Anne-Line Rey has been working in Japan since 2002, first as a JET Programme participant in Nara Prefecture, and then as a Programme Coordinator at CLAIR. She joined a French bank specializing in public finance as an economist, which was short lived as it was in 2008. After being laid off, she joined Pico International Japan, the Japanese branch of a Singaporean event company. Anne-Line then spent 12 years as a consultant specializing in business involving local authority relations at Taffrail Group Japan, a small US boutique, and became Managing Director there before changing jobs. This experience led her to GL events Japan, her current company, and she has been working with them for seven years now as a consultant in charge of Japanese development and procurement. She is now Sales Project Director (in charge of business development and project direction) for Expo Osaka 2025.

Anne-Line is fluent in French, English and Japanese.

After graduating from The George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs, Clark was the CIR for Imaichi-city (now part of Nikko) in Tochigi-prefecture from 2003–2005. He followed that with 16 years as a Project Manager for One Planet, a translation agency in Pittsburgh, PA, eventually rising to the Director of Projects. His customers were multinational corporations requiring translations for manuals, marketing, HR, and software, and his suppliers were freelance translators living in-country for each market. Since 2021, he is a Senior Localization Program Manager at Duolingo, where he organizes localization and translation into 25 languages for the app, ad-hoc marketing projects, and various cross-functional initiatives.

Following graduation from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA with a degree in Critical Theory and Social Justice, Miki worked as an Elementary and Middle School ALT in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture from 2018 to 2020. In 2022, he began his position as a Program Coordinator for Powell Street Festival Society in Vancouver, BC. Powell Street Festival Society is a non-profit registered charity arts organization based in Vancouver whose mission is to celebrate Japanese Canadian art and culture to connect communities. In addition to programming the Society’s signature event, the Annual Powell Street Festival, a free 2-day public event attracting over 23,000 attendees, he supported year-round arts and community outreach programs in the Paueru Gai Area—today known as the Downtown Eastside—located on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Gavin is a freelance localization director, translator, and interpreter specializing in video games. In his ten years in the industry, he’s translated more games than he can count (he’s better at writing than math), many of them for well-known franchises such as Final Fantasy and Tales of. As a localization director, he organizes multilingual teams bringing fun and games to various corners of the world. As an interpreter, he talks and sometimes people listen.

Hailing from the United States, Gavin made his way to Japan in 2009 to participate in the JET program in Yamagata Prefecture, after which he moved to the glittering metropolis of Neo Tokyo to pursue a career in translation. Following a number of twists and turns and a lot of volunteering at game events, he ended up a professional localizer. Nowadays, when he’s not tapping away furiously at his keyboard, he’s pursuing his many hobbies: music, steampunk, philosophy, martial arts, roleplaying, cosplay… there’s too much fun in the world, not enough time!

Grace, a native of Dublin, Ireland, moved to Japan in 2021 on the JET Programme. For two years, she worked as a CIR in the International Division of Hamamatsu City Hall, Shizuoka Prefecture. During her time as a CIR, she was involved in translating and interpretation for a variety of events, as well as international event coordination. After spending a fantastic time on the programme, she moved to Tokyo in order to further pursue her career in translation.

Since 2023, Grace has worked as an in-house translator, engaging in corporate translation and editing, for one of Japan’s general trading and investment houses. When not translating, you can find Grace hiding out at one of Tokyo’s many stylish cafes.

Xia Chuan (Tony), with a diverse upbringing in China, Japan, and Canada, served as a Coordinator for International Relations in Taki Town, Mie Prefecture, from 2014 to 2018. He then transitioned into corporate roles at LINE Corporation and Ryohin Keikaku (MUJI), specializing in global brand strategy and marketing communications. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Tony recognized a spike in demand for sustainable travel to new and lesser-known destinations, addressing overtourism. Now, he works as a travel consultant, creating digital itineraries and advising individuals, businesses, and government entities on promoting regional travel. He shares his travel insights with over 400K followers across social media as @YamaTrips.

https://www.instagram.com/yamatrips.japan

Eric Korpiel is an environmentalist, investor, and animal lover. He’s the CEO/Founder of ALL-STAR KK, finding other CEO’s/APAC leaders for global sports, outdoor, and ethical/lifestyle brands. Eric recently found the APAC head of Anytime Fitness; Japan Presidents at TREK, Burton, Vans, Timberland, Reebok; and the VP of OIST—Japan’s #1 ranked research institution.

