With unanimous support from its Board of Directors, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) announces the leadership transition of Executive Director Erich Nakano and the appointment of new Co-Executive Directors Peter Gee and Takao Suzuki, effective July 2025.
After seven years serving as executive director, Nakano will begin a new role as director of special projects and continue his 33-year tenure at LTSC after a three-month sabbatical starting in July.
Gee and Suzuki currently serve as LTSC’s director of service programs and director of community development, respectively. Their co-executive directorship will leverage their complementary expertise, placing collaboration at the crux of LTSC’s leadership and integrating the organization’s programmatic “branches” into a stronger safety net of services for its clients and community.
“With great enthusiasm and unwavering support, the Board of Directors welcomes Peter Gee and Takao Suzuki to the helm as co-executive directors of Little Tokyo Service Center,” said Claire Kitayama, president of the board. “Together they bring extensive experience, expertise, and an inspiring vision for the future of LTSC and our community.
“The board expresses our deepest appreciation to Erich Nakano for his years of stabilizing leadership and laying the groundwork to usher in this next generation of leadership.”
“Serving as LTSC’s executive director has been incredibly rewarding, and I found tremendous inspiration in the commitment and unswerving dedication to service among our staff and Board of Directors,” said Nakano. “However, after 33 years at LTSC and seven years as executive director, I’m no spring chicken!
“Along with our board and staff, I have tremendous confidence in Peter and Takao’s seasoned leadership, clear vision and commitment to LTSC’s mission.”
LTSC celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2025, welcoming new leadership to guide the organization through an exciting growth period with various projects under way.
“LTSC has come a long way since 1980, but the mission remains the same,” said Gee. “As we tackle today’s issues and strategize for the future, we will remain at the forefront of addressing our communities’ greatest needs. We believe our culturally inclusive and trauma-informed approach, paired with local, statewide and federal policy advocacy, can improve big picture systems and individualized service delivery.
“I’m energized by my colleagues and community, and deeply honored to steward LTSC’s growth together with my co-executive director, Takao Suzuki.”
“For 45 years, LTSC has pursued its mission to meet the most pressing needs in the community, always relying on our founding principles and values to guide the work,” said Suzuki. “It’s the honor of my lifetime to carry LTSC’s rich history forward with Peter Gee as my co-executive director and build upon the legacy of former executive directors, my mentors and friends, Bill Watanabe, the late Dean Matsubayashi, and Erich Nakano.”
For 45 years, LTSC has provided a safety net of social welfare and community development services to empower people and communities in need. Starting with its home in Little Tokyo, LTSC preserves and strengthens the unique ethnic communities of the Southern California region, where people, culture and collective future matter. Info: www.LTSC.org