Emiko Morita became the Executive Director of Powell Street Festival in Vancouver 25 years after she first worked as an intern for the festival in 1990. In between, she was Marketing Director at Douglas & McIntyre Publishers, Export and Special Sales Manager at Raincoast Books and Marketing Manager at Polestar Press. She co-founded the Access Copyright Foundation and served as a board member there as well as the Association of Book Publishers of BC, Asian Canadian Writers Workshop and Modern Baroque Opera Society.

Raised in Vancouver, Gawa Desilets moved to Japan for five years. She lived in Tokyo, and later Kyoto, where she worked in marketing in the tourism industry. Now that she is back in Vancouver, she is excited to stay connected with Japanese arts & culture and to serve the community through the Powell Street Festival Society. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Asia Harvey is a hapa yonsei Arts Administrator and Development Coordinator with a background in Art History.

Originally from Alberta, Edward Takayanagi attended university in Japan on the Monbusho Scholarship and lived in Kyoto for 4 years studying archaeology. He moved to Vancouver upon returning to Canada and attended Law School at UBC. After working for a Japanese plastics company for a number of years and practicing law in Vancouver, he is currently working Coast Mental Health Foundation. Edward has also been the president of the Vancouver Mokuyokai Society, is on the board of the Tomoe Arts Society and volunteers frequently with other community organizations.

Kyle Yakashiro grew up in Abbotsford, BC. Attended the University of British Columbia earning a BA with a double major in math and economics. Previously he worked in marketing for a Toyota dealership. Today he works in financial services as an Account Manager at Vancity Savings Credit Union.

Shaena Kobayashi is a fundraising professional with over 12 years of experience creating strategic, sustainable donations systems and elevating existing processes to operate more efficiently. She currently works for St. Paul’s Foundation as a Database Officer, and her expertise includes managing/maintaining donor databases, CRA regulation/policy, staff training, gift processing and data hygiene, with experience working logistics on large scale galas and telethons. Shaena’s intention to become involved with the PSFS is to make a meaning contribution to the community to the community and to better understand what it means to be Japanese Canadian.