Eric is from Silicon Valley, lives in Okinawa, is vegan 6 years, and enjoys protecting animals and nature (U2-4Ryukyu charity has collected 800+ bags of beach trash while collaborating with schools, community, and sports teams).

Eric was a former keynote speaker for this conference, and his main goal for the event is to encourage JET’s to make scary goals, meaningful connections, and to simply never give up. He feels this last aspect is the biggest difference between entrepreneurs who make it and those who don’t. He enjoys mentoring and working with athletes to achieve their goals.

A Japanese language teacher and former student exchange coordinator, Jessica Honda has a deep understanding of intercultural relationships between Australia and Japan. She has a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Education, majoring in Japanese Studies from Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia).

After graduating in 2013, Jessica worked in NSW DET schools for a year, then was accepted onto the JET Programme and placed in Nagasaki City, on Kyushu Island in 2014.

From 2014-2019 Jessica resided in Japan, teaching a diverse range of learners at a variety of levels; from EFL classes to ESL and Japanese ‘Monbukagakusho’ curriculum subjects at an English immersion school in Dazaifu (Fukuoka).

Since returning to Australia, Jessica has taught Japanese at primary school and high school, and worked with a local student exchange organisation.

Come 2020 and the global COVID-19 pandemic shook the world. Students who had been eagerly waiting for their international exchange programs were suddenly told that their programs were unable to go ahead as planned. This inspired Jessica to create AoYama Japanese Camp; to give students of Japanese the chance to enter into their very own ‘Japanese bubble’ and experience Japanese language and culture without leaving Australia.

Today, Jessica continues to work as a Japanese language teacher, as well as organise, promote and facilitate AYJC’s programs.

After graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2018 with degrees in the Japanese language, politics and international relations, and Spanish and Latin American studies, Jared Hoffmann joined the JET programme as a CIR in Minokamo City, Gifu Prefecture. During his time there he primarily focused on sister city relationships, inbound tourism, foreign resident support-related work, using his multilingual skills to interpret and translate between English, Japanese, Spanish, and Brasilian Portuguese. After 2 and a half years on the JET programme from 2019 – 2022, Jared moved to Tokyo to work as the Executive Assistant to Minister-Counsellor Political at the Australian Embassy in Japan. Staying there for 2 and a half years, he fulfilled a variety of roles, including supporting senior executive diplomats and assisting on Embassy events and cross-Embassy communication. As of 2024, he has returned to Australia where he intends to continue a career in public service.

Michiko spent most of her youth in Seattle, Washington in the US and received her undergraduate degree in Japanese Studies and Sociology at Middlebury College in Vermont. After graduating, she was placed in Yamagata Prefecture as a prefectural Coordinator for International Relations from 2017 to 2021, where she worked in the Association for International Relations in Yamagata doing monthly community events, English consultations, school visits, and the occasional interpretation and translation project. After her JET experience, where she gained an appreciation for ryokans, snow, sake, and good food, she returned to Seattle and worked for the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington (JASSW) as a Communications Manager until May of this year. Since then, she worked for the Middlebury Language Schools as a Bilingual Assistant for the summer, and now works part-time at JASSW and stays involved in the community. Outside of work, Michiko is an avid fan of musical theatre, live concerts, and traveling (next stop, Berlin!).

