Lynn Fuchigami Parks, the former executive director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon (JAMO), recently received the Western Museum Association (WMA) Leadership Award.
The WMA presented Fuchigami Parks with the award at their annual meeting in Pasadena on October 6. She shared the award with Judy Margles, director of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.
The Japanese American Museum of Oregon was built to honor the culture and history of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest. It also aims to educate people about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
According to a joint press release from both museums, Fuchigami Parks was the executive director of JAMO for ten years before she retired in 2021. As executive director, it was her goal to find a permanent home for the museum.
During her first three years in the role, she raised $5 million that was put toward renovating a permanent building to house the museum. The funds also helped establish a permanent exhibition and collection storage facility.
“Lynn is an incredible leader worthy of this award. She has tirelessly advocated for this history to be told and, beyond the walls of the museum, that Japanese American historic sites be honored and preserved. She has created opportunities for many and cleared the path for the next generation of leaders succeeding her,” Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong, the current executive director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon said in a statement.
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