Shiro Floyd Mori was born in Murray, Utah, outside of Salt Lake City on May 30, 1939. His parents were immigrants to the United States from Kagoshima, Japan. He is the seventh of eight children. When he was a small child, the family bought a farm in Sandy, Utah, where Floyd attended school. Active in sports, he became an All State High School Baseball Player. After graduation from Jordan High School, he served for six months on active duty at Fort Ord, California, with the United States Army Reserves.
Floyd entered college at the University of Southern California (USC). He interrupted his college studies to serve a two year mission to Hawaii for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) from which he received a Bachelors degree with a dual major in Economics and Asian Studies. He received a Masters degree in Economics and Political Science from BYU. He has attended fellowship programs at Stanford University and UCLA.
Upon completion of college, Floyd taught Economics at Chabot College in Hayward, California, for ten years. He was on the Faculty Senate, was a member of the credit committee for the college credit union, taught religious education classes, was advisor of student clubs, and was a member of several professional organizations.
In 1972 he was elected City Councilman of the City of Pleasanton, California, and later served as Mayor. Floyd was elected to the California State Assembly in March 1975 and served for six years in that capacity as one of the first two Japanese Americans to serve in the State Assembly. He was later Director of the Office of International Trade for the State of California. He has worked in various business ventures including as an International Business Consultant when he and his partners were instrumental in taking Subway Sandwiches and Pennzoil to Japan, and he has been an owner of a golf business.
Floyd has held various local and national positions for the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American civil and human rights organization, including four years as National President and four years as Vice President. He joined the JACL staff in 2005 and was Director of Public Policy, followed by the assignment to become the National Executive Director/CEO of the JACL. He retired from that position on June 1, 2012, and received the title of Executive Director Emeritus. He is currently the President/CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS).
He is a member and supporter of many civil rights and community organizations. He served on the Executive Council of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR) and was chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA). He serves on the Diversity Council for Comcast and has served on various boards of organizations, including the National JACL Credit Union, Alpine Country Club, and the Japanese American National Museum (JANM).
He has received awards for his work in community service including Outstanding Citizen Achievement Award from OCA National, Community Leadership Award from Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), Coalition Building Award from the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), Voices of Courage Award from the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, the Distinguished Citizenship and Patriotism Award from Pan Pacific American Leaders and Mentors (PPALM), and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette Award from the Government of Japan.
Floyd has been chairman of Gala dinners, conventions, golf tournaments, conferences, and various events for the JACL and other community groups. He started a Nihon Matsuri (Japan Festival) in Salt Lake City. He initiated the National JACL Gala in the nation’s capital. He fostered corporate partnerships as well as establishing Fellowships. He started the JACL D.C. Digest to inform members and friends of current happenings through weekly emails.
He has spoken numerous times to various groups over the years about the Japanese American and Asian American story with particular emphasis on the discrimination and experiences during World War II. Some of the speeches along with articles written have been compiled into a book entitled, The Japanese American Story – As Told Through a Collection of Speeches and Articles.
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Floyd has held many church and civic volunteer positions including in youth sports and the Boy Scouts. He is a sports fan and an avid golfer. Floyd and his wife Irene have five children and eleven grandchildren.