LEADERSHIP BOARD
FGFH is governed by a volunteer, unpaid Board of Directors. In addition, the FGFH Board of Advisors provides advice on policy, advocacy, fundraising and public relations.
KIKKA HANAZAWA
President, Board of Directors
Kikka Hanazawa is an impact investor, CEO, non profit founder and philanthropist. Her investment includes a sustainable fashion brand VPL and other technology ventures in fashion. Through these business and nonprofit ventures, she has been making a social impact globally, and her profile and activities have been featured in Wall Street Journal, BBC, Forbes, New York Times, Vogue, Reuters and many other publications.
Kikka became the first Japanese woman to be selected as a Forbes 48 Heroes of Philanthropy. She currently serves on the Columbia University's School of General Studies board of visitors. She was a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America's finance committee and served on the Japanese art committee for the Asia Society. She is a regular speaker at conferences and panels, including Yale, Google, Harvard Business School, and New York City Economic Department Corporation’s fashion incubator program.
Born in Tokyo, Kikka received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Architecture Theory and her MBA from Harvard Business School.
MIKI HIGASA
Co-President, Board of Directors
Miki Higasa is the founder of Kaleidoscope Consulting a brand strategy, marketing and communications consultancy specializing in the fields of fashion, design and lifestyle. The company also specializes in visual creative advice. Some of Kaleidoscope Consulting’s clients and past projects include, Thom Browne, Sacai, Repossi, Brooks Brothers, Moncler and LeSpotsac. Prior to Kaleidoscope, she was a International Press officer and Special Projects director at Comme des Garcons in Tokyo and New York for 16 years.
Born and raised in NYC, Ms. Higasa received a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from University of Michigan.
Tomoko Ogura
Secretary, Board of Directors
Tomoko Ogura is Consulting Partner with Tomorrow and Brand Director at Sea New York. She began her career at Barneys New York where she spent over a decade identifying and nurturing new talent and businesses. After leaving Barneys, Tomoko joined Vince as Vice President, Brand Director. During her three years at Vince, she evolved the brand direction and played a key role in pivoting and strengthening the business fundamentals.
In 2011, Tomoko co-founded Fashion Girls for Humanity, a nonprofit whose mission is to bring humanitarian services and funds to communities in need through its global network of fashion and design industry professionals.
Tomoko was born in New Jersey and lived in Tokyo during her high school years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Dartmouth College. She currently resides in New York.
Julie Gilhart
Co-Founder
Julie Gilhart is Chief Development Officer of Tomorrow and President of Tomorrow Consulting where she champions and fosters the power of entrepreneurial creativity within the global fashion industry. In 2011, she founded Julie Gilhart Consulting to connect and grow fashion brands with a desire to have a positive impact, and merged her business with Tomorrow in 2019.
Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Gilhart was Senior Vice President Fashion Director at Barneys New York for 18 years. She was instrumental in establishing the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund and then the LVMH Prize for Emerging Talent.
Ms. Gilhart sits on the boards of Parsons The New School for Design, Mulberry, and Tomorrow and resides in New York City.
Akiko Mitsui
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Akiko M. Mitsui, CFA, is a municipal bond and nonprofit finance specialist. Passionate about “double-bottom line” investing to foster community development and other public interests while meeting investors’ financial objectives, Akiko has facilitated numerous such transactions throughout her career. In addition, Akiko plays a thought leadership role with a variety of nonprofit organizations, in advisory and board positions. Akiko is previous recipient of the New York City Mayor’s Voluntary Action Award.
Andrew Jacobs
General Counsel & Advisory Board
Andrew Jacobs advises entrepreneurial companies and nonprofits through his consulting firm, Propero Advisory. He also serves as the COO for Green Tiger Markets, which is establishing derivatives marketplaces in Asia and the United States. Andrew has served in senior operating, financial, and legal roles at a number of respected buy-side financial firms, including Jamison Capital Partners and Millennium Management. Earlier in his career, Andrew was a financial analyst at Wasserstein Perella and an associate at Watchtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. A musician by training, Andrew is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Curtis Institute of Music, and is a former board chair of The Walden School, a summer music program for young and adult musicians. He is also on the advisory board of Harmony Media, a startup proving virtual reality-based wellness treatments.
Kendall Nash
Director of Partnership & Sponsorship
Kendall has been a part of the FGFH family since 2011 and is currently our Director of Production and Special Projects.
Kendall is a producer of live shows, events and film in the fashion, beauty and luxury industries as well as a consultant on the venue side focusing on partnerships, branding and events.
Mari Fujiuchi
Marketing & Communications
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LaTimberly Johnson
Fashion & UX/UI Designer
LaTimberly Johnson is a Fashion and UX/UI Designer based in Brooklyn, NY. With 10 years of fashion design experience she has a variety of experience working for large mass market companies, luxury apparel, startups and has also launched her brand Loulette Lingerie.
In 2020 she joined the Fashion Girls for Humanity team. Using insights from existing content and interviews with a team of sewers, she created and streamlined the instructional guides and videos for creating PPE gear.
Christine Dal Bello
Advisory Board Member & U.S. Diplomat / NATO Secondee
Christine Dal Bello has been a U.S. diplomat since 2001 and has had the privilege to serve her country in the UAE, India, Austria, Afghanistan, Indonesia, as well as in Washington, DC as a foreign policy advisor in the U.S. Senate. As a Una Chapman Cox Sabbatical Leave Fellow in 2019-20, she traveled to 29 states and two U.S. territories, visiting 85 units of the National Park Service in order to promote the importance of historical, cultural, and natural preservation. She and her two children who accompanied her on the journey host a podcast, Expedition National Parks, to encourage listeners to engage with these less known and appreciated sites and histories.She graduated with a B.A. in International Studies and History from Yale University. She speaks French, German, Italian and Spanish and has studied Arabic and Indonesian through the Foreign Service Institute.