Announcing Our 2026 National Convention Awardees!
July 7, 2026
We are pleased to announce two recipients of our Japanese American of the Biennium Award, which will be given out at this year's convention in Las Vegas. This year's winners include:
Dr. Debra Kawahara, in the field of Medicine and Science, for her contributions to the study of psychology that have enhanced the quality of life in our society.
Ryan Kawamoto, in the field of Arts, Literature, and Communications, for his contributions in sharing, recording, and preserving the history of the Japanese American community of Hawai'i.
These awards are given to select individuals to recognize their contributions to the Japanese American community. The JACL National Board confers these awards with consultation from other leaders in the Japanese American community and past JACL leaders. We applaud both awardees for their accomplishments and look forward to recognizing them at the Sayonara Gala in just a few weeks’ time, along with recipients of other awards that will be announced during convention. Please continue reading below for a short description of each of our awardees.
Dr. Debra Kawahara
Debra M. Kawahara, PhD, is the 2025 president of the American Psychological Association (APA), the national psychological organization of over 190,000 members. During her term, Kawahara aimed to bring her campaign slogan, “Strength in Unity,” to fruition. She is the first Japanese American and first Asian American woman to serve in this role.
She is also the interim academic dean at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University. Her work spans over 20 academic programs in psychology and mental health across six campuses in California, as well as online. Additionally, she has an independent practice where she sees individuals, couples, and families, and conducts trainings for organizations.
Known as a feminist and multicultural scholar, her work centers on intersectionality, women's issues, Asian American mental health, Buddhist psychotherapy, and the application of social justice principles in practice. She is widely published and has presented at the state, national, and global levels. Her most recent book, Buddhist Psychotherapy: Connecting Early Buddhism to Mindfulness and Western Psychotherapy, focuses on connecting the foundations of Early Buddhism to current mindfulness and meditation practices used in psychotherapy, published in 2025 by APA Books.
Her latest project has been the launch of her podcast, “Wellness in Today’s World”, where she discusses the latest hot topics in wellness, psychology, mental health, and everything in between.
Ryan Kawamoto
A fourth-generation Japanese American born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Ryan serves as Vice President of Community Relations and Director at Kinetic Productions. While widely recognized for directing award-winning advertising campaigns and feature films, Ryan is perhaps best known for his powerful documentary work, including “The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese in Hawaiʻi,” “Voices Behind Barbed Wire,” and “Removed by Force: The Eviction of Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Americans during World War II.”
Through meticulous research, compelling storytelling, and the voices of those who experienced these events firsthand, Ryan’s films illuminate the largely overlooked history of Japanese Americans in Hawaiʻi during World War II. His work explores the unique wartime experience of Japanese Americans in Hawaiʻi—including the selective roundup and imprisonment of community leaders, the documentation of Hawaiʻi’s confinement sites, the forced eviction of families from their homes, and the efforts of the local JACL chapter to seek justice and redress for those who were wrongfully targeted and removed from their homes by force.
By preserving these firsthand accounts and sharing them through film screenings, educational programs, and community discussions, Ryan has helped ensure that this history is neither forgotten nor overlooked. His documentaries have become important resources for educators, students, and community organizations seeking to better understand Hawaiʻi’s wartime experience and the civil liberties issues that continue to resonate today.
