Staff
Rebecca Joy Ozaki, Program Director
Contact Rebecca at rebecca@jaclchicago.org
As a second generation Filipina and fourth generation Japanese American born and raised in Chicago, Rebecca carries her ancestor’s legacy of incarceration, story of immigration, and hope for intergenerational healing as she works to build the equitable world her child deserves.
Since October 2022, Rebecca has served as the JACL Chicago Program Director managing admin, finances, organizing the Chapter’s flagship programs such as the Kansha Project and new ones including Intergenerational Conversations and Camp Daikon. Because of her grandparents, Rebecca has a long history with the chapter, attending the first year of the Kansha Project, organizing the early years of Next Gen. Nikkei, and receiving two scholarships from the chapter. Rebecca also served on the board as Youth co-chair from 2014 – 2017. Additionally, Rebecca worked for JACL National as the Youth Coordinator supporting NY/SC and the Youth Legacy Program. She also participated in JACL National programs including the OCA-JACL Leadership Summit and the Kakehashi Program.
Rebecca has a B.S. in Human Development Family Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s of Social Work specializing in organizational and community practice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to rejoining JACL Chicago, she worked as a community organizer for care work campaigns as the Director of Training and Membership at Jane Addams Senior Caucus; a grassroots organization fighting for elders to age with dignity. Additionally, she has worked in multiple local and national non-profit organizations including Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago as a volunteer manager and at UIC’s Asian American Resource and Cultural Center supporting a peer-mentorship program for AAPIA students. Rebecca enjoys camping, thrifting, and spending time with her partner, toddler and fur babies.
Jeannie Tomoda Harrell, Program Coordinator
Contact Jeannie at jeannie@jaclchicago.org
Born and raised in Tokyo, Jeannie Tomoda Harrell attended the American School in Japan until 2007, graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a BA in Publishing in 2010, and moved to Chicago in 2011. One afternoon in 2015, while walking through her neighborhood in Lakeview, Jeannie grew frustrated with the racist name of a Chinese restaurant and was subsequently arrested for vandalizing the restaurant’s windows. The ensuing press coverage connected her with the local Japanese American community and soon led to her membership with the Chicago chapter of JACL.
As a Japanese American community organizer, Jeannie’s strengths are in her upbeat attitude, organizational prowess, and unique perspective, combining an always-deepening understanding of Japanese American history with a lifetime of reflections on her own mixed shin-Nikkei identity in an increasingly divided and stratified world. Jeannie has helped develop the Intergenerational Conversation Circles and Camp Daikon programs with JACL Chicago, and had the privilege of facilitating the 2024 Kansha, Too trip. Working with JACL, she is most energized by the sense of connection she feels with the Japanese American community. She is inspired by her friendships with several generations of Japanese Americans that help keep her grounded with her evolving Japanese identity as she builds her life in Chicago.