After graduating from Nottingham University in 2014 with a Psychology degree, Stefan found himself on the JET programme in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture without any prior exposure or knowledge of what Japan had to offer. Initially only planning to stay for 1 year, he found himself enamoured with everything Japan had to offer and made it his mission to carve a career for himself here. A successful two years on the JET programme from 2014 – 2016, Stefan tried his luck in Tokyo, working for a drama school before returning to Shizuoka for another 18 months to teach English. He successfully applied for a position in December 2018 at the British Embassy in Tokyo, working for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). After joining at entry level, he now co-leads a team in a managerial position, overseeing operations for his team across the country.

Leah Gowron (Saitama, ALT 1990-91) managed global internships/career placements at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), overseeing the Fulbright, National Security Education Program (NSEP), UN Headquarters Internship Programme, US Foreign Service Exams, UN National Competitive Recruitment Exams and the Presidential Management Fellowship Program (PMF). She conducted workshops on career development focused on international policy and development, commercial diplomacy, and security/intelligence/non-proliferation.

As Director of Graduate Alumni Relations, Leah managed programs for alumni, coordinated global networking events and major data research projects. She spent four years in the private sector (Canada) after JET, developed orientation trainings for the Manitoba/Saskatchewan chapter (which she co-founded in 1992), focused on higher education and career development. Retired from the Middlebury Institute since 2019, Leah relocated to Hawaii, and founded ReImagine You: Global Career Coaching. In her spare time, Leah trains for outrigger canoe events and does volunteer grant writing. 2024 marks the 24th year Leah has presented at the JET career conference and she always enjoys the chance to connect with current and historic JETs!

After graduating with a degree in International Studies from the University of South Florida, Jacqueline was placed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) between 2018 to 2020. There she supported around 250 public school JET-ALTs as PA, helped with the creation of English textbook materials, translated Olympic and Paralympic Education materials, and occasionally interpreted for foreign delegations. Wanting to engage in more areas of public policy beyond education, Jacqueline applied to the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP), University of Tokyo. During her two years in the professional master’s program, she was able to explore Japanese policies on sustainability, digitalization, tourism, and more. After finishing up her studies, Jacqueline joined a Tokyo-based government relations consultancy called GR Japan where she now works as a consultant. She currently helps clients to navigate Japanese government and public policy.

As many others do, Cormac began his career in education during university, where a part-time job giving private and group lessons to fellow students ignited a love of teaching that has carried him to this point in life. Following graduation and a four-year stint on the JET Programme, Cormac spent eight months in an English conversation school before securing his current role at a private school in the heart of Tokyo. Now four years into his dream job of teaching science and maths to some very bright young minds, Cormac is also a full-blown homeroom teacher with all of the high and lows, trials and tribulations that entails.

Emily MacFarlane, a university educator based in Sendai, Japan, has come a long way from her origins in the remote Shetland Islands of Scotland. After graduating with an MA (Hons.) in French and Spanish from the University of Edinburgh in 2010, she began her career in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Programme in Sendai City. Following five successful years in junior high schools, she transitioned to a direct-hire ALT position specializing in elementary school education while completing an MA TESOL from the University of Birmingham. Having earned permanent residency in Japan and built extensive teaching experience, Emily moved into higher education and currently serves as an adjunct lecturer at several universities in Sendai, including Tohoku University, where she continues to contribute to English language education in Japan.

Natalie Donohue, PhD, is an associate professor in English Language and Didactics at Volda University College, Norway. With a strong educational background in English language teaching and Applied Linguistics, she has taught English in Japan, Turkey, and the UK and is now predominantly involved in language teacher training. Research interests include teacher motivation, self-efficacy, and cognition, with particular focus on novice teachers.

Affiliation: Volda University College, Volda, Norway

Hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada, Kyler served as an ALT in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, from 2018 to 2022. During his final year on the JET Programme, he took advantage of resources available to participants, including the Translation & Interpretation Course, Internship Program, and JET Career Fair, which helped him secure further employment in Japan.

