On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to share with you that following 22 years of dedicated, compassionate service to seniors in Our Community, Shawn Miyake will be retiring from Keiro. His well-deserved retirement will begin June 30, 2016.
Shawn Miyake has provided invaluable care for our loved ones-parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and friends-for more than two decades at the helm of Keiro. We extend our deepest gratitude to Shawn for his commitment and years of service to Keiro, and the lasting impact his work has had on Japanese American and Japanese seniors and families.
As you are aware, earlier this year, Keiro repositioned its focus from operating long-term healthcare facilities to programmatically supporting thousands of Japanese American and Japanese older adults in Southern California. The organization is now expanding its reach from serving the 600 residents of its four former healthcare facilities, to serving the 70,000 older adults in our Japanese American and Japanese community who live in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.
As Keiro moves forward and as management needs shift following the recent sale of our facilities, the organization will conduct an extensive search for a new president & CEO with the skills, background and experience needed to guide the organization into the future. Keiro is in the process of engaging a firm to assist in its search for a new executive. With the firm's guidance, Keiro will recruit a high-level individual well-poised to lead the organization for years to come.
The Keiro Board of Directors has appointed Gene Kanamori to serve as interim president & CEO while the search process for the new president & CEO is underway. Having served as Keiro's Director of Administration and Human Resources for the past 10 years, the Board knows that Kanamori is a proven leader and the best choice for ensuring that Keiro's services and programs continue during this transition.
We recognize this is a natural point for change and important next step in our organization's evolution and we are highly focused on recruiting a strong leader who will embody Keiro's values and vision for the future, upholding Keiro's mission to enhance the quality of life for seniors in Our Community.
Our thanks for your ongoing support of Keiro.
As always, we will continue to share updates and information regarding the future of the organization. We appreciate your support and invite your continued participation, joining us, and helping Keiro move forward, continuing and expanding our work to help older adults in Our Community age the way they choose.
Sincerely,
Gary Kawaguchi
Chairman, Board of Directors
