Emily Frank is a professional career counselor with over 15 years of experience, ranging from higher education to private practice.  She was also a Hokkaido AET (1993-1996) and has coached many other JETs, both individually and in groups, over the last 5 years.  She has a passion for working with creative people and those transitioning back to life in the US.  Her practice covers deeply personal topics like identity and finding meaning, as well as such nitty-gritty things like resumes and salary negotiation.

She holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Smith College and an M.A. in professional counseling from Regis University in Denver, CO.  She calls Denver home, but is happy to work with people all over the world.

Jessyca Livingston (Hokkaido, 2003-06) is the executive director of USJETAA. She leads the organization’s mission to strengthen the US-Japan relationship through the network of nearly 40,000 JET alumni and 19 JETAA chapters across the USA. Prior to taking the helm at USJETAA, Jessyca facilitated the bi-lateral relationship on a grassroots level via the Japan America Society of Colorado and she also worked for several years as the JET Coordinator at the Japanese Consulate in Denver. Jessyca has a long history of leadership in the JET community at the local, national and international levels including helping guide the JET community through its response to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Her US-Japan relations work now spans 20 years of dedicated service.

Funny story:

Jessyca has many memorable moments of her time on JET, but she is particularly proud of the moment she was asked to sing a song about a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich (yes… you read that correctly) to a school of 500 as she was ushered on stage. She grabbed the mic and belted out a completely original tune on the spot, which even included hand gestures which she got the audience to do along with her.

Shanti Shoji, Director of Programs at Sasakawa USA, manages the organization’s portfolio of grants and initiatives which are focused on U.S.-Japan security and diplomacy. Her career has included six years in Japan and nearly two decades in Washington, DC, working across U.S.-Japan grassroots diplomacy, cultural affairs, and foreign policy. At Sasakawa USA, Shanti has led policy-relevant research exchanges and bilateral dialogues that bring together officials, experts, and civil society to generate concrete recommendations for the U.S.-Japan alliance. She has developed and led initiatives that integrate Women, Peace and Security (WPS) into alliance strategy, establishing herself as a key voice on WPS in U.S.-Japan policy discussions. Previously, she taught English in Japan on the JET Program and co-founded the educational non-profit Kizuna Across Cultures. She holds a master’s degree in international communication from American University and bachelor’s degrees in Japanese and international studies from the University of Oregon.  

Takeshi Yamagishi is a Manager at Quick USA and a dedicated career consultant whose life took a significant turn during his middle school days in Ishikawa-ken after a transformative encounter with a JET Program ALT at his school. Takeshi went onto become a JTE and worked with JET ALTs in the Japanese public school system. His career eventually changed course and he now works with Quick USA and lives in Dallas, TX with his family.

Inspired and impacted by his interactions with JET Program participants, Takeshi is on a mission to give back to the JET community. Takeshi has successfully supported many JET alumni to help them understand the various Japan-related job markets and industry landscapes, guiding them towards career opportunities that fit their interests.

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.

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.

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 2026 Networking Partners!

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!

Website / LinkedIn