawaiian organizations. During its first year of operation, the National Museum featured the exhibition “Issei Pioneers: Hawaii and the Mainland, 1885 to 1924” which told the story of early immigration and settlement years of the Issei, the first generation of Japanese immigrants in the United States through never before seen photographs, documents and artifacts from Hawaii.
The National Museum also developed a major traveling exhibition, “From Bento to Mixed Plate: Americans of Japanese Ancestry in Multicultural Hawai’i which traced the evolution of Japanese American identity in multicultural Hawai’i. The exhibit was presented at the National Museum in Los Angeles in 1988, and later traveled to major institutions in Hawaii, including the Bishop Museum, Lyman Museum, and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The exhibit was also presented at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and in major museums in Hiroshima, Osaka and Niigata, Japan.. An earlier exhibition, “The Kona Coffee Story: Along the Hawai’i Belt Road” told the story of the coffee-growing industry on Kona from the earliest pioneers in 1828 to today. The exhibition was shown in Los Angeles, at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, and in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The projects included the development of new curriculum material for students, extensive teacher training and hundreds of public programs. A current traveling exhibition, “Fighting for Democracy,” features seven diverse individuals, including Hawaii’s Domingo Los Banos and the story of Filipino veterans’ contributions to World War II. The exhibition was presented at the National World War II Museum and will be at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. in early 2010.
After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, Irene spent more than 35 years in nonprofit administration, community education and public affairs. She has dedicated her career to helping culturally diverse communities nationwide, including serving for 13 years as the Executive Director of T.H.E. Clinic, a not-for-profit community health facility serving low and moderate income women and families.
Irene is extremely active in professional organizations, boards, and community activities. She serves currently as former Chair and member, Board of Directors, of the American Association of Museums; she is also a Board member of the Ford Foundation; immediate past Chair and Board member of the Kresge Foundation; Board Member, National Trust for Historic Preservation; a Member of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Board; and a past chair of L.A. Inc./Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she serves currently as a Board member. Her previous Board appointments include serving as a member of the Toyota Corporation’s Diversity Advisory Board; she was a member of the Accreditation Commission of the American Association of Museums; she sat on the Business Advisory Board of Sodexho Corporation; she served as Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women; served the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (by Presidential appointment); she was also a Board member of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
Irene has been recognized for her outstanding civic and cultural contributions, and for her museum leadership skills. She has received awards from the Anti-Defamation League, the League of Women Voters, the National Education Association, the University of Southern California Alumni Association, the Liberty Hill Foundation, the Arab American National Museum, the Asian American Federation, the Asian Justice Center, and the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, among others.