Maki joined PSR-LA in 2021 as the Development Associate to support the organization in areas such as fundraising, donor relations, and grants management. She brings experience from the various administrative and customer service positions she has held in the past. While these positions were mainly with large corporate financial institutions, Maki became interested in the nonprofit sector after interning at the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance and being immersed in the impactful work that nonprofits engage in.

Maki was born in Japan and moved to the United States at a young age, spending a few years in Pennsylvania before moving to the Bay Area with her family. Although she grew up mostly in the U.S., she is fluent in Japanese thanks to her parents, who tirelessly drove her and her siblings to Japanese School every Saturday. She started her college education as a biology major at Pomona College but transferred to UC Irvine and graduated with a B.S. in Public Health Science. She hopes to continue her public health education and obtain a Master’s degree in the future to better equip herself for the ongoing fight against various health inequities and disparities.

Maki is grateful for the countless ramen shops in LA and aspires to try all of them. lives with a Maltese Yorkie named Katsu and a tabby cat named Yuzu,