“What Do We Do When We Win?”: Don Nakanishi's Visionary Leadership for the New Generation

Abstract

As director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Don Nakanishi embodies what visionary leadership means in practice. His actions and ideas anticipate three new leadership challenges for the new generation: first, the responsibility to seek out—and not avoid—positions of power and to use these positions to change relations of power in society; second, the responsibility to use power and resources not only for the benefit of Asian Americans but for all, especially other communities of color; and third, the responsibility to continue to develop Asian American Studies as a multidisciplinary field embracing multiple constituencies and emphasizing linkages between academicians and community leaders. By embracing these responsibilities, Don demonstrates to young professional how visionary leadership can change powerful institutions and redefine the identity of Asian Americans.