Advisory Board
George Takei was a child when he was incarcerated with his family at an Rowher concentration camp during World War II. He is primarily known for playing the role of Mr. Sulu in the television series, "Star Trek", and a varied career acting in television, feature films, live theater, and radio. He also is a successful writer and community activist.
The Board
Marlene Shigekawa is a documentary film producer, screenwriter and book author. Her children's books, which focus on the internment, include Blue Jay in the Desert and Welcome Home Swallows. She was born in captivity and spent the first few months of her life in the Poston, Arizona, Concentration Camp I, Block 21 site. She is currently the Project Director for implementing all Poston Community Alliance projects including the oral history, barrack relocation, documentary film projects and restoration of Poston’s historic structures. She resides in the Bay Area.
Don Aoki, private investor and Silicon Valley executive, is a descendant of
Poston concentration camp internees who resided in Camp II, Block 208. He was the Founding Vice President of Keynote Systems and currently serves on several boards of high technology firms and nonprofit organizations. He grew up in Southern California and resides in the Bay Area.
Roberta Barton is the descendant of Poston concentration camp internees who resided in Camp II, Block 222. She is a member of the Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial and Fresno Assembly Center Memorial Committees and former staff analyst for Fresno County Public Library. She now holds the position of Vice Governor of the Central California District JACL. A former resident of Monterey, California, she now resides in Central California.
Daryl Brown is the president and founder of Abbott+Taylor LLC, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based architectural firm, and descendant of internees from Poston Concentration Camp I. His family was incarcerated in the Poston concentration camp I. He resides in Arizona.
Colleen Hayashi is an educator and works with the Yorba Linda school district. She was the co-chairman of the 2011 All Poston Camp Legacy Reunion held in Laughlin, Nevada and is a descendant of Poston concentration camp internees who resided in Camp I. She currently lives in Yorba Linda, California.
Kathy Nakagawa is an associate professor in Asian Pacific American Studies in the School of Social Transformation. Her research explores the relationship between families and schools, and includes work on parent involvement and school reform, charter schools, family literacy programs and early childhood dual immersion programs. She is currently serving as the AERA Division E Vice President and is also a board member of a number of local community organizations. She received her doctorate from Northwestern University in Human Development and Social Policy.
Margie Namba is a Poston descendant whose relatives resided in Block 229 -7-C. She currently does federal business development for Granite Construction. Margie is a Fellow of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and serves as a Director for the Sacramento Post of SAME. She is also a Commissioner on the Sacramento Environmental Commission, Sacramento Metro Chamber Board Member, President of the Okayama Kenjinkai and Secretary of the Poston Memorial Monument Committee.
Reid A. Nishikawa is a Poston descendent whose mother (Louise Nishikawa) along with the Nakashima family was incarcerated in Camp II, Block 229, 1C. He is the current Chair of the Poston Memorial Monument Committee in Sacramento. His father, William S. Nishikawa, was in the first class of the Military Intelligence School out of the Presidio in San Francisco during WW II and was assigned to numerous tours in the South Pacific. Reid is a pharmacist and works for Nutrishare, Inc.
Shane Sato is a photographer, director and producer focusing on publicity and portraiture. His mother was incarcerated at Poston’s Camp III as well as their family. He has just completed a photo portrait book “The Go For Broke Spirit” that features the Nisei veterans that fought for this country during WW II … while many of their families were still imprisoned at concentration camps such as Poston. His book also shares the lives of the Nisei as they overcame prejudice and worked to build a life after the war creating a triumphant American success story. He currently works in his studio in Los Angeles, California.
Bob Shintaku was born in captivity at the Poston, Arizona concentration camp and lived the first 2 years of his life at Poston Camp II, Block 219. He is a veteran, judo assistant instructor, newsletter editor, member of the Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial and the Fresno Assembly Center Memorial Committees. He has served as president of the Salinas and Fresno JACL and Central California District JACL Governor. He resides in Central California.
Nancy A. Takahashi is a Distinguished Lecturer of Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia, School of Architecture. She has been involved in various Poston projects such as the design of the Poston Memorial Brick Project. Her father, Gene Takahashi and his parents, were incarcerated in Poston’s Camp I. She resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Kathy Takemoto is an administrator for the Marin County Adult Education Consortium in the Bay Area and has worked at various universities A Poston descendant, Kathy supports various Poston preservation projects, including the Poston Memorial Brick Project. Her maternal grandfather, Yonetaro Nakata, and his family lived in Camp II.