Panels & Speakers (grouped by panel & listed in alphabetical order)
Behind the Rising Sun – Perspectives of Japanese Employers
Do you hope to work for a Japanese company in the future? Have you ever wondered what Japanese companies are seeking when hiring foreign talent? What expectations do Japanese companies have of their employees that may differ from American companies? What are the current hiring trends for Japanese companies and jobs related to Japan? This panel will explore these topics and provide an opportunity to speak to a representative from Japan who is currently working in America, as well as hear from two former JETs who are both working for Japanese talent acquisition companies in the US.
Shigeki Abe is President of the Japan Business Association of Seattle and Senior Vice President and General Manager of Civil Aircraft Engineering Service Co. (CAESCO). He became General Manager of CAESCO’s U.S. Division in June 2024, bringing over 35 years of aerospace experience, primarily with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). His career began as an aerodynamic engineer with the Japan Self-Defense Forces, followed by leadership roles at MHI supporting Boeing 787, 737, and 747 programs. From 2018 to 2023, he led Mitsubishi Aircraft’s Product Support Division in Dallas, focusing on MRO operations. Now based in Everett, Washington, Shigeki oversees CAESCO’s work on Boeing’s 777X, 787, and 767 programs with a team of 50 employees. He began his term as President of the Japan Business Association of Seattle in January 2025 and holds a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Kyoto University.
Kristy Ishii is a Gunma JET alum (2016–2018) and Candidate Engagement Specialist at Pasona North America, Inc., where she connects globally minded professionals with meaningful career opportunities across borders. Passionate about helping others grow, she also serves as a certified Career & Mindset Coach and a support coach for the Institute of Coaching Mastery, where she contributes pro bono to developing future coaches. Through Kristy Mariko Coaching (KMC), she empowers bilingual professionals, expats, and repats to navigate career and life transitions with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
[Kristy’s presentation will be pre-recorded]
Carlos Medina is a former JET and currently works as an Assistant Recruiter and Project Assistant at Quick USA.
In his role, he provides career support to local candidates seeking positions with Japanese companies in the U.S., while developing his expertise in recruiting, sales, and administrative operations. He also helps organize university seminars across the country, sharing insights on career paths and employment opportunities within Japanese companies.
As a JET Program alumnus, Carlos understands the challenges of transitioning into the U.S. job market after returning from Japan. Drawing from his own experience, he is passionate about supporting fellow JETs and other candidates in finding meaningful careers with Japanese organizations in the U.S.
Before joining Quick USA, Carlos spent three years as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Oita Prefecture—an area renowned for its hot springs and fresh seafood—where he primarily taught at the junior high school level and occasionally at elementary schools.
Carlos earned his Bachelor of Arts in Japanese from San Diego State University in 2019.
Watch Carlos’ presentation here!
Leveraging Your JET Skills
You’ve lived and worked in Japan, that’s great! Hopefully you learned a lot and gained valuable skills from your JET experience. What exactly are your JET skills and how can you apply it to your career and personal pursuits moving forward? In this panel we will remind you of and identify skills that you might have forgotten or were not aware that you probably possess thanks to your time as a JET! Our panelists will share how they have leveraged and continue to utilize and develop their JET skills at work and often in their personal lives as well!
Damien Craig was born and raised in outer Melbourne, Australia where he started learning Japanese from a young age. After graduating college, he was fortunate to be given the opportunity to be a CIR in Shimane Prefecture, located in western Japan, in 2011. While on the JET Program, he worked at the International Exchange Department at the Shimane Prefectural Office in Matsue for three years. While there, he fell in love with Shimane’s natural beauty, traditional crafts, and rich history. Since leaving the JET Program, Damien worked for a variety of Japanese companies in Australia and the US in various positions, before he joined the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW) in 2020. His current role involves supporting the organization’s operations and promoting Japanese and Japanese American culture in the Pacific Northwest through various cultural events and relationships with other organizations.
Maggie Le was a CIR in Ehime from 2015 – 2017. After working in US-Japan relations for six years, she became an editor for Penguin Random House Publisher Services. Since 2021, she works with localization teams for the Kodansha print manga program. Some titles she has been a part of include Blue Lock, Initial D Omnibus, and The Yakuza’s Bias. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, two cats, and a bunch of chickens and plays taiko in her free time.
Rob Uy is a global human resources professional, career transition coach, trainer and facilitator. Drawing on 30+ years human resources experience in global high tech products and services, Rob works with individuals, teams and organizations to help them ‘find their voice’ and realize career and organizational goals.
