JANM ANNOUNCES SUSAN MORITA AND KENNETH A. PICERNE TO ITS BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Los Angeles, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) has added Susan Morita and Kenneth A. Picerne to its Board of Trustees. New board trustees are carefully selected to help the Museum further its mission and to inspire, educate, and cultivate understanding of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience.

“We are pleased to welcome Susan Morita and Kenneth A. Picerne to the Board of Trustees,” said Norman Y. Mineta, Chair of the JANM Board of Trustees. “It’s always a privilege to bring new expertise and perspectives to JANM's leadership. They join JANM at an exciting time as we continue to drive our strategy forward and build deeper relationships. The addition of these trustees complements our board's skills and experiences, and we are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to work towards the goal of sharing diverse cultural experiences and stories with the Los Angeles community and beyond."

Susan Morita is a partner in the Corporate and Securities Group, at Arnold & Porter, LLP in Washington, DC. She specializes in complex corporate transactional matters, including mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, domestic and international. She received her BA at Stanford University in International Relations, MPA at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and her JD at Harvard Law School. Ms. Morita started as a Governor with JANM in 2001 and was recently approved as a trustee.

Ms. Morita received a Master's degree in public administration from the Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs at Princeton University, and a Bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University.

Kenneth A. Picerne is founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Picerne Group, a private Southern California based real estate investment company with notable expertise in apartment acquisition and development, distressed debt investment and complex land entitlement. The company is vertically integrated with approximately 100 team members covering all aspects of the investment, entitlement, development, construction and property management process. The Picerne Group’s portfolio is comprised of more than 5,000 multifamily units located in California, Nevada, Colorado and Texas valued at approximately $2.0 billion.

Mr. Picerne received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and currently resides in Newport Beach, California with his wife and three children.

Established in 1985, JANM 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 in 1992, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite while traveling 17 exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. For more information, visit janm.org or follow us on social media @jamuseum.

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