Bonsai Leadership Group is honored to support Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in identifying its next Executive Director. This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead a historic civil rights organization at a pivotal moment for democracy, belonging, and coalition building. Download the full position announcement here.

ABOUT Japanese American Citizens League

Founded in 1929, JACL is the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American and Pacific Islander civil rights organization. JACL helped lead the Japanese American redress movement, which culminated in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Today, the organization advances civil and human rights through policy advocacy, community education, and chapter-driven engagement.

The national office is located in San Francisco, CA, with a strong policy presence in Washington, DC, supported by a vibrant network of chapters and members nationwide.

Learn more about JACL at jacl.org and pacificcitizen.org.

THE Mission

Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.

THE OPPORTUNITY

JACL seeks an Executive Director who brings the steadiness of an experienced operational leader and the courage of a thoughtful changemaker. This moment calls for a leader who honors JACL’s powerful legacy, champions strategic focus, strengthens internal systems, and guides the organization into its next chapter of growth. The role requires discipline in execution, clarity in strategy, and a deep commitment to building a values-driven culture rooted in collaboration, belonging, respect, and accountability.

The Executive Director will shape how JACL engages with its members, chapters, and the broader Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and ally communities, which count on its advocacy and voice. The Executive Director will serve as a visible partner to chapters, an ambassador for JACL’s civil rights agenda, and a relationship builder who elevates JACL’s presence with policymakers, coalitions, funders, and media.

At this stage of JACL’s evolution, the organization needs a leader who deeply values situational awareness, decisive action, and purposeful communication, and who is equally committed to cultivating dialogue, shared ownership, and collective progress. The right leader will see these qualities not as tradeoffs, but as essential to sustaining trust, momentum, and impact across a national, member-driven organization.

This is a powerful opportunity to lead a historic civil rights institution into its next era of relevance, resilience, and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Focus

• Define and monitor a focused strategic direction that charts a clear long-term vision for the organization, aligns with JACL’s values, and reflects both the historical significance and future aspirations of the membership.

• Establish an organization-wide annual planning framework that connects long-term strategic priorities to goals, work plans, budgets, and performance expectations across teams and departments.

• Communicate strategic priorities, progress, and adjustments with consistency and transparency to the national board, staff, chapters, and partners, ensuring clarity on how decisions support the organization’s mission, impact, and sustainability.

• Manage an annual planning cycle that sets measurable goals, guides resource allocation, and reinforces discipline in execution, including regular monitoring and reporting against established metrics.

• Ensure cross-departmental alignment by coordinating organizational priorities, managing interdependencies, and addressing obstacles that hinder progress towards strategic outcomes.

• Maintain a steady focus on impact by reviewing organizational performance data, evaluating progress to goals, addressing gaps, and leading needed course corrections with confidence and clarity.

Operational Oversight and Sustainable Revenue Leadership

• Utilize data, trends, and financial reports to strengthen the organization, including identifying opportunities to reduce expenses, improving efficiency, and allocating resources in ways that maximize mission impact.

• Safeguard fiscal sustainability by maintaining strong links between resources and results, partnering with the Board to steward reserves responsibly, and ensuring the organization’s operations within its means while advancing mission-critical work.

• Anticipate operational and financial challenges and address them proactively through disciplined planning, forecasting, and scenario analysis, and timely responses that stabilize and strengthen the organization in partnership with the Director of Finance.

• Ensure that fundraising and membership growth goals are achieved by providing strategic direction, oversight, and accountability structures that support the Director of Development.

• Engage donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors as part of a coordinated fundraising strategy, strengthening donor cultivation, deepening institutional partnerships, and elevating the organization’s visibility with key supporters to achieve annual fundraising goals.

• Create and evaluate new revenue opportunities by supporting innovation, assessing risk thoughtfully, and leveraging partnerships, programmatic strengths, and emerging trends across the AANHPI and civil rights landscape.

• Ensure financial health and operational efficiency, including preparing annual operational and financial plans that align organizational capacity, infrastructure, and systems with strategic goals and sustainable growth.

• Monitor infrastructure needs, especially staffing and systems, to ensure a sustainable pace and strong foundation for organizational effectiveness.

People Leadership and Culture Building

• Inspire, coach, develop, and support a talented team while fostering a healthy, engaged workplace culture.

• Lead the design and ongoing refinement of the staffing structure, roles, and decision-making pathways necessary to support organizational success, in alignment with strategic priorities, approved budgets, and Board policies.

• Align staff capacity with organizational priorities by assessing workload distribution, identifying gaps, and making informed decisions that strengthen the organization’s ability to achieve collective impact.

