JALT 2019 Elections

I am happy to announce that NPO JALT will be holding our first online elections for the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC). Starting this year, the three members of the NEC will be elected in a similar fashion to the Board of Directors, by online ballot, instead of by the JALT members physically present at the JALT Ordinary General Meeting.
In addition, we will also hold a special election for the position of Director of Public Relations due to the previously elected Director stepping down.
Voting will begin on April 1st, 2019, and end on May 20th, 2019, with the results being announced on May 25th, 2019, and then submitted for approval to the JALT Ordinary General Meeting. An email with an individualized ballot and further instructions will be sent to every JALT member on April 1st, 2019.
Please see below for information on the candidates in the two elections.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at nec@jalt.org. Thank you very much for your attention and cooperation with this very important matter that ensures the smooth operation of NPO JALT as an organization.
Oana CusenNPO JALT NEC Chairnec@jalt.org
この度 JALTは選挙管理委員会（NEC）委員選出に際して初のオンライン選挙を実施することをお知らせいたします。本年より選挙管理委員3名の選出は、理事選挙と同様の方式で、JALT会員の皆様が実際に総会に出席するのではなく、オンライン投票によって行います。
加えて前理事の辞任により、今回は広報担当理事の特別選挙も行います。
投票期間は2019年4月1日から5月20日までで、結果は5月25日に発表されます。その後結果は、JALT総会に提出され承認にかけられます。個別の投票用紙と投票方法についての詳細は、4月1日に会員の皆様にEメールでご案内いたします。
両選挙の候補者情報は下記をご参照ください。
何かご質問や不明点がございましたら、選挙管理委員長 オアナ・クセン nec@jalt.orgまでお問い合わせください。JALTが今後も組織として円滑な運営をするために重要な事柄ですので、皆様のご理解とご協力のほどよろしくお願いいたします
選挙管理委員長
オアナ・クセãƒ
Nominees for NEC Chair Designate
Marybeth Kamibeppu
Biography:
I have been a JALT member for over 20 years. I was the Program Chair for the Bilingual SIG and am now the Program Chair for the Teaching Young Learners SIG. My main job is Program Chair for JALT Junior, which I have done since 2015. I have been a presenter, proposal reader, and volunteer at the JALT International Conference for many years and an alternate on the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) since 2016.
I hold a MAT from the School of International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. I was a core faculty member at the Maryland English Institute, at the University of Maryland, College Park for 8 years. Then I returned to Japan with my family to continue teaching part-time at university, kindergartens, and daycare. Currently, I am the Language Learning Coordinator at Hiroshima International School, a small IB school where I can work with learners from ages 3-18. My professional interests include bilingualism, reading strategies, the IB curriculum, and US college counseling.
Statement of Purpose:
In the spring of 2015 at my first Executive Board Meeting, I joined a working group about the Bylaws concerning the Nominations and Election Committee (NEC). In 2017, I was elected as an alternate on the NEC and was fortunate to work with dedicated and talented people on the last National Election. I have discovered that there is a huge learning curve in working on the details and the transparency of JALT elections, both of which I hope to improve. If elected, I will use my experience and continue this work of revising and updating the NEC Guidelines.
Jeffrey Martin
Biography:
Jeffrey Martin has been active as a volunteer in the Tokyo Chapter of JALT, starting as the communications officer for the year of 2018 and now as the membership officer in 2019. In both positions, his aim has been to improve operations and to facilitate clear communication with the membership. He received his M.S.Ed in TESOL from Temple University and currently teaches at universities in the Tokyo area. Before teaching in Tokyo, he gained enriching experience while working in Japanese work environments in both Tohoku and Hokuriku. This practical experience in learning a second language influenced his decision to move his focus onto instructed SLA. Some of his interests in language teaching include pragmatics, motivation, vocabulary learning, extended reading and technology. He feels that JALT has been a great resource in his professional development and wishes to repay these gifts as a volunteer.
Statement of Purpose:
As a member of the NEC, I would do my best to help make our nomination and election processes meet the needs of JALT in terms of promptness, accessibility, and clarity. I feel I have the professionalism, organizational skills, and technological literacy to do so. As volunteers in JALT, elected officers from around Japan come together to work out ideas and create value for fellow teachers. I would be honored to help the NEC do its part.
Chris Pirotto
Biography:
Hello! I am Chris Pirotto, from Sacramento, California. I have been living and teaching in Japan since 2011. I am currently working at Fukui University of Technology in Fukui, where I will be starting my fifth year this April. My decision to volunteer for the Nominations and Elections Committee stems from my passion for elections, government, and law. Before beginning my language teaching career, I was educated as a political scientist and hold a B.A. in Political Science from University of California, San Diego and a M.A. in Political Science from San Diego State University.
Statement of Purpose:
Over the past few months the NEC has overseen multiple elections with the NEC only consisting of two individuals. I would like to join the NEC in order help spread the workload and to add another voice to the NEC. I vow to support the NEC Chair in the NEC’s mission to conduct nominations and elections for JALT’s national elections and will be an advocate for fair, free, and practical elections.
