One mission. Different Tools.
I help leaders, organizations, and communities discover what’s possible when they’re connected by a shared purpose.
ONE MISSION
I’ve spent my career helping people and organizations find their way through change, connect with one another, and turn ideas into meaningful action.
The settings have changed—from corporate America and philanthropy to consulting, arts and culture, and civic life. So have the tools.
But underneath it all is a simple question:
How do we create meaningful opportunities for people to participate—to contribute, to lead, to create, and to help shape what comes next?
That question has been especially important in my work with young people. From mentoring programs and school partnerships early in my career to youth leadership and civic engagement today, I’ve kept returning to the idea that young people shouldn’t simply be prepared for the future.
They should have opportunities to help create it.
I’ve never been interested in changing careers. I’ve been interested in applying the same leadership principles in new environments.
Today, I serve as Director of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum, where I lead public programming at the intersection of history, culture, civic engagement, and democracy. There, the arts become a tool for engaging young people, developing the next generation of leaders, and creating meaningful opportunities for them to participate.
DIFFERENT TOOLS
Business
At Sony Pictures Entertainment and The Boeing Company, I worked at the intersection of business, community, and employee engagement. I led corporate philanthropy and employee programs, built community partnerships, and saw firsthand how large organizations can bring their people and resources to bear on the issues that matter to their communities.
Philanthropy
At the California Community Foundation, I worked across arts philanthropy, grantmaking, and leadership development, while also supporting programs serving transition-aged youth and young people involved in the juvenile justice system. I led the CCF Fellowship for Visual Artists and worked with arts organizations across Southern California. This work taught me that philanthropy is about more than distributing resources—it is about creating the conditions for people, organizations, and communities to flourish.
Consulting
Through James E. Herr Consulting, I worked with leaders and organizations navigating growth, change, and uncertainty. Consulting gave me the opportunity to step into different environments, listen carefully, make sense of complexity, and help people find a path forward.
Arts & Culture
Arts and culture have been a constant throughout my career. I’ve worked with artists, cultural organizations, foundations, and communities to create programs and partnerships that use creativity, storytelling, and shared experience to bring people together and open new possibilities.
Democracy & Civic Life
Today, my work centers on history, culture, civic engagement, democracy, and the arts. At the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, I create public programs and partnerships that invite people to encounter difficult histories, explore contemporary questions, and participate in the civic life of their communities. I believe the arts are essential to a functioning democracy: they give us ways to imagine, question, empathize, disagree, and see ourselves—and one another—in new ways.
Different organizations. Different challenges. Different tools. One mission.
IN THE ROOM
Some ideas are best explored in conversation.
Much of my work happens in rooms with other people—on stages, around tables, and in conversations where the outcome isn’t always clear at the beginning.
I speak and facilitate conversations about leadership, community, culture, history, philanthropy, civic life, and democracy.
Keynote — Democracy Center Relaunch
A keynote marking the relaunch of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy.
Women of Flower Drum Song — Introduction
An introduction to a program celebrating Flower Drum Song and the artists and cultural history surrounding the musical.
Cross Cultural Cuisine — Our Shared Future
A conversation using food, culture, and storytelling to explore race, history, identity, and our shared future.
More videos from the Democracy Center
WRITING
A few selected publications and reports from my work in philanthropy, arts and culture, and organizational change.
Building Equity in the Arts: From Financial Equity to Access Equity
Grantmakers in the Arts · Read →
Building Equity in the Arts
California Community Foundation · Read →
New Challenges, Greater Callings—Exploring the Needs of Philanthropy in Times of Change
Community Works Consulting · Read →
ORGANIZATIONS & COLLABORATORS
I’ve had the privilege of working with and alongside organizations across philanthropy, arts and culture, business, and civic life.
AAPIP · Annenberg Foundation · Asian Americans Advancing Justice · Arts for LA · The Boeing Company · California Community Foundation · Center for Asian American Media · Community Works Consulting · East West Players · FilAm Arts · Ford Foundation · Grantmakers in the Arts · Japanese American Cultural & Community Center · Japanese American National Museum · Southern California Grantmakers · Seach to Involve Pilipino Americans · Sony Pictures Entertainment · UCLA Asian American Studies Center · Visual Communications
LET’S CONNECT
The best work usually starts with a conversation.
I’m always interested in connecting with people who are thinking about leadership, community, culture, philanthropy, democracy, our future leaders, and what becomes possible when people come together around a shared purpose.