Yumi Kuwana
Yumi Kuwana is an innovator, educator and entrepreneur. She is Founder and President of Global Citizens Initiative Inc. She was inspired to found GCI by her own personal experience of growing up in Japan and the United States. As a teenager, Mrs. Kuwana struggled with what it meant to be both Japanese and American. It was only as an adult that she started to embrace and appreciate both countries and cultures, acculturate and find her own unique identity. Mrs. Kuwana authored the research-based discussion paper Nurturing Our Next Generation of Global Citizens, with input from academics and thought leaders from the
Harvard Business School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard College, Phillips Exeter Academy, Hackley School, and her communities in Tokyo and the greater New York area. Her hopes and goals are to provide the opportunity for an effective global education of all citizens – of all educational and socioeconomic backgrounds – and to contribute towards a better, more sustainable and peaceful world. In addition to GCI, Mrs. Kuwana has been in finance for over 25 years. At 24, she became the youngest Vice President in Citicorp’s history. She was also Vice President at Morgan Stanley and Bear, Stearns & Co. In 2004, she co-founded Cook Pine Capital LLC. Her major clients include top tier hedge funds and global money management firms. In 2016, Forbes Japan featured Mrs. Kuwana on the List of 55 Women with a Sense of Mission. Her passion includes spending time with her family, empowering women, and taking a holistic approach to health, wellness, and wealth. She has three children and resides in Greenwich, CT with her husband, Eiichiro Kuwana. Having spent half of her life in Japan and half of her life in the USA, she can add a unique perspective to issues. Mrs. Kuwana holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BS from University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.