• Empower staff and cultivate leadership at all levels while providing the clarity, vision, support, accountability, and continuous learning they need to succeed.

• Strengthen systems for staff communication, performance expectations, and collaboration, creating dependable rhythms that help the team stay focused, informed, and connected while promoting a culture where feedback is timely, transparent, and rooted in mutual respect.

• Foster a positive, collaborative work environment grounded in trust, openness, shared expectations, and JACL’s organizational values.

• Partner with the national board and HR resources to ensure policies, practices, and workplace norms reflect the organization’s values, legal responsibilities, and commitment to equity and belonging.

Voice, Advocacy, and Partnerships

• Serve as a credible spokesperson and relationship builder with chapters, coalitions, funders, partners, and media.

• Communicate policy priorities and organizational impact with clarity and purpose, ensuring key stakeholders understand the significance of JACL’s work and the outcomes achieved.

• Establish consistent communication channels that keep chapters, members, and partners informed about progress, organizational priorities, reinforcing transparency, and strengthening trust across the network.

• Maintain a visible presence with chapters and partners by participating in key events, listening deeply, and representing the organization in ways that build confidence and connection.

• Protect and amplify JACL’s strong partnerships, national reputation, and organizational legacy.

Board Engagement & Governance

• Build a strong, collaborative, and productive relationship with the National Board of Directors.

• Provide strategic input, clarity of direction, transparent communication, and timely information to support informed decision-making and meaningful board engagement.

• Support an effective and well-informed board by ensuring members understand their roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority, and by providing regular opportunities for board development that strengthen alignment and leadership capacity.

Desired QUALIFICATIONS & Professional EXPERIENCE

While candidates can come from a range of backgrounds, the ideal candidate for the Executive Director role exhibits many of the following attributes and experiences described below.

• 10+ years of senior leadership experience within nationally focused nonprofits, advocacy or policy institutions, civil rights organizations, membership associations, or other mission-aligned sectors, preferably within complex or multi-stakeholder environments.

• Deep respect for Japanese American history, with the cultural fluency and humility needed to engage broader AANHPI and ally communities with confidence.

• Strategic mindset paired with decisive, steady leadership, including the ability to set direction, sequence priorities, and ensure disciplined execution.

• Track record of leading organizational change, strengthening internal systems, building teams, and guiding organizations through modernization and innovation while honoring legacy.

• Strong financial management and operational acumen, including aligning budgets, staffing, systems, and organizational priorities to support mission delivery and sustainability.

• Demonstrated fundraising leadership, including major donor engagement, institutional partnerships, and strong collaboration with development staff.

• Confident and inspirational organizational spokesperson, with experience in advocacy, coalition engagement, media interviews, and public speaking.

• Clear and adaptable communicator who aligns people around shared priorities through clarity, consistency, and timely follow-up.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including diplomacy, active listening, and the ability to create space for inclusive, respectful interactions and negotiations across all levels of stakeholders.

• Superior relationship-building skills across staff, board members, chapter leaders, members, volunteers, donors, partners, and policymakers, with the ability to build trust across a geographically distributed network.

• Experience partnering with a board of directors, including governance, decision-making processes, and leadership development.

Schedule & Travel expectations 

As a national, chapter-driven organization, JACL’s work often happens outside traditional business hours. At times, the Executive Director must be available for evening and weekend meetings, events, and convenings to maintain close connections with members, chapters, partners, and governance responsibilities. This flexibility is a core part of stewarding relationships and advancing JACL’s mission at the national level. The role requires approximately 30–50% travel, including national board meetings, chapter engagements, special events, conferences, and convenings.

LOCATION 

This is a remote or hybrid position, with a strong preference for the Executive Director to be based in San Francisco, CA, or Washington, DC. An Executive Director based in either city will work in a hybrid format that supports consistent, in-person engagement with staff, board members, partners, and key stakeholders.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $140,000 - $190,000 annually, with an anticipated starting salary dependent upon the qualifications and experience of the hired candidate.

In addition, JACL offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:  

• Vacation and sick time, plus holidays

• Medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance

• 403(B) Retirement plan with a 3% employer matching contribution  

• Sick, bereavement, and family leave

• Professional development

SHARE YOUR INTEREST

Bonsai Leadership Group has been exclusively retained for this search. For consideration, submit your resume and a compelling cover letter outlining your qualifications and interest by joining the candidate pool here.

All expressions of interest, nominations, inquiries, and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. 

If you are a person with a disability and require assistance sharing your interest in this role, please contact us at careers@bonsaileadershipgroup.com. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of this search.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Japanese American Citizens League is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Offers of employment are based on the requirements of the job and an applicant’s qualifications, including skill, education, training, experience, and ability to perform the job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.