Policy and Advocacy Manager
Emi joined Race Forward in March of 2018. She devotes her energy to supporting communities on the ground through coaching on internal and external racial equity practices, project managing racial equity work, and building relationships between communities across the nation to work toward their racial equity vision.
Prior to working at Race Forward, Emi organized in Auburn, Washington around food access and immigration. As part of this work, she supported a farm stand that brought subsidized, organic produce sourced by local farms to low-income communities of color. She has previously lived in rural Zambia and Tanzania where she coordinated public health interventions on malaria, HIV, and maternal and child health. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington in the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program, and is dedicated to centering race in the social determinants of health.
Outside of work, she enjoys rock climbing and hiking/backpacking outdoors, spending too much time trying to win her cat’s affection, and trying to convince her husband to move to a farm so that she can homestead. She owes her stubbornness and intentionality to the collective of Japanese women who raised her, including her mother, aunties, and grandmother. Emi lived in Seattle, WA for 10 years and now enjoys the sun and mild climate of Oakland, CA.