Irene Hirano
Encyclopedia
Irene Y. Hirano is President of the U.S.-Japan Council. Hirano was appointed to the position in 2009. Hirano focuses on building positive relations between the United States and Japan. She is also Chair of the Ford Foundation
Board of Trustees. She previously served as President and founding Chief Executive Officer of the Japanese American National Museum
in Los Angeles
from 1988 to 2009. She married senior United States Senator Daniel Inouye
of Hawaii on May 24, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. They spent their honeymoon in Carmel
. Hirano met Inouye when he served on the board of the Japanese American National Museum. The couple became engaged in January 2008. According to the Honolulu Advertiser
, Hirano is 24 years younger than Inouye. It is the second marriage for both. Hirano divorced her first husband more than 20 years ago. She has a daughter, Jennifer, from that marriage. Inouye's first wife died of cancer. Hirano and Inouye currently reside in Honolulu, Hawaii
in the United States
.
Hirano serves as Chief Executive of the nonprofit organization National Center for the Preservation of Democracy and as a member of the board of the Ford Foundation
. Hirano is Chair of the Kresge Foundation and Vice Chair of the American Association of Museums
. She is also a Trustee of the California Japanese American Leadership Council, Little Tokyo Community Council, and the LA Inc. Convention and Visitors Bureau. Hirano also serves on the Business Advisory Board of Sodexho
. Hirano received her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California
.
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
Board of Trustees. She previously served as President and founding Chief Executive Officer of the Japanese American National Museum
Japanese American National Museum
The opened its doors in 1992. The idea for the museum was originally thought up by Bruce Kaji with help from other notable Japanese American people at the time. The museum is located in the Little Tokyo an area near downtown Los Angeles, California. It is devoted to preserving the history and...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
from 1988 to 2009. She married senior United States Senator Daniel Inouye
Daniel Inouye
Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate...
of Hawaii on May 24, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. They spent their honeymoon in Carmel
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
. Hirano met Inouye when he served on the board of the Japanese American National Museum. The couple became engaged in January 2008. According to the Honolulu Advertiser
Honolulu Advertiser
The Honolulu Advertiser was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Internet editions...
, Hirano is 24 years younger than Inouye. It is the second marriage for both. Hirano divorced her first husband more than 20 years ago. She has a daughter, Jennifer, from that marriage. Inouye's first wife died of cancer. Hirano and Inouye currently reside in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Hirano serves as Chief Executive of the nonprofit organization National Center for the Preservation of Democracy and as a member of the board of the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
. Hirano is Chair of the Kresge Foundation and Vice Chair of the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
. She is also a Trustee of the California Japanese American Leadership Council, Little Tokyo Community Council, and the LA Inc. Convention and Visitors Bureau. Hirano also serves on the Business Advisory Board of Sodexho
Sodexho
Sodexo is a French multinational corporation headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. Sodexo is one of the largest food services and facilities management companies in the world, with 380,000 employees, representing 130 nationalities, present on 34,000 sites in 80 countries...
. Hirano received her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.