Japanese Internment, a personal perspective

May 18, 2022
Bruce Shimizu
Japanese Internment, a personal perspective

Bruce is a fourth generation Sonoma County native, having grown up on a chicken ranch in Cotati. [He is also a cousin of our own Amy Neuman.] He has a BS in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is a MS Candidate in Architecture.  He currently works as a Housing Specialist/Senior Project Manager with LACO Associates, a civil engineering and planning firm. He is active in the Japanese American Citizens League (Board member Sonoma County Chapter, Speakers Bureau.) Bruce is also one of the founders of Sonoma County Taiko, a local community based Japanese drumming group.

For most of his professional life, he has been a real estate developer who builds affordable homes for working families in the North Bay and he has worked as a landscape architect. Prior to attending college, he served as a hospital corpsman/paramedic in the US Coast Guard. His diverse nonprofit experience includes: 

      Civil Rights

  • Japanese American Citizens League - National Youth Director

Affordable Housing developer for

  • Burbank Housing & Ecumenical Association for Housing
  • MidPen Housing
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Catholic Charities

Agriculture

  • California FarmLink – Chief Operations Officer
  • Sonoma County Farm Trails – Executive Director.

Bruce is married to Karen (Neuman), has 4 children and 2 grandchildren. They share their home in Windsor with their daughter Cecelia, Makanani (Husky), Freddie & Queenie (cats), chickens, and a dozen Koi.

Bruce’s life has been dedicated to serving the community and believes in finding sustainable solutions to problems that balance the needs of the planet, its people, and creates prosperity for all.

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