JANM ANNOUNCES INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO

Norman Y. Mineta, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese American National Museum, today announced that Ann Burroughs has been named Interim President and CEO of the museum, effective immediately. For the remainder of his tenure—through the month of June—Dr. Greg Kimura, the outgoing President and CEO, will provide consultation and share institutional knowledge to ensure a smooth transition at the executive level.

Burroughs brings more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and management, resource development, strategic planning, and strategic communications. She has worked at the executive director level, as an interim director, as a member of senior management teams, as a nonprofit consultant, and as an executive coach. She has deep experience working with organizations in transition, and with diverse communities in the US as well as multiple countries abroad. Burroughs is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA, and has served on several other boards.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Ann to the Japanese American National Museum. She brings a wealth of relevant leadership experience as well as a lifelong commitment to advocating for human rights and working to make a more just and equitable world. That commitment aligns in a very meaningful way with the mission of the museum,” said Mineta. “I’m confident that Ann will provide the guidance and direction that will allow the staff and volunteers of JANM to continue their important work in an effective manner while I continue to work with a search committee to identify a new permanent president and CEO.”

Mineta and other members of the Board of Trustees worked with the Center for Nonprofit Management to identify qualified candidates and ultimately bring Burroughs on board at JANM.

“The mission and values of the Japanese American National Museum resonate deeply with my own life-long commitment to protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Burroughs. “It’s an honor to be joining the team as Interim President and CEO and I look forward to working closely with the Board, staff, and volunteers in the coming months of transition.”

Burroughs’s work with Amnesty International USA is particularly meaningful to her because as a young activist in her native South Africa, she was imprisoned as a result of her anti-apartheid activism and Amnesty International helped to secure her release. These experiences will help inform her work as the Interim President and CEO at JANM.

Most recently, Burroughs served as Senior Consultant at Social Sector Partners, an organization that focuses on supporting social sector organizations through strategic adaptation and repositioning. She has previously served as Executive Director of the Taproot Foundation in Los Angeles and as the Executive Director of LA Works. She has also been a consultant to the Rockefeller Foundation in its Communications for Social Change Initiative, to HandsOn Network in its corporate engagement program, and to the government of South Africa.

About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, the Japanese American National Museum promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories and strives to provide a voice for Japanese Americans as well as a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite and traveled 17 of its exhibitions to locations around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America.

JANM is located at 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. General admission is $9 adults, $5 students and seniors, free for members and children under age five. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from noon to 8 p.m. General admission prices and free admission times may not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Closed Monday, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information visit janm.org or call 213.625.0414.