Meet CSF’s Interim Director of Government Relations

CSF is thrilled to welcome Yokiko Hayahsi-Saguil as our interim director of government relations.

Yokiko is a lifelong Pacific Northwesterner from Olympia, Washington. In her work, she has spent over a decade advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion within educational systems. Yokiko’s personal and professional mission is to dismantle systemic barriers and maximize student potential. She has intentionally sought roles that demonstrate a commitment to fostering inclusive environments and advancing social justice. Yokiko earned her bachelor of liberal arts in 2009 with an emphasis on Japanese culture and language and her master of public administration and public policy degree in 2017 from the Evergreen State College. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership focusing on multiracial identity at the University of Washington Tacoma. She brings a strong foundation in strategic planning, policy analysis and stakeholder engagement to drive impactful change across multiple sectors.

Most recently Yokiko worked as a policy associate for student services at the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) where her portfolio included financial aid, multicultural student services and student life. In this role she aligned all areas of her work to center racial equity to enhance college access and student outcomes. In her time at SBCTC, she led and supported numerous initiatives, including the Financial Aid Outreach and Completion Pilot and the Aim Higher Initiative, which partners with key organizations to increase financial aid completion across the state and served as a member of the Washington Passport Network’s leadership team.

Her new role as CSF’s interim director of government relations is to lead and facilitate the organization’s policy and legislative goals. She will serve as a member of the PLT’s government relations committee to continue the incredible advocacy and partnership of PLT that has connected students and student advocates with a voice in the legislative process.

Welcome Yokiko!