Meet the Minidoka Team
Robyn Achilles, Executive Director
“As a member of the Japanese American community and a daughter of incarcerees, increasing visibility of the Asian American experience is extremely important to me. I firmly believe that knowledge about Japanese American incarceration and the factors leading up to Executive Order 9066 is critical for us locally and as a nation as we continue today to pursue our democratic values and ideals.”
Grace Burgert, Philanthropy/Administrative Assistant
Grace was hired last month and is eager to assist us with furthering our mission. With a strong passion for cultural advocacy and community engagement, she brings her organizational and leadership skills to this position.
Grace first learned about Minidoka and Japanese American incarceration in her 8th grade reading class. This led to an interest in how Japanese American history impacts Asian American history and AAPI identities. She was reintroduced to the historical site by the previous Director of Interpretation and Education, Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong, in a freshman college class. Since then, she has felt a unique connection to the site.
Grace is a recent graduate from Boise State University with a bachelor degree in Political Science and certificates in Mandarin Chinese and UX Design. Her topics of interest include violence prevention, and anti-racism policy and research. She believes in education, policy, and community health as pillars to fix many “wicked problems” of the world.
Previously, Grace served as the Associate Vice President of Inclusive Excellence within Boise State’s student government. This role allowed her to support students from underrepresented communities and advocate for systemic change within the university. Notable projects from her term include the Resiliency Room for Islamic Prayer, the Gender Equity Community Closet, and a training on microaggressions for Boise State’s sorority chapters. She has also led community events in Boise. In May 2021, she created an AAPI event focused on mental health and love after the Atlanta Spa Shootings.
Grace grew up in Idaho Falls, and currently lives in Boise. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and taking long hikes around Boise. She also enjoys visiting her fluffy dog, Kip, in Idaho Falls.
Camille Daw, Program and Outreach Manager
Camille joined Friends of Minidoka on June 28. After working at Minidoka NHS as a summer intern in 2019 and 2020, she continued studying Japanese American incarceration through her first project with Friends of Minidoka in 2021. During this project, she digitized the Robert C. Sims Collection at Boise State and created an enhanced finding aid. Since starting with FoM in 2021, Camille has served as a graduate fellow, working on a variety of projects and programs. She has also worked at other institutions in Idaho, including the Idaho State Museum and Old Idaho Penitentiary.
As a Master’s student at Boise State, her research focuses on history, the American West, the environment, and Japanese American incarceration, specifically at Minidoka. Camille’s MA project is a portion of Minidoka National Historic Site’s administrative history, focusing specifically on the designation of Minidoka as a unit of NPS.
As a native Boisean, Camille enjoys hiking in the foothills and walking along the greenbelt. As a fan of local restaurants, she is on the hunt to find Idaho’s best-grilled cheese.
Peter Pflug-Tilton, Summer Intern
Peter Pflug-Tilton is a fourth-year, history major working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Washington. He is especially focused on the history of the Pacific Northwest region. As well as getting to learn about the region’s complex history through courses offered by the University of Washington history department, he has ventured outside of the department, taking courses on the history of Seattle’s architecture and preservation efforts offered by the College of the Built Environment. In the process of taking these architectural history classes, his appreciation for the subject grew and he began to envision working in the field of historic preservation to have the opportunity to contribute to these efforts in some way himself. Upon graduating, he hopes this contribution will be preservation research for historic sites.
Outside of his history studies, Peter is a musician; he grew up playing guitar with his family’s folk group on weekends throughout eastern Washington and the greater Seattle area. When he has a free moment, he picks up either his acoustic or electric guitar and plays for fun. He also continues to carry on the family tradition of performing in restaurants and outdoor venues throughout the summer months with their band.
