Kristen Hayashi

Kristen Hayashi , Ph.D. is curator of history and director of collections at the Japanese American National Museum, where she oversees the permanent collection and curates content through exhibitions and public programs. Previously, she worked at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in various capacities within research and collections, including as part of the curatorial team for the Becoming Los Angeles exhibition. In addition to her work in museums, she is also involved in historic preservation work and has authored several historic cultural monument nominations for sites in Los Angeles. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Little Tokyo Historical Society and Asian Pacific Islanders in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP). Hayashi earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Riverside. Her dissertation research examined the return and resettlement of Japanese Americans to Los Angeles in the early post-WWII period.