leadership portfolio

Founder Member and Chair - Lehigh valley JAJAJA | 2019 - Present

Founded a community of Japanese in America, Japanese Americans, and Japanese Aficionados who are interested in learning, sharing, and celebrating Japanese culture and language in the regional Lehigh Valley area (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton).

• Facilitating community events and monthly meetings, and organized the community's public debut summit, “Building Home Away from Home” with over 60 participants in Dec 2019.

• Currently managing social media and updating digital content on multiple platforms including the website: LehighValleyJAJAJA.com

• Created a Youtube Channel to publish monthly PechaKucha Talks with members to encourage community connections during the Pandemic.

President and founder - chicago, IL | 2014 - 2016

Founded a non-profit to introduce the green building industry fields and topics of sustainability to young scholars, connecting with the local green economy. Developed pilot programs to engage Chicago scholars by teaching sustainability concepts in the classroom and facilitating workshops with partner green industry organizations.

• Idea was born out of the Chicago Community Trust ‘On the Table’ Idea Accelertator Program

• Built curriculum and workshops bringing industry experts to middle school students

• Managed community relations and coalition building with partner organizations, start-up groundwork, fundraising, and board engagement

Project Lead - U.S. Japan Council Midwest Committee | 2015

Voluntarily created and organized a new project, Bento Talks, to publicly engage the Japanese American community in the Chicago region by facilitating a panel of local representatives to discuss ways in which the community can support cultural integrity and authenticity with consumer awareness. Collaborated with culinary entrepreneurs in the Japanese food industry who discussed their role in culinarily bridging the two countries. Program sponsored by the U.S.- Japan Council