Erin Aoyama is a doctoral student in the American Studies department at Brown University in Providence, RI. Her research is in the Asian American studies, public humanities, and 20th century American history, looking especially at questions of memory, memorialization, movements, and studies of violence, race, empire, and the narrativization of American history. Aoyama has a master’s degree in Public Humanities also from Brown University and much of her work thus far revolved around public-facing educational work connected to the histories of Japanese American incarceration. A yonsei, Aoyama’s family was incarcerated at Heart Mountain during World War II.

Erin is currently serving as Board Secretary.

Hiro Edeza received a bachelor's degree in history with minors in Asian American studies and museum studies at San Francisco State University. As a Shin-Nisei, Hiro’s exploration of his own Nikkei identity led to an interest in the Japanese American WWII experience. From there, his passion for the community grew, and inspired his involvement in a variety of JA organizations.

Marissa Fujimoto is fully engaged in film, video and graphic design. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Sanford-Brown College, specializing in digital media. Her post-production work is most notable on shows such as “Hoarders” and “Project Afterlife”. Additionally, she has produced local “48 hours” films, earning her the Real Grrls Outstanding Producer Award in 2015. In 2021, Marissa produced another Hollyshort’s original short film, “Desmond's Not Here Anymore”, written by Lindiwe Suttle Müller-Westernhagen and directed by Mmabatho Montsho. This was her sixth short film to make it to Hollywood and her fifth year under her production company Slager Fuj Creative Media, which offers film, video, and design services. Her work experience, Japanese heritage and immediate family members who were incarcerated, has guided her to a documentary opportunity. It quickly turned into a passion project where she made fast friends with a Japanese Hollywood production coordinator. Together they have traveled to seven of the ten Japanese internment camps where only a select few offer yearly Pilgrimages. The goal of each Pilgrimage and her passion project, is to educate younger generations and preserve the stories of aging survivors who were incarcerated in WWII.

Julie is a Yonsei descendent of Tule Lake, Jerome, Rohwer and Gila River. She earned a B.A. in Asian American Studies from U.C. Berkeley and a M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies from UCLA. In her pre-pandemic life, Julie was immersed in the world of elementary math working as an instructor in the local elementary school, a private tutor and a content editor for textbook companies. In 2021, she made the shift to more personal projects, including a deep dive into her family history. The Tadaima programming offered that year inspired her to go beyond just filling out her family tree. Her genealogy research has not only reignited her passionate interest in Japanese American history but has also motivated her to build connections with the Nikkei community. When she’s not poring through old photographs, WRA evacuee case files and koseki documents, Julie folds origami, does a daily dose of Duolingo and enjoys playing for hours with her boardgame-geek family.