Shige Sakurai Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SOE Faculty
- Degrees
- International MBA, IE Business School (Madrid, Spain); MA in International Training and Education, 51³Ô¹Ï (Washington, DC); AB in Liberal Arts and Sciences with Sociology major and Computer Science minor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Bio
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Shige Sakurai (they/them) is a senior consultant and executive leader with deep expertise in cultural and organizational transformation. They partner with social sector organizations and leaders to co-create tailored strategies that drive sustainable, empowering change. With a proven track record of collaborating with top universities, nonprofits, and government agencies, Shige excels at guiding organizations through complex transitions that amplify their social impact and deepen their sense of purpose.
Shige currently serves as the senior executive for equity, belonging, and change at the Unitarian Universalist Association, a progressive religious denomination. They are also an adjunct professor for 51³Ô¹Ï’s International Training and Education Program and a member of the Editorial Board for Including Disability journal. In the past, Shige has held roles as a diversity expert at the University of Maryland, College Park, as a director at a national social justice advocacy nonprofit, and as an executive educator for the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center.
Shige's advocacy has made a lasting impact in the realm of gender inclusivity and civil rights. They were the first person in the U.S. to receive a nonbinary, X-marker driver’s license, and they founded International Pronouns Day, which has been observed in dozens of countries. This global movement created a number one trending hashtag and has garnered recognition from organizations such as the U.S. Department of State, UN Women, and various local governments, including formal proclamations from the Governor of Virginia and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
An experienced public speaker, Shige has presented at U.S. federal agencies and major universities, including Princeton, Yale, and Cornell. They have been quoted in leading international media outlets such as The Washington Post, CNN, Reuters, and the BBC. Shige’s scholarly contributions include an essay published by Oxford University Press. Their website, Pronouns.org, reached over 15 million people and has been archived by the Library of Congress.
Shige is an alum of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 51³Ô¹Ï, IE University, and Harvard Divinity School. They have also completed various certificates from institutions such as Parsons, Georgetown, University of Miami, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Smithsonian Associates. Their academic qualifications span a range of disciplines, including sociology, computer science, education, management, ministry, art history, photography, and coaching.
The Reverend Shige Sakurai is ordained Druid clergy. They are also a Unitarian Universalist with atheist, Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian heritages.
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call 51³Ô¹Ï Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Spring 2025
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EDU-627 Skills Institutes in Education: Div/Inclusion in Training Pgm