Tasha Koyama: Building community, one connection at a time
When Tasha Koyama spots a need in her community, she never hesitates to jump in to find a way to help. The training and development specialist for Wipfli’s nonprofit, government and education practice has a diverse group of organizations in her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M., to which she gives her time and energy as a volunteer.
The single mom to Trace, 16, concedes that her efforts often stem from opportunities that she thinks will also appeal to her son. “He’s at the core of everything I do,” Tasha said.
She’s a board member of the New Mexico affiliate of the Japanese American Citizens League, a group with which she initially became involved to foster connections between her son and the community. Trace has limited contact with his father, who is Japanese and lives in Japan. “I thought he could meet people who could relate to him. He doesn’t otherwise have any local connections to his Japanese identity,” she said. “I joined the board, in part, to inspire my son to get involved on a deeper level.”
When the organization purchased a building in 2024, after decades of fundraising with the intention of converting it into a Japanese cultural center, Tasha was heartened to see that Trace eagerly stepped up to provide physical labor to support the renovation. “That summer he spent nearly every Friday — more than 60 hours in all — tearing down walls, doing landscaping and whatever else they needed help with,” she said. “They didn’t have too many younger people involved. And he’s really enjoyed hearing the stories of these new friends he’s made, many of whom are in their 60s.”
Tasha and her son Trace
Tasha is also an active volunteer with the 501st Legion, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing popular Star Wars characters to life, complete with screen-accurate costumes. Participants brighten the days of children in the hospital, participate in Special Olympics, and take part in fundraisers that benefit the community.
Star Wars fun: the costumes are always a hit with kids.
Sometimes, even her day job offers up opportunities for her and Trace to lend a helping hand.
Having recently raised her hand to try facilitating training in the Head Start regulatory compliance area for Wipfli, Tasha found herself in a full-circle moment. She’s long had an insider’s view of Head Start, which provides comprehensive early childhood education to low-income children and families. Trace attended the local Head Start school when he was five. It was a valuable launch pad for him and likely played a role in mother and son becoming the caring, nurturing individuals they are today.
Tasha and Trace have also been active in the Albuquerque branch of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), a youth auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, for four years. “It’s like where Scouts meet ROTC,” she said, noting that the group is where Trace learned to fly a Cessna. “They do drill practice and work on physical fitness. I wasn’t familiar with it before, but I found a way to help the group. As a “senior member” of the CAP, I teach them leadership and team-building skills. I try to make it fun when I can, taking the cadets to an Escape Room or a video game lounge.”
When the local Head Start center needed help cleaning up their playground and including hauling a huge pile of wood chips from the parking lot at least 50 feet away, Tasha promptly got it going.
‘We had the whole squadron of 15 kids together and got the job done in a day,” she said. “The Head Start folks were blown away by what we did. And we’ll come back and help whenever we can with whatever they need.”
Power of networking
Acknowledging that networking is her superpower, Tasha finds joy connecting people who can work together to solve problems.
“I do what I can to help build a stronger community. The connections I make at Wipfli are an especially important part of that effort. She’s a member of all four of Wipfli’s business resource groups and serves as the communications chair of Embrace, which works to elevate the voices of diverse cultures and perspectives to promote inclusivity. Finding opportunities for cross-collaboration among the BRGs is one of her key goals.
With colleagues at a recent Embrace event
What drives her in all of her efforts? “Curiosity. I want to keep learning all the time. I’m an ally of everybody. That's where we should all be, right? The key is to join and learn.”
And clearly, she’s setting an example for her son as well as the communities she serves. “It’s important to think outside of your own life or your own situation. How do you empathize with other people if you don’t keep learning?”
