Mr. Okagaki has more than thirty years of professional experience in consulting, management and evaluation focused primarily in community development, economic revitalization, and organizational performance. He has led numerous strategic and business planning processes for a variety of organizations, and has participated in teams successfully launching community development banks, development finance institutions, and other major economic or neighborhood revitalization initiatives. Mr. Okagaki’s work has also included executive experience running small nonprofit organizations and project management experience leading consulting and research teams. He has conducted “on the ground” work in 28 states; with nonprofit, for-profit, philanthropic, and governmental entities; in urban and rural settings, and in Native communities. Most of this work has involved either the application of economic and business principles to economically distressed areas and minority communities, or analyzing “what works and why” among exemplary programs and initiatives.
Mr. Okagaki also serves as Senior Advisor for Growth & Impact Strategies at Craft3, a $200 million community development financial institution (CDFI) with triple bottom line mission and serving Oregon and Washington. Prior to his consulting work, Mr. Okagaki held positions with ShoreBank Corporation, CFED, the Alternative Energy Resources Organization and the state of California. Mr. Okagaki holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in English from Pomona College.