Karen Umemoto, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. She received her master's degree in Asian American Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles and her doctorate in Urban Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998. Her general area of interest is planning and governance in a multicultural society with a focus on race relations. She teaches courses in planning theory, planning and diversity, community-based planning, social policy and community economic development. Her areas of research areas include hate crimes, urban violence, cultural issues in planning, and community development. Her forthcoming book published by Cornell University Press entitled, "The Truce: The Evolution of a Gang War," examines government and community responses to gang violence in Los Angeles. In addition to teaching and research, she works with various public and non-profit organizations in strategic planning and community development.