
Mieko Kuramoto is a Legislative Assistant in the office of Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA-39). Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mieko came to Congress through the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Fellowship Program and is in her third year with the office. Her portfolio includes healthcare, oversight and government reform, agriculture and nutrition programs, financial services and housing, tribal affairs, and LGBTQ issues. Mieko is a graduate of Smith College and organized in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community prior to coming to the Hill. Her work with AAPI groups has spanned both the academic and the advocacy spheres, including research on data collection and disaggregation, voting access, and organizing techniques as well as direct advocacy work with Japanese American youth groups and other AAPI political organizations.