Introducing Robyn Achilles as our New Executive Director

Friends of Minidoka is very pleased to announce the hiring of our new Executive Director, Robyn Achilles! Robyn assumed her role on October 4th and looks forward to meeting and working with our friends and partners, both near and far. She brings with her a wealth of experience and passion which align with the goals and strategic direction of Friends of Minidoka.

Robyn is an experienced non-profit professional and public servant with strategic and end-to-end operational experience. Her past roles have focused on education, philanthropy, communication, advocacy, and community outreach, working collaboratively with partners and school districts to build community capacity and create change. Robyn worked and volunteered in public and nonprofit leadership roles for over 20 years, including with the National Black Child Development Institute, Public Health -- Seattle & King County, San Francisco Public Health, Youth in Focus, and the Hunger Coalition.

“As a member of the Japanese American community and a daughter of incarcerees, increasing visibility of the Asian American experience is extremely important to me. I firmly believe that knowledge about Japanese American incarceration and the factors leading up to Executive Order 9066 is critical for us locally and as a nation as we continue today to pursue our democratic values and ideals.”

In her most recent role with The Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho, Robyn cultivated a partnership with Friends of Minidoka, the National Park Service, and survivors and descendants located in the Wood River Valley, located just 70 miles north of Minidoka. Over three months, programs focused on the causes, experiences, and implications of the WWII incarceration and included exhibits, presentations, and book group discussions, culminating with a keynote address by Jamie Ford, author of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

Robyn received her Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Robyn previously lived in Seattle for 16 years, where she volunteered at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, and San Francisco. She, her husband Todd, and their two daughters have lived in the Sun Valley, Idaho area for the past four years. She currently sits on the board of Sun Valley Community School.

Please join us in welcoming Robyn to Friends of Minidoka!