Lilly Simmering
Throughout the executive director recruitment process, I often spoke about the research I conducted on JACL. The most common refrain I heard was simple: “JACL needs to change.” Yet, whenever I asked what that change should look like, the answers were rarely specific.
In my first 60 days as executive director, I continued asking that question of members, partners and community leaders across the country. It was not until the 2026 National Convention in Las Vegas that I found my answer.
The theme of this year’s Convention was “Reigniting Our Purpose and Mission.” Looking back, the answer was there all along. You do not reignite a purpose through a machine or an institution. You reignite it through people.
Purpose is renewed when individuals choose to act. Mission is fulfilled when communities choose to serve. Change does not begin with an organization; it begins with people who possess the courage and conviction to move that organization forward.
After six days of meeting members from across the nation, hearing their stories, learning about their communities and witnessing their unwavering commitment, I came to a simple but profound conclusion.
JACL has never been defined by its building, its bylaws or even its history. JACL has always been defined by the people who choose, generation after generation, to serve something greater than themselves.
That is why JACL does not need to change. Its people are and always have been the change.
Being the change requires more than good intentions. It requires deliberate action. That is why we are investing in our members, strengthening our advocacy, expanding our service to the community and preparing the next generation to lead.
We begin with our members. We are transforming the member experience from a model centered on membership services to a culture of membership hospitality. Hospitality means every interaction reflects our five core values: Welcome every member, demonstrate genuine Care, deliver Excellent customer service, Personalize every experience and Connect people to one another to strengthen our community. Membership is not simply a transaction, it is the beginning of a lifelong relationship rooted in belonging, trust and shared purpose.
We are also strengthening our advocacy through JACL’s inaugural Policy Platform. Guided by our mission and values, our work will focus on Civil Rights Preservation and Advancement, Historic Preservation and Public History, Immigration and Refugee Affairs, Voting Rights and Community Development. These priorities honor our history while preparing us to meet the challenges of the future.
Our commitment to service also extends beyond advocacy. We are investing in our San Francisco headquarters to become the JACL Good Neighbor Center, a place where history meets service and where individuals and families can find resources, support and community in one welcoming location. More than a building, the Good Neighbor Center will be a living expression of JACL’s commitment to compassion, dignity and service.
Finally, we will continue to invest in the next generation, not only Japanese American youth, but also all young people who choose to serve the American public. Whether they become educators, advocates, public servants, members of our Armed Forces, business owners or leaders in their communities, they deserve to know that their investment in themselves, their leadership and their commitment to others matters. The future of our nation depends on people who believe service is a calling, and JACL will proudly stand beside them.
As JACL approaches its second century, our responsibility is not to become someone else. Our responsibility is to continue choosing, every day, to be the change our communities need. That is how we honor our history. That is how we fulfill our mission. And that is how we shape our future.
For more than a century, JACL has answered the call whenever justice required a voice. That legacy was never built by an institution alone. It was built by ordinary people choosing to do extraordinary things in service of others.
We have reignited our purpose and mission. We know who we are. We know why we serve.
Now, together, we move forward not because we have changed, but because we have always been the change.
Lilly Simmering is executive director of the JACL. She is based in the organization’s Los Angeles office.
Link to past executive director columns here.