As the Senior Director of Inclusion, Outreach, and Community Engagement, Kimmy works to strengthen relationships with communities across the state through the Grants Office; State History Services; and the Inclusion, Outreach, and Community Engagement departments. Kimmy started at MNHS in 2017 at Historic Fort Snelling before moving into a role as Community Engagement Manager. Her commitment to cultivating intentional partnerships spans her tenure at MNHS from developing interpretive programming in collaboration with diverse community members to leading advisory groups. Most recently, as a Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan fellow, she established and stewarded continued relationships with Southeast Asian communities for the commemoration of 50 years of their histories in Minnesota.

Community engagement has been at the core of Kimmy’s work in and outside of MNHS. Prior to MNHS, she coordinated public input sessions to inform the Capitol Area - Rice Street design strategy as part of the state’s Capitol Area Comprehensive Plan under the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board. She interviewed and collected stories of successfully repurposed historic properties from community members across the state for Rethos’s traveling exhibit, Minnesota’ Civic Legacy. At Historic St. Paul, she curated content for Saint Paul Historical, a digital history map with hundreds of stories.

As a dedicated advocate for elevating underrepresented voices, Kimmy’s work is also embedded in community. As chair of the Education Committee of the Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League (TCJACL), she uplifts legacy keepers from the Japanese American community to ensure that their experiences during World War II continue to be a lesson in upholding civil rights for all.

During her time at MNHS, Kimmy has presented at the American Association for State and Local History (2023 and 2026), and the National Council for the Social Studies (2021). Her co-authored articles for Minnesota History Magazine include Righting A Wrong: Eighty Years Since the Order That Put Japanese Americans Behind Barbed Wire (Spring 2022), and Fuji-Ya, Second to None: Reiko Weston’s Role in Reconnecting Minneapolis and the Mississippi River (Solon J. Buck Award, 2018). She currently serves on the program committee of the National Council on Public History.

Kimmy earned a B.A. and Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota.

As the Senior Director of Inclusion, Outreach, and Community Engagement, Kimmy works to strengthen relationships with communities across the state through the Grants Office; State History Services; and the Inclusion, Outreach, and Community Engagement departments. Kimmy started at MNHS in 2017 at Historic Fort Snelling before moving into a role as Community Engagement Manager. Her commitment to cultivating intentional partnerships spans her tenure at MNHS from developing interpretive programming in collaboration with diverse community members to leading advisory groups. Most recently, as a Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan fellow, she established and stewarded continued relationships with Southeast Asian communities for the commemoration of 50 years of their histories in Minnesota.

Community engagement has been at the core of Kimmy’s work in and outside of MNHS. Prior to MNHS, she coordinated public input sessions to inform the Capitol Area - Rice Street design strategy as part of the state’s Capitol Area Comprehensive Plan under the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board. She interviewed and collected stories of successfully repurposed historic properties from community members across the state for Rethos’s traveling exhibit, Minnesota’ Civic Legacy. At Historic St. Paul, she curated content for Saint Paul Historical, a digital history map with hundreds of stories.

As a dedicated advocate for elevating underrepresented voices, Kimmy’s work is also embedded in community. As chair of the Education Committee of the Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League (TCJACL), she uplifts legacy keepers from the Japanese American community to ensure that their experiences during World War II continue to be a lesson in upholding civil rights for all.

During her time at MNHS, Kimmy has presented at the American Association for State and Local History (2023 and 2026), and the National Council for the Social Studies (2021). Her co-authored articles for Minnesota History Magazine include Righting A Wrong: Eighty Years Since the Order That Put Japanese Americans Behind Barbed Wire (Spring 2022), and Fuji-Ya, Second to None: Reiko Weston’s Role in Reconnecting Minneapolis and the Mississippi River (Solon J. Buck Award, 2018). She currently serves on the program committee of the National Council on Public History.

Kimmy earned a B.A. and Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota.