Our Team

Keiko Funahashi

Executive Director
Keiko comes to NPF following her past experiences on the board of Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society, the Executive Director of Tonari Gumi (Japanese Community Volunteers Association), and in the fields of educational program development and medical translation. She is a certified Japanese-English translator and has a Bachelor of Arts degree from UBC and a Master of Arts degree in educational technology from Stanford University.

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Lindsay FONG

Marketing & Communications Manager
Lindsay was born and raised in Vancouver, and has been involved with the Foundation since 2013. She received her Bachelor of Communication Design from Emily Carr University of Arts + Design, and currently utilizes her creativity and design skills to create communication materials across all types of media channels. She works closely with all Nikkei Place organizations to achieve their communication goals.

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Bobby Ruegamer

Development Assistant
Bobby Ruegamer, a native of North Vancouver, is a new addition to the Nikkei Place Foundation team. He is the grandson of Jane Nimi and the late Robert Nimi, founding supporters of Nikkei Place.

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MARI MIKUNI

Development Assistant
Mari was born in Osaka, Japan, and spent her childhood years in both Germany and Japan. She graduated with a BA from the Kwansei Gakuin University in Kobe, and worked in finance in Tokyo before moving to Vancouver in 2008. Since coming to Vancouver, she has worked as a medical interpreter and freelance translator.

Lara Minami

Events & Marketing Coordinator
Lara is originally from Brazil and came to Vancouver where she completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology and Sociology from the University of British Columbia. Her experience from Marketing and Events comes from past work at The Beaumont Studios and Digital Marketing freelancer.

 

Akiko Cheng

Development Coordinator
Akiko is originally from Tokyo, Japan where she studied and worked in the Film Industry. Since moving to Vancouver in 2014, she has worked as a freelance translator and earned various experiences with local non profit organizations as an Office Administrator and Program Manager. She holds a BA from Musashino Art University in Tokyo and a Post Graduate Marketing Management Diploma from Langara College in Vancouver.