A former intern, Risa Sunakawa joined Bryson Gillette as an associate after receiving her B.A. in Government and Psychology with distinction in all subjects from Cornell University.

She has worked with non-profits in Utah to increase voter registration and civic engagement, helped advocate for AAPI issues, and made a web platform that helped Missourians safely and easily request absentee ballots during the 2020 election season.

Born in New Jersey, she finished high school in Utah, and is now located in California. She is a Yankees fan, but will root for the Angels for Ohtani. In her free time, she likes pretending like she knows about wine.