President - Jessica Record
Hello again!! For the last year, I have been serving as co-president with Lynn Miyauchi and we have implemented many changes in the last year to help the overall health of PNWJETAA. For example, we implemented Robert’s Rules of Order in our monthly meetings, explored Steering Council positions' responsibilities with elected members and a major by-law change that included term changes for the Steering Council. I know there is more that needs to be done for the sustainability of our chapter, like completing the new policy book and surveying membership to have a better idea of what our members expect for the future, so that is why I am running again. I was an ALT in Sanda, Hyogo from 2015-2016, and have served on the council as Transitions coordinator since 2017 and also vice-president in 2020-2021. I was also the JET Program Coordinator for two years and understand how important a strong alumni association not only benefits former JETs, but the next generation as well. Therefore, I want to leave a lasting positive effect on PNWJETAA so our communities at large and many councils to come will continue to flourish.
Vice President - Lynn Miyauchi
Greetings Fellow PNWJETAA Members! Serving as your Co-President with Jessica Record this past year has been very rewarding! Hopefully we were able to begin implementing changes that will positively impact smooth operations for future steering councils. There is still a lot more that I would like to accomplish, which is why I am running for Vice President. This position will allow me to still continue to have direct involvement in the ongoing work of streamlining policies and building guidelines for future councils, while also focusing on other projects. As our chapter edges towards our 35th anniversary in 2025, I wish to catalog a history of our chapter’s leadership and aggressively promote a membership update campaign. With your support, I feel these projects and the opportunity to continue working on the bylaws and best practices for our chapter are valuable endeavors, to which I can contribute. I was an ALT in Obama, Fukui many moons ago, the Seattle JET Program Coordinator for a good spell, and continue to remain connected to the JET Program, so I’d like to be a bridge between the past & present on the Executive Board. Thank you for your consideration of my platform! .
Treasurer - Jeremy Odden
Jeremy Odden (Kyotango City ALT, 2015-2018) is the current Treasurer and Compliance Coordinator for PNWJETAA. He is running to retain his positions partially because handing off Treasurer would be extremely めんどくさい but also because he enjoys serving the PNWJETAA community and helping to support JET Program Alumni in our region.
Secretary - Mira Pomerantz
My name is Mira Pomerantz, and I was a CIR in Hyogo Prefecture from 2018-2021, where I worked in a tourism office promoting a hot spring town. I have been PNWJETAA’s Secretary for the past two years, starting about half a year after returning to the U.S. from JET. As I believe there is still more I can contribute in this role, I am once again running for Secretary. In addition to drafting agendas and taking minutes for the monthly meetings, I would like to continue to work to better organize action items each month. I believe drafting a list of action items each month will help our Steering Council delegate tasks and ensure next steps in order for our events to run more smoothly. This will become especially important as we gain new council members and try organizing new events. As a member of the Executive Council, I also hope to continue supporting the President(s) and Vice President(s) in any way that I can, whether it be delegating, sending reminders, or other tasks. With my organizational skills that I have developed over my career, I believe I would be a good candidate to continue my role of Secretary.
Social Coordinator - Giuliana Alfinito
With a background as Country Representative of JETAAUSA and as the former President of New England JETAA, I'm eager to serve as Social Coordinator for PNWJETAA. Leveraging my experience, I aim to organize diverse events for our community. From celebrations of Japanese culture to professional development workshops, my goal is to create an inclusive platform for our members. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to PNWJETAA's vibrancy and strengthen our community bonds. Feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile at linkedin.com/in/g-alfinito/ or email me directly with questions at g@alfinito.net. Thank you kindly for your consideration!
Research & Development Committee - Michiko Yoshino
During my four years on JET, one of my main roles was community engagement. I coordinated 3~5 monthly events for a Japanese audience at the Association for International Relations in Yamagata, ranging from introducing the local community to other countries, advanced English conversation events, to more focused topics like identity and race. Outside of my CIR work, I was also involved in local and national AJETs to further utilize my event-planning and language skills. Now in my work at the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington, I have transferred over my event-planning and networking skills to engage with a wide range of people here in Washington State. As part of the Steering Council, I would love to be a bridge between PNWJETAA and the local Japanese / Japanese American community and find collaboration opportunities while identifying and celebrating the JET alum in our community.
Systems Administrator - Janice Laureano
This will be my 6th year running in the PNWJETAA Steering Council and my 5th year running as the Systems Administrator (formally known as the media coordinator). I look forward to implementing new tools to our platform that is time and cost effective. Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!