Administration
Dr. Abbie Yamamoto - Executive Director
Dr. Yamamoto leads PAE’s team of distinguished educators and administrators and is devoted to helping PAE continue to grow and evolve.
Dr. Yamamoto, who holds a doctorate in Japanese and Korean language and culture from the University of California at Berkeley, is a committed leader with international experience in nonprofit and for-profit sectors and academia.
Dr. Yamamoto was born and raised in Japan. As an immigrant and woman of color, has many shared experiences with PAE students and community members. She also has experience as a writer, presenter, and speaker on the topics of trauma, multilingualism, multiculturalism, and practices of diversity and inclusion.
Prior to joining PAE in the summer of 2022, Dr. Yamamoto’s most recent leadership experience was with the Maine Association for New Americans, where she served as Board chair and then as executive director. In this role, she grew a small volunteer-led nonprofit into a vital and growing part of the fabric of immigrant-serving organizations in the state.
Prior to that, Dr. Yamamoto ran her own consulting firm, One TransLiteracy, focused on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She also taught Japanese language, culture, and literature at the university level. She has held faculty positions at Centre College; the University of California, Berkeley; Hamilton College; and Sarah Lawrence College. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Barnard College.