Meet Robin Toma
Executive Director of Human Relations Commission
Why did you choose to work for LA County?
I was recruited to the Human Relations Commission by the then-Executive Director, Ron Wakabayashi, and then-Asst. Exec. Director Carol Lu. At the time, I was an ACLU staff attorney and a Kellogg National Leadership Program fellow. They convinced me that my interest in human rights and organizing diverse communities to work together for their rights, civil liberties and common goals was something I could pursue at the Commission. And do it from the government side. I found out they were right. Protecting everyone’s human rights isn’t just what government should be forced to do; it should be a top priority.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Be open to unexpected opportunities and challenges, and recognize there is always room to learn more, to develop personally and professionally. Let your values and principles be your guide. Assume the best about people, resist snap judgments. Forgive, even if you can’t forget. And be aware of your implicit biases, your unconscious prejudices, and account for them before you make your final decisions.
What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful in your career? What are your success habits?
I’d say my ability to appreciate the privilege I enjoy in being able to have a job that is about my passion for justice and fairness, especially for the underdog, the disadvantaged. That puts things in perspective and not sweat the small stuff. As for success habits, the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “First Things First”, have influenced me, although I’m still very challenged to have successfully incorporated all of them.
Whose career inspires you and why?
One example is David Janssen, former LA County CAO, who was impressive in the positive and deep changes he brought about as CAO…I was a new department head at the time, watching him do it, as he led the department head meetings and initiatives.
If you weren’t an Executive Director for LA County, what career would you like to explore?
I could’ve easily continued my short stint as a public school teacher (if I hadn’t decided to go to law school); a lawyer in the international court of justice; a sports instructor, or an astronaut (my childhood dream).
What personality trait should every leader have?
Being mission-driven, compassionate and a team-builder.
What was the hardest decision you’ve had to make?
To pursue the ethical path, even at the risk of my job.
How do you push through your worst times?
With help from my work family, personal family, and trusted friends who care about me.
What mistakes have you made along the way?
Too many to state – like choosing Plan E and not D when I first started. But seriously, I have made many, sometimes not being courageous enough to speak the truth to those with a lot of power.
If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?
I would find a way to do that when it mattered.
Have you personally experienced any form of discrimination as an Asian American?
When I was a kid in elementary school, I was recruited to do commercials. But it took a long time to get a job, which I think is due to the fact that I didn’t fit the typical demographic of the kids they were looking for – white, and occasionally black. Asian kids were uncommon on TV commercials in those days, unless they were Chinese food chefs, martial arts masters, or another caricature. Of course, like most Asians, I’ve been told to “go back to where you came from!” by total strangers in public. And I was with my family getting out of the car to attend a PTA luncheon honoring my mother when a white kid on a bike rode by shouting “Japs! Get out of here!” reflecting the anti-Japanese/anti-Asian sentiment that resulted in the hate murder of Vincent Chin in the 1980s.
In light of the rise in AAPI hate crimes that are occurring in our community, what are some (or one thing) our community can do as a response?
Do something to help others who are targeted for hate and racism. If you are a victim, make sure you report it to 211 and/or 911, but don’t suffer in silence. But respond in a way that promotes respect, dignity and non-violence. We can’t fight hate with hate…it’ll only lead to more hate and violence. And join our countywide campaign: www.LAvsHate.org.
What is the best advice you can give LACAAEA and its membership?
My advice during this time of crisis, this test for our community, is to do what you’d be proud to tell your kids, grandkids, or just the next generation about how you responded to this historic period of racial violence and scapegoating of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Robin is Executive Director of the LA County Commission on Human Relations Commission, and Asst Director leading the Human Relations Branch of LA County’s WDACS. He also serves as President of the Int’l Assoc. of Official Human Rights Agencies, a Senior Fellow of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, and is an appointee to the US Civil Rights Commission’s California Advisory Committee. A proud alumnus of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Gov’t’s Executive Session on Human Rights Commissions and Criminal Justice, as well as the Kellogg National Leadership program, Robin was honored to serve as an adviser/member of the 2010 Obama Administration’s delegation to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and invited to serve on the official US Delegation to the UN World Conference Against Racism held in South Africa in 2001.
As a native Angeleno and ‘Sansei’ of Japanese with Okinawan ancestry, Robin grew up in the Echo Park/Silver Lake neighborhoods, attending public schools. He holds a BA with highest honors in Sociology and honors in Economics from UC Santa Cruz, and a Juris Doctor degree and MA in Urban Planning from UCLA. Robin is fluent in Spanish, lived in Barcelona, Spain for 2 years, and later taught in LA public schools. Prior to his County service, Robin was an ACLU staff attorney in LA for almost 7 years, and litigated a wide range of human rights and civil liberties cases.