Nominees for Position of Director of Public Relations
William (“Bill”) Pellowe
Biography:
Employment: Associate Professor, Kindai University (campus in Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Education: MA in TEFL with distinction from the University of Birmingham (U.K.)
JALT Experience:
Member since 1990
Fukuoka JALT program chair 1995 – 1997
Fukuoka JALT chapter president 1998 – 2002; 2010 – 2019
Created and maintained JALT.org’s first online event calendar (2001 – 2008, see http://hosted.jalt.org/calendar/archive.php)
TEVAL SIG webmaster 2015 – present
PanSIG Conference webmaster 2016 – present
CUE SIG member at large 2018 – present
Acting Director of Public Relations 2019 – present
所属：近畿大学 産業理工学部（職名：准教授）
最終学歴：バーミンガム大学（英国）TEFL修士
JALT関連:
2019å¹´2月 – 現在：広報担当理事（理事代行）
2018å¹´12月 – 現在：JALT大学外国語教育研究部会（CUE SIG）無任所役員
2016å¹´1月 – 現在：JALT PanSIG大会 ウェブサイト担当
2015 å¹´1月 – 現在：試験と評価研究部会（TEVAL SIG）ウェブサイト担当
2010å¹´11月 – 2019å¹´2月：福岡支部支部長
2008å¹´3月 – 現在：JALT年次大会 提出論文の選考委員
2001å¹´ – 2008å¹´ ：jalt.orgのイベントカレンダーウェブサイト担当
1998å¹´ – 2002å¹´11月：福岡支部支部長
1995å¹´ – 1997年：福岡支部企画委員長
Statement of Purpose:
I’ve been the Acting Director of Public Relations since February, and have made a good start on several projects.
I have been creating “how-to” guides for SIGs and chapters. So far, I’ve published four short, practical guides to things such as posting announcements to the JALT website, and creating Facebook events. I’ve been working to improve our YouTube channel’s visibility, and JALT’s three most recent videos that I’ve posted and promoted are being shared and have had a good number of views. I’ve started promoting the JALT calendar in posts to our Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts.
As well as improving our social media reach and impact, I’d like to make our monthly JALT announcement emails more attractive. Towards that end, I’ve enlisted the help of the JALT Technical Advisory Committee.
I’m also interested in increasing the number of citations that our publications receive. Currently, I’m working with the TEVAL SIG in a small-scale trial to make their published articles easier to find and easier to cite.
Finally, I believe that my many years in JALT leadership representing my chapter at Executive Board Meetings gives me the experience to make a positive contribution to the JALT Board of Directors.
私は2月から広報担当のディレクターを務めていましたが、その間に、いくつかのプロジェクトを開始しました。私はSIGと支部のための「ハウツー」ガイドのコレクションを書き始めました。これまでのところ、私は4つの短い実用的なガイドを発表しました（JALTサイトにニュース発表を掲示する方法とグループまたはページにFacebookのイベントを掲示する方法を含む）。また、YouTubeチャンネルの視認性の向上にも取り組んでいます。私が投稿して宣伝した最後の3つのビデオには、かなりの数の見解と共有がありました。JALTのイベントを宣伝するために、Instagram、LinkedIn、Facebookに投稿してJALTカレンダーの宣伝を始めました。私が取り組んでいるもう一つのプロジェクトは、私たちのジャーナルが受ける引用の数を増やすことです。現在、公開されている記事を見つけやすくし、引用しやすくするための小規模な試験として、TEVAL SIGと協力しています。また、毎月のJALTアナウンスメントEメールをより魅力的なものにする方法を模索する手助けを技術諮問委員会に依頼しました。そして、私はソーシャルメディアのリーチと影響を改善する方法を探求し続けます。
私は広報担当役員として、JALTの役員を務めています。長年理事会で私の支部を代表してきたJALTでのリーダーシップが私に理事会に積極的な貢献をするための経験を与えてくれたと私は感じます。
Prateek Sharma
Biography:
Education: MA TESOL, Soka University, Hachioji, Japan
Employment: English teacher, YMCA, Hiroshima
Part-time lecturer, Yasuda Women’s University, Hiroshima
JALT related experience: Content editor for Post Conference Publication, JALT
Statement of Purpose:
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft may win by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare. The future probably belongs to people who see possibilities before they become obvious. JALT has continued to evolve, over the years, as a vibrant and robust community by and for educators. With participation of more teachers from diverse backgrounds and cultures, the need for a passionate PR team that can foresee opportunities is of paramount importance. I have always enjoyed connecting with people on a fundamental level in order to comprehend their perceptions. The role of a PR officer should go beyond managing reputation, to fostering mutual understanding, thereby, bridging the gap between stakeholders, officers, members and fellow educators. One of the reasons JALT has continued to gain a positive name in the field of academia is because of the tireless efforts of the existing board and staff. It would be an honour to be able to receive your support and contribute to the ongoing efforts through collaborating with the existing diligent team of educators.