"The Harada family overcame significant legal and political hurdles to assert their right to housing, only to be incarcerated during WWII for the “crime” of being of Japanese descent. I joined the Board at a time when preserving and telling this story in full has felt especially urgent. Serving the Harada House Foundation resonates deeply with my longheld passion for housing and social justice and I am driven to create the means by which such organizations can thrive in fulfilling their missions."

Natalie has retired following 35 years of public and nonprofit service. She had led organizations providing homeless services and investigation and promotion of fair housing laws. Volunteer service includes Rotary Club of Glendale, Pasadena Gakuen, and Jobs with Peace in Los Angeles. She has her BA in international relations from Pomona College  and MA  in urban and regional development from UCLA.  She lives in Riverside, California.

JOINED 2025

“I find the Harada story of family and home to be riveting, relatable, and relevant. We can all identify with the common goal of striving for a better life for our families, be we immigrants or citizens. We identify with suffering and injustices, just as we root for social justice, positive outcomes, and a better life. This National Historic Landmark is one example of the rich contributions from Riverside’s multicultural heritage and deserves broader exposure within the history and education of our communities, locally and beyond. Preserving the house and its story achieves both.”

Retired academic librarian, with a career of over forty years at University of California (Riverside). Graduate of the University of California (BS, Davis; MLIS, Berkeley). Asian Pacific American Historic Preservation is an interest that intersects with personal, professional, and community aspects of my life, e.g., cofounder of Save Our Chinatown Committee (Riverside), member of Riverside’s JACL; professionally, selected Asian American Studies materials for the UCR Library; and provided presentations on Riverside’s Chinatown and the Harada House both to UCR classes and the community. Judy resides in Riverside, CA.

JOINED 2018

"I became enthralled with the Harada Family and the preservation of the National Historic Landmark Harada House when I joined the City of Riverside as a department head leading the Museum and Cultural Services.  The more I learned, the more passionate I became. In October 2014 I gave a TEDx Talk about the Harada House and Family. The importance of the Harada story, its relevance today as an example of the ongoing struggle our country has with social justice and the hope it stands for is why I am committed to the restoration and preservation of the NHL Harada House."

Sarah’s community service includes the Riverside County Workforce Development Board, Rivers and Lands Conservancy, and National Charity League of Riverside. Sarah retired following a career in both the  public and private sectors. She graduated from St. Mary’s College of Moraga and lives in Riverside, California.

JOINED 2019
FORMER PRESIDENT

"I met the Harada family and their family home and learned their story in the early years of the 21st century. Their story of coming to Riverside from another country was my story too. Having known the family and helped preserve their belongings during my time as a Museum of Riverside curator fed my passion for the truly American story and its continuing relevance."

Brenda received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Riverside. She currently lives in Riverside.

JOINED 2025

As the granddaughter of Jukichi and Ken Harada, Naomi states, “I am humbled and in awe of what my grandparents did and how their efforts have since transpired. Their hard-fought home, acquired because of their love for their family and the desire to keep them safe, is now a National Historic Landmark. A basic hope, a home, became, and still for some, a battleground of rights: who can own property, who can reside and live without constraints, who can set down roots to thrive?”

Naomi is  a retired Nurse Practitioner. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California, San Francisco. She enjoys writing, as well as training and working with her search dog.

JOINED 2018

“The Harada House and family story resonate with me on a deeply personal level -  as the government continues to deny immigrant families and their descendants their rights, including the right to happy, healthy, and safe homes, it’s of critical importance to preserve and share the Harada family’s legacy of courageous, defiant perseverance in pursuit of social justice.”    

A graduate of the University of York, UK, with an MA in the Archaeology of Buildings, Lisa is a specialist in built heritage. Formerly employed by the City of Riverside as the curator of the Harada House, Lisa has more than a decade of professional experience with historic house museums.

JOINED 2025

"The Harada House history resonates with me because it shows how the law can be both a tool of exclusion and a path to justice. In cases like the Haradas’ fight for their home, the law defines not just who prevails, but the meaning of justice itself."

Neil Okazaki is an assistant city attorney for the City of Corona. A graduate of UC Riverside and Loyola Law School, he is actively engaged in community leadership. Neil’s service has included serving as President of the Riverside County Bar Association, Vice President of the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California, a volunteer with Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire, and a member of the UC Riverside Chancellor’s Asian Pacific Islander Advisory Committee.

JOINED 2025

"I have very clear memories of Sumi Harada from when I was growing up. Sumi was a formidable and respected elder in the Japanese American community. As a legal aid lawyer who has advocated for the right to housing, and knowing what I know now about the Haradas, I wish I could have talked to Sumi about her father’s decision to fight for their family home.  I am proud to honor Sumi and the legacy of the Harada family by serving on the Board."

A third-generation Japanese American, Shirley grew up in Riverside in the late 1970s and 80s. Like Jukichi and Ken Harada, Shirley’s own grandparents -  Denzo and Shie Sanematsu - sidestepped the Alien Land Law by buying their family farm in the name of her American born father, Arthur, and two of his siblings. During WWII, Shirley’s grandparents, father, aunts, and uncles were incarcerated in Poston, Arizona. Like the Haradas, the Sanematsus were able to return to their farm after the war because supportive neighbors maintained the property while they were gone. The Harada House tells the 20th century Japanese immigrant story and serves as a lesson for future generations about the fight for civil rights, immigration, and social justice in America.

Shirley is a public interest lawyer with experience in housing rights and health care access for low-income individuals and families.  She is a graduate of Occidental College and the UCLA School of Law, David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. Shirley lives in Goleta, California with her husband Jim Bowman and their two kids.

JOINED 2020

Robyn G. Peterson has been Director of the Museum of Riverside since December 2017 where she is at work on institutional reinvention, guiding rehabilitation and expansion of the Museum of Riverside’s downtown site, rehabilitation of the National Historic Landmark Harada House, and construction of the Harada House Interpretive Center.  During the prior 35 years, she held administrative and curatorial positions at museums in California, Montana, and New York.  She holds a Ph.D. in art and archaeology with specialization in museology, an M.A. in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in Design from UCLA.  Since 1988, she has focused on fine art, interdisciplinary interpretation, and museum administration.  Dr. Peterson is a committed advocate for the value of learning through the ideas and objects human beings have created and the natural world they inhabit.