For the past two years, Kyler has worked at the Career Development Center at Kyoto University of Advanced Science, focusing on the university’s internship program, which supports approximately 250 students annually. Kyler excels at building relationships, aligning industry needs with academic goals, and helping students develop professional skills. He manages partnerships with companies across 10 countries and has represented the university in the U.S., Canada, and India. Additionally, he promotes career activities for international students from over 40 nationalities within KUAS’s unique all-English engineering program.

Miranda Liu recently joined the Admissions team at International School of the Sacred Heart, where she is responsible for launching marketing initiatives and planning recruitment strategy. Prior to her move, Miranda served as the Alumni Coordinator at the American School in Japan, where she arranged programming for over 15,000 alumni community members worldwide, including writing content for monthly newsletters and ASIJ’s biannual magazine, planning and executing virtual and in-person events, and managing a network of over 100 volunteers. Previously, she was the Admissions and Communications Officer at K. International School Tokyo, where she managed all social media content and Japanese to English translation. During her time as a JET ALT in Kiryu, Gunma from 2012 to 2017, Miranda served on the organizing committees for the new JET orientations at both the prefectural and city levels. She originally hails from Delaware, USA, and holds a BA in East Asian Studies with a concentration in Japanese Language and Literature from Bryn Mawr College.

Sean Robertson is currently the Senior Manager Admissions at TAFE NSW, the leading provider of vocational education and training in Australia. Sean’s team oversees more than 500,000 student enrolments into courses and training every year. Sean leads a team of over 180 team members across approx.. 100 geographically dispersed locations. Prior to commencing with TAFE NSW, Sean held various positions at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), in Sydney Australia. Leading teams focusing on various areas of the student lifecycle, Sean spent most of his time in the role of Exchange Coordinator, managing inbound and outbound student mobility programs. Prior to joining UNSW in 2018, Sean was an ALT and PA in Tsuno-cho, Kochi-ken on the JET Programme.

Michelle received her BS and MS degree from the University of Texas at Austin (UT) studying Civil Engineering and Water Resources/Environmental Engineering, respectively. Her technical background in STEM coincidentally led her down a path to JET as she had an interest and past experience in mentoring and tutoring younger incoming engineers during her time at UT. Michelle’s JET placement was in a small town called Mukawa in the Hokkaido Prefecture from 2012-2014. Upon completing her contract in Japan, she returned to engineering and eventually worked as a professional engineer for the State of Texas. She currently works as a civil engineer in Austin, Texas for a non-profit utility group, and has worked professionally in engineering services for nearly 10 years. Much of her work relates to water engineering and critical infrastructure.

Janelle spent the first 23 years in her home country, Jamaica, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Japanese. After a brief period of work and travel in the USA and Canada — as a freelance writer and an adventure junkie — she moved to Japan (Toyama Prefecture) as an ALT on the JET programme. During her time in Japan, she volunteered with a local homework group that supported neurodivergent children. This experience sparked her interest in the neural basis of learning and spectrum disorders. After two years in Japan, she was inspired to delve deeper into brain science and left to pursue a master’s and PhD in neuroscience in Norway. Her doctoral research focuses on investigating and understanding brain organisation at the neural network level, and the complex relation between brain network structure and function. After submitting her PhD dissertation in June 2023, Janelle spent six months travelling across Asia, revisiting Japan, and reconnecting with old friends from her local town hall. She currently works in Children and Family Services with her local municipality in Trondheim, Norway, as an Outreach and Environmental Therapist, supporting at-risk youth involved with drugs and crime. Her mission is to apply her expertise in neuroscience to improve lives in the community, using interdisciplinary knowledge to create a meaningful connection between research and real-world solutions.

Jimmy was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After graduation, he moved to Japan through the JET Programme and worked as an ALT for Saitama Prefecture from 2006-2011. Since then, he moved to Tokyo and pivoted to a career in IT.

Jimmy started as a junior systems administrator for a money management firm before moving on to gain experience as an IT contractor in a warehouse in Chiba. After that, he swiftly advanced to an IT Infrastructure Specialist role at a recruitment company, and ultimately secured his current position as an IT Engineer at NVIDIA. Outside of work, Jimmy enjoys basketball and gaming.