Gavin Vergel, Summer Intern
Hello my name is Gavin Vergel and I’m excited to join the Friends of Minidoka as an intern for this summer! I’ve lived in Twin Falls, Idaho for a majority of my life but also did a lot of travelling throughout the west in hopes to one day visit every national park within the United States. I recently graduated from the College of Southern Idaho with a degree in History and plan on pursuing a degree in Public History in order to share and maintain history for future generations to enjoy. In my free time, I like to enjoy the many different possibilities of outdoor recreation within southern Idaho with rock-climbing and kayaking being my two favorite pastimes. In addition to, my other favorite hobby is video editing, as I have a YouTube channel where I post video essays about historical topics I find interesting and occasionally stream video games whenever I’m bored. I’m honored and enthusiastic to be a part of the Friends of Minidoka and play a part in preserving the history of the Minidoka incarceration camps and honor the survivors of the past.
Midori Tanada, Minidoka National Historic Site Summer Intern
Hi, my name is Midori (she/her/hers)! I’m a Northwest Youth Corps intern working for the Interpretation & Education and Facilities programs. I’m a yonsei (fourth generation Japanese American) from the Portland, OR area. I went to undergrad at Beloit College in Wisconsin where I studied anthropology and Japanese. In school I focused on cultural anthropology so I got to take courses focused on immigration/migration, language, and politics of care.
I feel very lucky to work at Minidoka National Historic site, not only because of its cultural significance but also because of my family’s history there. My grandpa and his family were incarcerated at Minidoka and though my grandpa passed away before I could meet him, I feel I have a responsibility to share the incarcerees’ histories.
Some things I am excited about in working at Minidoka are the opportunities to educate younger generations on the incarceration camps and to be working with others who are passionate about these kinds of histories. My favorite location on the site is the visitor center. More specifically, the area where we can help you find where a person or family was placed in Minidoka. We provide records of the incarcerees and can sometimes find them in the Interlude where there are pictures of everyone from each block.
As of right now, my plans for the future are still in progress. However, I hope I can continue work in areas related to Japanese American history, cultural anthropology, or teaching elementary Japanese.
In my free time I like to bake, run, play soccer, and go thrifting. I’ve been playing soccer most of my life and I was able to continue playing in college so I hope I can keep playing for as long as possible (if you also like soccer I highly suggest watching the tv series Ted Lasso)! Some of my favorite things to bake are pies, chocolate babka, and tiramisu for special occasions. I hope to one day nail down croissants and sourdough bread.
Kenzie Dimond, Minidoka National Historic Site Summer Intern
Hello! My name is Mackenzie Dimond. I am the daughter of Dean and Eden Dimond, which means I grew up down the road from Minidoka. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know about the Minidoka Site. Through the years I have seen the park change. I even helped set the poles on the baseball field. I am beyond impressed by the dedication and efforts of the National Park Service employees to transform the site into what it is today. Minidoka holds a special place in my heart and I’m so excited to continue seeing it’s growth. Therefore, it is no surprise that this summer I am honored to be joining the Minidoka team as a Northwest Youth Corp Intern in the areas of Interpretation and Facilities. I’m excited to help continue the work of restoring and preserving the history of Minidoka, and for the educational and growth opportunities it provides.
I pride myself on being a dedicated worker. I believe that I developed this attribute from working on my dad’s farm. This ability has helped me accomplish several of my dreams. One such dream was to be a college basketball player. During the past three years, I have played for colleges in both Coos Bay, OR and Nevada, MO. While playing I have been pursuing a bachelors degree in English. This upcoming school year I will finish my degree at Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston, ID. One of my favorite aspects of my degree is the vast number of stories I encounter. I love reading stories from and learning about people who identify differently than myself, and I am always seeking ways in which I can help work towards equality for all. After completing my undergraduate degree I want to become a journalist. I plan on using this career to tell stories that are typically left untold.
One interesting fact about me is that I have a flower farm. For the past five years I have grown gladiolus on a corner of my dad’s farm and then sold them to florists in Twin Falls and Burley, ID. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be interning at the Minidoka Site this summer. I can’t wait to get to know all of you and hear your stories and connections to the camp. If you see a yellow Volkswagen Beetle at the park feel free to stop me and say hi! Thanks for welcoming me to the team. Have a great summer, and don’t forget to come visit me in the Visitor Center!