Sharon Maeda is an American activist and feminist. She was
executive director
Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization.
The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...
of
Pacifica Radio from 1980–1986, and held a
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
post in 1994 assisting
Doris Matsui
Doris Okada Matsui (; born Doris Kazue Okada; September 25, 1944) is an American politician from the Democratic Party, serving since 2005 in the House of Representatives. She represents (until 2013 numbered the 5th district), covering the ci ...
as a liaison to the Asian-American community.
Early life and education
Maeda was born in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, Wisconsin. Her parents and grandparents, Japanese Americans, were interned in
Minidoka internment camp during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. She grew up in Portland, Oregon. The family moved to Seattle in 1956.
[Iwamoto, Gary. The Lifetime Achievement Award Sharon Maeda. International Examiner, Seattle, Washington, 5 May 2010, p. 14]
She attended the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
.
[
]
Career
In 1980 Maeda became the executive director of Pacifica Radio, a position she held until 1986. She founded a management consulting company, Spectra Communications, dedicated to helping clients reflect a more multicultural society, in 1987.
In 1993 she was appointed by Housing and Urban Development secretary Henry Cisneros to work as a community outreach officer for lead-based paint. In 1995 she began work with Doris Matsui as a liaison with Asian groups around the country.[International Examiner (1976-1987) eattle, Wash15 May 1985: 5]
In 2000, as Director of Communications for the United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
in New York, she became involved in the Elian Gonzales international custody fight and worked to reunite Elian with his father in Cuba.[
]
References
External links
Video oral history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maeda, Sharon
Japanese-American civil rights activists
Youth empowerment people
Pacifica Foundation people
University of Washington alumni
American people of Japanese descent
Activists from Seattle
Activists from Portland, Oregon
1945 births
Living people