Rob followed his experience on JET (Fukuoka, 1989 – 1991) with an additional three and half years as business operations manager at a growing conversation school in Fukuoka. Those experiences helped open the doors to global recruiting and HR management roles in technology in Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest, continuing to present day.
As a human resources professional, coach and trainer, Rob has held global HR leadership roles at Amazon, T-Mobile, Intellectual Ventures, and Microsoft. Rob also has his own consulting company called RSU Consulting, which is one of our 2025 Networking Partners!
Blazing Your Own Trail – Senpai Tales and Tips
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be your own boss? Are you ready to take the plunge and go all in to build your dream from the ground up? Would you like to explore staring your own business as a side gig or see how far you can grow it? From baby steps to failures to successful ventures, our panelists have pretty much done it all and are ready to share the potential highs and lows for those curious and daring enough to jump on the entrepreneurial rollercoaster!
Bruce Rutledge was an ALT in Funbashi Chiba from 1985-1987 on the Monbusho Exchange Fellow Program, which changed its name to the JET Program in 1987. He has spent 15 years working as an editor and writer in Japan for the Nikkei, J@pan Inc magazine, Asiaweek, NHK and other media organizations. Bruce is now building a small publishing company in Seattle that has strong ties to Japan’s publishing industry. His specialties include writing, editing, translation (Japanese-English, English-Japanese), design, web design and consulting on doing business in Japan.
Bruce is the co-founder of Chin Music Press and also serves as the Editor for the North American Post. Both companies are 2025 Virtual Networking Partners!
Rob Uy is a global human resources professional, career transition coach, trainer and facilitator. Drawing on 30+ years human resources experience in global high tech products and services, Rob works with individuals, teams and organizations to help them ‘find their voice’ and realize career and organizational goals.
Rob followed his experience on JET (Fukuoka, 1989 – 1991) with an additional three and half years as business operations manager at a growing conversation school in Fukuoka. Those experiences helped open the doors to global recruiting and HR management roles in technology in Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest, continuing to present day.
As a human resources professional, coach and trainer, Rob has held global HR leadership roles at Amazon, T-Mobile, Intellectual Ventures, and Microsoft. Rob also has his own consulting company called RSU Consulting, which is one of our 2025 Networking Partners!
2025 Career Consultants (in alphabetical order)
Margie Banin is a former CIR (Kochi-ken, 2005–2007) who continues her work in cross-cultural understanding to this day. A coach and HR recruiter with experience in both the US and Japan, she enjoys creating connections between people, cultures, and opportunities. Margie currently works as a cross-cultural coach in the global mobility sector as well as providing translation, writing, and editing services as an independent contractor. She is a Seattle native currently living in Everett and is looking forward to discussing the next step of your career or life journey. Margie can be reached at mkbanin@gmail.com.
Bryna Lieberman was a Fukuoka JET from 2010 – 2015 (ALT 2010 – 2012, PA 2012 – 2015). Since moving to Seattle Bryna has been an Instructor Manager at the tech bootcamp General Assembly, the Director of Organization Development and Training with the University of Washington Libraries and is currently the Learning and Development Manager at Seattle Colleges.
Rob Uy is a global human resources professional, career transition coach, trainer and facilitator. Drawing on 30+ years human resources experience in global high tech products and services, Rob works with individuals, teams and organizations to help them ‘find their voice’ and realize career and organizational goals.
Rob followed his experience on JET (Fukuoka, 1989 – 1991) with an additional three and half years as business operations manager at a growing conversation school in Fukuoka. Those experiences helped open the doors to global recruiting and HR management roles in technology in Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest, continuing to present day.
As a human resources professional, coach and trainer, Rob has held global HR leadership roles at Amazon, T-Mobile, Intellectual Ventures, and Microsoft. Rob also has his own consulting company called RSU Consulting, which is one of our 2025 Networking Partners!
2025 Photographer
Perry Garvey has worn many hats professionally over the past decade and a half. His most current one is that of Ad Operations Manager (the evil guy who makes ads appear in your online content). Previously, Perry worked on projects that ranged from shooting promotional footage for the Empowerment Project, to programming an entirely new channel for IndieFlix on Roku devices.
He has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Washington State and a Bachelor’s Degree in Radio/TV/Film from Auburn University with a minor in Asian Studies. He also has a certificate in C# Programming from Bellevue College.
Perry will be providing the headshots for participants at our event. Take advantage of updating your profile photo and be sure to sign up early for your private photo shoot!