Friends General Conference is pleased to announce the hiring of Hanae Togami. She joins FGC’s Ministry on Racism as the Program Manager. She will work closely with Program Coordinator Vanessa Julye and Program Associate Linnea Halsten to implement the goals of the department.

Hanae grew up attending Lexington Friends Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, which is part of the Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting (OVYM). As a teenager, she took part in the OVYM teen service trips to Hominy, Oklahoma; Barnesville, Ohio; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the District of Columbia; and Monteverde, Costa Rica. Hanae says that these service trips were integral in solidifying her Quaker faith and practice. She attended Haverford College where she majored in Biology and worked in the Quaker Affairs Office as a student intern.

While at Haverford she also cultivated her love for the arts as a member of the Mainliners a cappella group and Greasepaint Productions, a student-run musical theater company encompassing Bryn Mawr and Haverford students. She currently resides in Philadelphia where she participates in community theater.

Recognizing the care and hard work that went into the creation of her new position, as well as the generosity of Friends who are devoted to expanding FGC’s programs, Hanae is thrilled to be joining FGC staff. “I’m excited to join a dedicated team with a demonstrated commitment to promoting anti-racism within the Quaker community,” she says.

Hanae is currently reading bell hooks’ All About Love: New Visions and is interested in discovering how love informs and challenges our professional lives as well as our faith communities.

Friends can look forward to seeing Hanae in virtual spaces and occasionally in the FGC office.