April Nishimura (she/her) joined TREC in 2022 as the organizations’ first Co-Executive Director of color. April is well versed in a variety of models of shared leadership and decision-making. She is adept at change management, and utilizes a strengths-based approach to her work.
Prior to working at TREC, April was the Interim COO & Systems Change Leader at Interaction Institute for Social Change. She worked as Director of Capacity Building at RVC, a capacity building organization that supports leaders of color to build thriving grassroots organizations. Prior to this, April worked at the Puyallup Watershed Initiative, working with over 100 environmental organizations and community groups in the Puyallup Watershed to increase their diversity, equity and inclusion.
April is a certified coach and has a deep passion for transformation and justice. She brings over a decade of experience working with nonprofit organizations to better fulfill their mission and consults on a number of topics, including strategy development, conflict management, board development, leadership cultivation and managing organizational change.
April has worked as a labor organizer, lgbtq-rights activist and in the movement to end domestic violence. She is the former Co-Founder and Co-Director of an outdoor organization supporting LGBTQ BIPOC leadership. She holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management and a Masters in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. She is a board member for UUSC, an international human rights organization.
April is grateful to live on the land of the Kānaka Maoli in Honolulu, Hawaii. In her free time, April enjoys karaoke, cooking with native plants, and spontaneous adventures with friends. She connects with her heritage through a disciplined study of chado 茶道(Japanese tea ceremony) and Zen meditation in Kalihi Valley.