By Will Lerner
NAP Contributor
Lisa Christy, Executive Director of Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon; and Aki Nakanishi, Director of Japan Institute and the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education for Portland Japanese Garden have been named Co-CEOs of Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute. The organization’s Board of Trustees announced them in January. Together, they will oversee the nonprofit public garden and cultural organization. It has been hailed as the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan, and one of North America’s preeminent Japanese cultural organizations.
Aki Nakanishi (left) and Lisa Christy. Photo by Jonathan Ley.
In their Co-CEO roles, Christy will oversee the garden’s administrative and operational functions including guest experience, finance, and organizational management. Nakanishi will lead programmatic and cultural oversight, guiding the garden’s educational and cultural initiatives, and stewarding its Japanese and bicultural integrity. The leaders will work together on fundraising and mapping out the strategic vision for the organization. This innovative leadership model is fitting for a bicultural organization and was specifically tailored based on the significant, unique, and complementary experiences of Christy and Nakanishi.
Christy spent 15 years in business working in advertising including at the prestigious agency Wieden+Kennedy. She joined the garden in 2014 as Director of Marketing & Communications. She later served as Chief External Affairs Officer and then Executive Director before being appointed Co-CEO. Throughout her tenure, Christy has helped define how the garden serves its community. She led a seven-fold expansion of the external affairs division, oversaw a comprehensive rebrand, and directed the communications strategy for the Cultural Village opening, earning national and international recognition. Christy built the garden’s guest experience strategy, expanded community access and engagement programs, and helped drive record-setting membership and attendance year after year. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Travel Portland.
Nakanishi joined the garden in 2018 as the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education; and served as Director of Japan Institute, the garden’s cultural and programmatic arm. Prior to these roles, he spent ten years at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan where he led cultural initiatives. He advanced U.S.–Japan relations while also founding a nonprofit organization dedicated to regional revitalization and youth empowerment. During his tenure at the garden, Nakanishi has overseen more than 1,000 programs. It included exhibitions of traditional and contemporary artists and craftspeople, seasonal festivals, culinary initiatives, cultural demonstrations, workshops, forums, and lectures. Through this work, Nakanishi helped strengthen the garden’s reputation as a leading international center for cultural exchange. He deepened public understanding of the reciprocal cultural ties between the U.S. and Japan.
Nakanishi is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge conducting research focused on medieval Japan.
“We are incredibly excited for Lisa and Aki to take Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute forward,” shares Paul Schommer, president of the Board of Trustees. “The two of them have been instrumental in helping the organization maintain much-needed stability during a time that has been demanding for cultural institutions across the nation. Beyond their steady hand, both Lisa and Aki have impressive professional backgrounds, a profound knowledge of the garden and an exciting vision for its future, unmatched strategic thinking, and empathetic insight that complement each other perfectly. We have the utmost confidence in their vision for the organization and know their work will help the garden and institute continue to uplift our beloved city of Portland through nature, the arts, and cross-cultural understanding.”
“We are both deeply grateful to the Board of Trustees for this vote of confidence,” Christy and Nakanishi shared in a joint statement. “Through our years at Portland Japanese Garden, we have seen firsthand the profound importance this organization has to the City of Portland and our community, in addition to fostering strong U.S.-Japan relations. As leaders of a bi-cultural organization, we are honored to bring our complementary experiences and strengths to build on the good work of those who came before us. We’re fortunate to have a strong board and look forward to working with them as well as our exceptional staff, passionate volunteers, dedicated members, and generous donors to help carry forward our important mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace.”
About Portland Japanese Garden
Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America.
About Japan Institute
Japan Institute was established in 2020 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden. This sibling organization is the programmatic arm of Portland Japanese Garden,. It allows us to share and expand our cultural programs more broadly around the world,. We deepen international partnerships, and continue to engage diverse people in shared experiences and conversations about peace, beauty, and connection of nature. Portland Japanese Garden & Japan Institute share the mission: Inspiring Harmony and Peace.
