{"id":396,"date":"2017-10-09T19:09:24","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T19:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/?page_id=396"},"modified":"2020-09-20T03:02:39","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T03:02:39","slug":"speaker-biographies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/?page_id=396","title":{"rendered":"Mentorship Sessions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Saturday, September 26th, 11:00AM & 2:00PM PDT \/ 2:00PM & 5:00PM EDT
Pre-registration<\/span> link will be sent on September 18th.<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Successful JET alumni in their respective fields, who represent different industries will meet with participants to help them learn how they can break into those industries or grow in them. It will be first come, first served in small groups.<\/p>\n

On September 18th<\/strong>, a sign up link will be sent to the email you registered with where you will pick which session you will attend and which mentors you would like to meet with.<\/p>\n\n\n

Below is the list of mentors at each session.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In alphabetical order by last name.<\/em>
*Means the mentor is intending to come to Closing Remarks & Industry Networking Happy Hour<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:<\/strong>00AM PDT \/ 2:00PM EDT<\/strong> Sessions<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Government\/US-Japan.<\/strong> Paige Cottingham-Streater<\/span><\/strong> is Executive Director of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, an independent federal agency that provides grants for research, training, and exchange with Japan, and Secretary-General of the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON), a binational advisory panel that serves to elevate and strengthen the vital cultural and educational foundations of the U.S.-Japan relationship.Serving in these leadership positions, Paige is responsible for providing strategic direction, increasing the visibility of the important bilateral relationship between Japan and the United States, and promoting educational and cultural exchange. Prior to joining CULCON, Paige served as Deputy Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation; Director for the U.S.-Japan Project at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; Counsel and Legislative Assistant in the office of Congressman Donald M. Payne (D-NJ); and staff attorney at the U.S. Department of Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Paige has numerous volunteer positions, including Chair of the Board of Directors of USJETAA. She is the recipient of Japan\u2019s Foreign Minister\u2019s Commendation in recognition of her longstanding work to strengthen U.S.-Japan relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Government, publishing & entrepreneurship Trevin Dye<\/span><\/strong><\/strong>* currently serves as the Assistant Director of International Business Development for the Japanese government at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).  In this capacity, he seeks to identify and support foreign companies with interest and viability to enter the Japanese\/Southeast Asian market, particularly related to physical expansion and international product placement, and global branding. His charge is also to support Japanese firms seeking to establish partnerships or expand business in abroad. He also works closely with company and industry leaders, international business organizations, and governmental entities, in an effort to share information, plan seminars, etc. in a manner that is mutually advantageous and beneficial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Dye\u2019s diverse experience and expertise in the international luxury goods\/services, and entertainment sectors is highly regarded and sought after by private firms seeking advisement or endeavoring to expand to Asia, Latin America and the Middle East including corporate leadership of global luxury firms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: International education and student exchange fields. <\/strong>Jody Dixon<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong>is an intercultural facilitator with over 10 years of experience working in international education. She has worked specifically in the areas of developing and facilitating education abroad experiences for students, academic faculty, administrators, and corporate executives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She completed a Master’s in International Training and Education at American University (AU). While completing her Master\u2019s, she worked as a graduate assistant alongside the Graduate Enrollment Management team of the College of Arts and Sciences as a recruiter and prospective student adviser for the college’s School of Education. She currently supports the Academic Initiatives and Transformation Division at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Her work spans several regions, but her current projects focus specifically on developing, facilitating and supporting cultural, professional and academic international exchange experiences in East Asia and South America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Education (University)<\/strong>. Suzan Kobashigawa<\/span> taught in Japan for 5 years before coming back to the US to attend graduate school. She is currently a professor in the College of Education at Northwest University. Her areas of interest include TESOL, language revitalization, literacy and academic language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Government (Japan)<\/strong>. Lynn Miyauchi<\/span><\/strong>* became the JET Program Coordinator at the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle after returning from Japan. A firm believer in the positive impact of grassroots exchange, experienced up close as an ALT for 3 years in Obama, Fukui, she continues to support citizen diplomacy in her current position at the Consulate as the Senior Specialist for Cultural Affairs, Sister Cities and Public Outreach. She also creates cultural and educational programing content with a special interest in Japanese armor and furoshiki<\/em> tying techniques. She continues to maintain her ties to the JET Program as a member of PNWJETAA’s Steering Council and Advisory Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Journalism, publishing, and entrepreneurship<\/strong>. Bruce Rutledge<\/span><\/strong>* was a Monbusho English Fellow (precursor to the JET program) in 1985-87 in Funabashi, Chiba. He ended up living in Japan for nearly 17 years, where he worked in various media jobs. In 2005, he founded an independent book publishing company called Chin Music Press in Seattle. The company has published many books about Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Human Resources<\/strong>. Sandra Sakai<\/span><\/strong>* Sandra is an HR specialist with over eight years of experience, primarily focusing on U.S. work authorization and background checks. She was an ALT in Konan-cho, a small town in Takamatsu, Kagawa-ken. (Yes, udon is delicious.) She’d love to chat about leveraging temporary jobs to broaden your skillset and compare notes on making\u00a0networking and interviews less intimidating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Translation. Amanda Suzuki<\/span><\/strong>* went directly from her year as a JET Program ALT in rural Hyogo to studying politics as a research student at Keio University on a government scholarship. Upon return to Seattle, she worked for various government organizations, but found her calling as a consumer product development specialist at Nintendo of America where she utilizes her communication skills daily to make toys and other licensed merchandise. She continues to be involved with the Japan community through PNWJETAA and the Japanese government scholarship alumni network known as Amanogawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: US-Japan Non-Profit. <\/strong>Shanti Shoji<\/strong> <\/span>serves as Director of Programs at Sasakawa USA, overseeing the development and management of the organization’s grants and programs. Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, she co-founded Kizuna Across Cultures in 2011 and served as the Vice President, leading operations for Global Classmates, the organization\u2019s virtual language and cultural exchange program. Before moving to Washington, DC, she worked in Japan for six years as an ALT on the JET program in Kagawa Prefecture and as a Program Manager for LABO International Exchange Foundation in Tokyo. Shanti earned her Master\u2019s in International Communication from American University\u2019s School of International Service and received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Japanese Language and International Studies from the University of Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Education (Secondary) <\/strong>Faye Valtadoros<\/strong><\/span>* (Kagawa, 1998-2000) is a 6-12 grade Japanese teacher. Faye strives to open her students’ eyes to all the amazing things about the Japanese language and culture while talking about her JET days and what she learned while living in Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2:00PM PDT \/ 5:00PM EDT<\/strong> Sessions<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Government, publishing & entrepreneurship Trevin Dye<\/span><\/strong><\/strong>* currently serves as the Assistant Director of International Business Development for the Japanese government at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).  In this capacity, he seeks to identify and support foreign companies with interest and viability to enter the Japanese\/Southeast Asian market, particularly related to physical expansion and international product placement, and global branding. His charge is also to support Japanese firms seeking to establish partnerships or expand business in abroad. He also works closely with company and industry leaders, international business organizations, and governmental entities, in an effort to share information, plan seminars, etc. in a manner that is mutually advantageous and beneficial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Dye\u2019s diverse experience and expertise in the international luxury goods\/services, and entertainment sectors is highly regarded and sought after by private firms seeking advisement or endeavoring to expand to Asia, Latin America and the Middle East including corporate leadership of global luxury firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Education (University)<\/strong>. Suzan Kobashigawa<\/span> taught in Japan for 5 years before coming back to the US to attend graduate school. She is currently a professor in the College of Education at Northwest University. Her areas of interest include TESOL, language revitalization, literacy and academic language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Government (Japan)<\/strong>. Lynn Miyauchi<\/span><\/strong>* became the JET Program Coordinator at the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle after returning from Japan. A firm believer in the positive impact of grassroots exchange, experienced up close as an ALT for 3 years in Obama, Fukui, she continues to support citizen diplomacy in her current position at the Consulate as the Senior Specialist for Cultural Affairs, Sister Cities and Public Outreach. She also creates cultural and educational programing content with a special interest in Japanese armor and furoshiki<\/em> tying techniques. She continues to maintain her ties to the JET Program as a member of PNWJETAA’s Steering Council and Advisory Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Human Resources. Sandra Sakai<\/span><\/strong>* Sandra is an HR specialist with over eight years of experience, primarily focusing on U.S. work authorization and background checks. She was an ALT in Konan-cho, a small town in Takamatsu, Kagawa-ken. (Yes, udon is delicious.) She’d love to chat about leveraging temporary jobs to broaden your skillset and compare notes on making\u00a0networking and interviews less intimidating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Translation. Amanda Suzuki<\/span><\/strong>* went directly from her year as a JET Program ALT in rural Hyogo to studying politics as a research student at Keio University on a government scholarship. Upon return to Seattle, she worked for various government organizations, but found her calling as a consumer product development specialist at Nintendo of America where she utilizes her communication skills daily to make toys and other licensed merchandise. She continues to be involved with the Japan community through PNWJETAA and the Japanese government scholarship alumni network known as Amanogawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: US-Japan Non-Profit. <\/strong>Shanti Shoji<\/strong> <\/span>serves as Director of Programs at Sasakawa USA, overseeing the development and management of the organization’s grants and programs. Prior to joining Sasakawa USA, she co-founded Kizuna Across Cultures in 2011 and served as the Vice President, leading operations for Global Classmates, the organization\u2019s virtual language and cultural exchange program. Before moving to Washington, DC, she worked in Japan for six years as an ALT on the JET program in Kagawa Prefecture and as a Program Manager for LABO International Exchange Foundation in Tokyo. Shanti earned her Master\u2019s in International Communication from American University\u2019s School of International Service and received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Japanese Language and International Studies from the University of Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: International education (international students). Dale H. Watanabe<\/span><\/strong>* is the Director of Seattle University\u2019s International Student Center (ISC). Dale has served as an Immigration Advisor (DSO) and Assistant Director at the ISC before moving to Director in 2018. His previous work in international education also includes ESL instruction at a local community college. He serves on the executive committee for the Minidoka Pilgrimage, a nonprofit that organizes the annual pilgrimage to the site of the WWII camp for Japanese Americans from WA, OR, and AK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Industry: Education (Secondary) <\/strong>Faye Valtadoros<\/strong><\/span>* (Kagawa, 1998-2000) is a 6-12 grade Japanese teacher. Faye strives to open her students’ eyes to all the amazing things about the Japanese language and culture while talking about her JET days and what she learned while living in Japan. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saturday, September 26th, 11:00AM & 2:00PM PDT \/ 2:00PM & 5:00PM EDTPre-registration link will be sent on September 18th. Successful JET alumni in their respective fields, who represent different industries will meet with participants to help them learn how they can break into those industries or grow in them. It will be first come, first served […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-396","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=396"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1053,"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396\/revisions\/1053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/transitions.pnwjetaa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}