Aki Nakanishi (left) and Lisa Christy. Credit: Portland Japanese Garden/Photograph by Jonathan Ley
Aki Nakanishi and Lisa Christy are the new co-CEOs of Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute, the organization’s Board of Trustees announced on Friday.
Christy was the executive director of Portland Japanese Garden, and Nakanishi was the director of Japan Institute and the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education for Portland Japanese Garden.
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 bi-cultural integrity.