Irene Hirano

Irene Hirano Inouye
Born	Irene Yasutake (1948-10-07) October 7, 1948
Spouse(s)	Daniel Inouye (2008-2012, his death)

Irene Hirano Inouye (neé Yasutake, born October 7, 1948) is an American activist who is the President of the U.S.-Japan Council, having been appointed to that position when the organization was formed in 2009. Hirano Inouye focuses on building positive relations between the United States and Japan. She is also Chair of the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees. She previously served as President and founding Chief Executive Officer of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles from 1988 to 2008, which is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

Career

Hirano started her work in the field of public administration as the Executive Director of the T.H.E. Clinic, a non-profit community health facility for low and moderate income women and families. She worked at the clinic for thirteen years, during which time she discovered that there was a need for the public to understand the differences in the needs of people based on gender and cultural backgrounds.

The governor of California selected Hirano in 1976 to become the chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women. She worked throughout the state and found that often, "Asian American women were invisible." In 1980, she helped organize the Asian Women's Network in Los Angeles and served as its first president. In 1988, Hirano became the director and president of the Japanese American National Museum. In 1994, she was appointed by President Clinton to the Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

She currently serves as Chief Executive of the nonprofit organization: National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. Also, she is a member and Chair of the Ford Foundation board of trustees. After her husband, Daniel Inouye died in 2012, Hirano took over as the president of the U.S.-Japan Council.

Among the awards Hirano Inouye has received for her work include ones from the Anti-Defamation League, the League of Women Voters, the National Education Association, the University of Southern California Alumni Association, the Liberty Hill Foundation, the Arab American National Museum, the Asian American Federation, the Asian Justice Center, and the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics.

Personal life

Hirano is a sansei, which means she is a third-generation Japanese-American, born on October 7, 1948 in Los Angeles. Hirano was one of only three women in the University of Southern California's (USC) public administration program at the time; she received her bachelor of science in public administration in 1970.

Hirano married United States Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii on May 24, 2008 in Los Angeles. Hirano's daughter served as her maid of honor. The couple spent their honeymoon in Carmel.