Blair Guardia currently works at the Nagano Tourism Organization, where he manages the prefecture’s official tourism website, Go Nagano, and handles all aspects of digital promotions for inbound markets, including market research, branding and content creation. By sharing his favorite parts of Nagano Prefecture with like-minded travelers around the world, he hopes to contribute to sustainable growth in his slice of the Japanese countryside.

Originally from Maryland, U.S.A., he joined the JET Program after graduating Skidmore College in 2012 and worked as an ALT in Nagano Prefecture for three years. He then worked for the Nagano Prefecture tourism department for 2.5 years before transferring to his current position at the Nagano Tourism Organization in 2018.

Upon graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) in 2013, Geoff Harris participated in the JET Programme as an ALT in Tadotsu-cho, Kagawa Prefecture from 2014 – 2018. During his time on JET, he volunteered as an English teacher at Takase Ekaiwa and translated tourist information for his board of education.

After JET, Geoff attended the 10-Month Program at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies (IUC) in Yokohama. At the IUC, he studied advanced Japanese in various fields including modern Japanese culture, business, and literature.

Following the IUC, Geoff wanted to continue improving his business Japanese language skills by seeking employment in Japan. With this goal in mind, he decided to enter the hospitality industry as a Travel Partner at Cosmos Hotel Management (CHM). He is currently in the role of Hotel Manager.

Originally from Perth Western Australia, Harriett Bougher was placed in Kashima city, Saga Prefecture during her time on the JET Programme. Since then, she has worked a number of different roles in the travel and tourism industry, ranging from hotels to conferences, and now as a business development and assistant marketing manager at JNTO Sydney. In her current role she provides support to Australia and New Zealand Travel Trade regarding Japan travel and product development, represents JNTO at travel shows, and more to promote Japanese travel in Australia and New Zealand.

In her spare time she enjoys running, swimming in the ocean and of course travelling.

Inspired by a secondary school teacher who had joined the JET Programme, Charlene followed in her footsteps and spent five years in Kure, Hiroshima. While connecting with locals and exploring more than 40 prefectures, she discovered memorable experiences in places often overshadowed by more popular spots, sparking her passion for sharing about Japan through a fresh lens. Now a brand manager at a Tokyo-based hospitality start-up, she leads creative direction and has guided the brand through its expansion from 2 to 10 hotels in three years. Her background in applied drama and psychology enriches her approach towards marketing initiatives, where she manages content creation, events, and collaborations with agencies, artists, and influencers. In her free time, she’s always on the hunt for delicious food, unique craft experiences, and buildings overgrown with plants to photograph.

Mikhail Ignatov is a concept artist in the video games industry, based in Tokyo.

After getting his MA in Japanese Literature from the University of Arizona in 2011, he served as a CIR in the town of Odai, in Mie Prefecture. The following year, he moved to Osaka to join Capcom as a Production Coordinator, and has worked in video games ever since, helping develop a number of titles in the Resident Evil and Street Fighter series. Feeling the creative urge a bit too strongly, Mikhail later shifted to a concept artist position. He went on to join Tango Gameworks in 2020, where he worked on Hi-Fi Rush.

Tresha is a writer and journalist from Jamaica with a BA in media and communication. After several years working in both print and online media, she joined the JET Programme and served as an ALT at a senior high school in Kyoto from 2015 to 2019. During this time, she became the news editor of Connect Magazine, established a thriving English Speaking Society, and introduced her students to the thrills of parliamentary debate. After leaving JET, Tresha relocated to Tokyo and worked at the Japan News under The Yomiuri Shimbun for a few years. Now freelancing, she crafts written content for a diverse range of clients, from marketing agencies to media outlets. In her free time, Tresha enjoys hiking, exploring nature, and delving into the world of her latest fascination – quantum mechanics.