WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced on July 24 his intent to nominate Karen K. Narasaki to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
An independent civil and human rights consultant, Narasaki was previously the president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center from 1995 to 2012. She was the Washington representative for the Japanese American Citizens League from 1992 to 1994 and was a corporate attorney at Perkins Coie from 1986 to 1991.
Narasaki began her career as a law clerk for Judge Harry Pregerson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1985 to 1986. She is currently chair of the Asian American Diversity Advisory Council for Comcast/NBCU and co-chair of the Asian American Advisory Council for Nielsen. She also manages the Shelby Response Fund for Public Interest Projects.
She has served on many boards and commissions throughout her career, including vice chair of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and chair of the Rights Working Group. She is a board member for Common Cause, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Independent Sector, and the National Immigration Law Center.
Narasaki received a B.A. from Yale College and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.
“I’m honored to have been appointed by President Obama,” Narasaki said in a Facebook post on July 26. “I already had my first commission meeting and look forward to working with the staff, the regional advisory committees and my fellow commissioners.”
Also nominated to the Commission on Civil Rights was Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina from 2006 to 2012, an associate judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 1997 to 2005, and a judge for the 12th District of North Carolina from 1984 to 1997.
Obama said of the nine nominees to administration posts announced on Thursday, “I am proud that such experienced and committed individuals have agreed to serve the American people in these important roles. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”