Team

Board Members

Sachi A. Hamai was the Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles County from December 2014 to August 2020 (Interim CEO December 2014-October 2015). She was responsible for managing the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the nation’s largest municipal government, including the oversight of Los Angeles County’s $36.1 billion budget. Her strong fiscal management led Los Angeles County to achieve the overall highest credit rating in its recorded history, including its most recent S&P Global Ratings increase to AAA, the highest possible credit rating available in the financial markets. Los Angeles County achieved a total of four credit upgrades under her leadership.

As CEO, she was instrumental in developing, implementing and advancing the Board of Supervisors’ key priorities. These include the unprecedented response to the region’s homeless crisis, streamlining access to health services, justice reform, child protection, immigrant rights protection and environmental monitoring and oversight.

A champion of transformative change within local government, Sachi successfully challenged L.A. County’s workforce of more than 112,000 employees to break down barriers, collaborate and innovate across a broad range of society’s most challenging issues.

In 2019, Sachi was named one of L.A.’s Top 500 most influential leaders for the fourth consecutive year by the Los Angeles Business Journal. In 2019, Sachi was honored by Innovate@UCLA as its unanimous choice to receive the 2019 Public Sector Executive Leadership Award. Sachi is also the 2018 winner of the Clarence A. Dykstra Award for Excellence in Government. Other professional recognition includes the Asian American Architects and Engineers Association’s 2017 Asian American Leadership Award and honors from the Asian American Employee Association and the Indian American Professional Association. In 2017, Sachi co-founded WomenLeadLAC as a forum for up-and-coming managers to network with L.A. County’s top executives. She served on the Board of the United Way and is currently a Board member of the U.S.-Japan Council. Sachi is serving as a Board member for the Smart Easy Pay, Inc. A property tax payments system that started with three Counties in California but has expanded to over 15 Counties, including several large urban Counties and continues its expansion to other States. She is also serving as a Board member for the National Association of Counties, Financial Services Corporation, which strategically invests its funds in other business lines that generate revenue for the Association.

Sachi is involved in various community events and continues to hike and run daily with her dog Oreo.

Yuko Kaifu

She started her career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Her previous assignments include the Embassy of Japan in Canada and various departments at Ministry’s headquarters in Tokyo, including North American Affairs Bureau, Economic Corporation Bureau, Foreign Policy Bureau, and Cultural Affairs Bureau as a Deputy Director.

During her service in Tokyo, she was appointed official interpreter for dignitaries including Her Majesty the Empress, Foreign Minister, and Prime Minister of Japan. In 2001, she was assigned to the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles as a Consul in charge of political affairs and community relations.

In 2007, she left the government to work at the Japanese American National Museum as the Vice President, and then at MUFG Union Bank as a Managing Director of Corporate Communications from 2009 to 2016. She joined Japan House Los Angeles in January 2016 to start up the organization. She serves on the boards of the US-Japan Council, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and the Advisory Board of UCLA Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies as well as many Japanese cultural and business associations.

She graduated from Nara Women’s University and received M.A. in Sociology from Queen’s University in Canada.

Dennise Sugino

Mr. Sugino is the Founder and CEO of Kansa Advisory LLC. He was formerly a Chief Investment Officer for the City of Los Angeles, a Founder and President of Cliffwater LLC, Managing Director and Partner of Wilshire Associates and Managing Director and Executive Committee Member of Aristotle Capital.

In addition to serving as a board member of the Japan House Foundation (LA), he is a board member of the Japanese American National Museum (LA). He previously served as a Board Vice Chair of the U.S. Japan Council (Washington DC), Board member of the Keiro (LA), Board member of The Investment Fund for Foundations (TIFF) (Boston), and investment committee member of Mercy Health System (St Louis). He earned his BSc. from California State University, Dominguez Hills and his M.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He grew up in Gardena, CA.