Tomine, Karen Louise (Skinner) Obituary

Tomine, Karen Louise (Skinner) attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Tomine, Karen Louise (skinner).

Graduation Year	Class of 1964
Date of Passing	Jul 04, 2010
About	Karen (63) a state Capitol veteran who was outspoken as a leader in the Asian Pacific Islander community, died after an eight year battle with breast cancer. She was a trailblazer in the 1970's as an Asian American woman in top staff jobs at the Capitol. She overcame stereotypes of Asian women as "passive and kind of exotic," a former colleague Georgette Imura said. "It was a challenge to be taken seriously by the 'old boys' network," said Imura, a former legislative assistant. "She overcame that with hard work. She was very professional and very thorough in everything she did." Karen was born in Sacramento in 1946 and reared in the Florin Community, graduated from Elk Grove High School and California State University, Sacramento with a psychology degree. She, with her two children from a previous marriage, married Chris Tomine in 1991. She was preceded in death by her father James Skinner and mother Avis Nakamoto Skinner, she is survived by her husband Chris of Sacaremnto, son Paul Sonoda (wife Deborah and children Samantha, Deztany, and Brandon) of Fairfield, Ohio, daughter Angela Sonoda Knutson of Placerville, stepson Dylan Tomine (wife Stacy and children Skyla and Weston) of Bainbridge Island, Washington, stepson Adrian (wife Sarah and daughter Nora) of New York,and sister Nola Pace (husband Al and children Evan, Elloitt, and Erica) of Concord. Karen had a varied career. She served as the Executive Director of the Sacramento Bar Association, Executive Director of the Sacramento Law Foundation, Director of the Jesse Narvi Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program, Director of International and Domestic Relations for the California State Assembly, Principal Consultant to Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, Deputy Director of the Office of Small Business Development for the Department of Economic and Business Development, and Legislative Assistant to Assembly member Floyd Mori. Karen was awarded a grant from the Asian Foundation to present lectures and seminars on California government to governments and universities in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, People's Republic of China, Singapore, and Thailand. Karen has been extensively involved in the local community. She served as Co-President of the Florin Japanese American Citizen's League. She established the chapter's annual multi-Cultural Forum with Sue Hida, she served as the chapter's representative to the Sacramento County Old Florin Town Historic Preservation Project, she served as 1st Vice Chair of CAPITAL (Coalition of Asian Pacific Islanders Together for Advocacy and Leadership), President of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, she served on the California State Fair Asian Pacific Islander Advisory Committee, the Sacramento Discovery Museum Board of Directors, the KCRA 3 Asian Advisory Board, the Sacramento Economic Development Cabinet, Asian Pacific State Employee's Association, Chair of the Asian Pacific Americans for Affirmative Action Sacramento Business Committee, Mayor's appointee and vice chair of the Sacramento M/WBE Advisory Committee, Assembly Speaker's appointee to California Department of Transportation Advisory Committee, member of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento Business Roundtable, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Community Advisory Panel, the Sacramento Mediation Center, the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Council for International Visitors, Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council, the Sacramento Women's business and Professional Network, the Sacramento Women's Political Network, the Asian Pacific Democratic Club of Sacramento, the Board of directors of the Jan Ken Po Gakko, Chair of the Asian Legislative Staff Caucus, and the California Democratic State Central Committee. Most recently, Karen was sole proprietor of Tomine Design and Capital Outsource with numerous clients throughout California. Karen loved golf and travel and spent two weeks with her husband Chris living in an apartment in Paris just this last summer. A memorial service was held on July 13 at noon at the Buddhist Church of Sacramento-Betsuin, 2401 Riverside Blvd (near X Street), Sacramento, California. - Information from the Sacramento Bee, July 8, 2010