Nominations for 2022 Board of Directors

The NPO JALT Nominations and Elections Committee is happy to announce the 2022 elections for the JALT Board of Directors and Auditor. All JALT members in good standing will be invited to cast a ballot in this election.

Voting will begin on April 8th, 2022, and end on May 22nd, 2022, with the results being announced on May 30th, 2022, and then submitted for approval to the JALT Ordinary General Meeting. The newly elected Board of Directors and Auditor will begin their official position on January 1st, 2023, for two years. An email with an individualized ballot and further instructions will be sent to every JALT member.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via the site contact form. 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.

Marybeth Kamibeppu NPO
JALT NEC Chair
Contact Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC)

Nominee for Position of President

Statement of Purpose

For two years I have worked with both the board of directors and the chapter presidents as the chapter representative liaison (CRL). This position has not only exposed me to the different challenges chapters face, but has also given me valuable insight into the activities and commitment required as JALT president. As president, I intend to develop collaboration at all levels of JALT. We need to find solutions to help our organization work smarter, and harness the knowledge gained due to the pandemic. I will continue to support our members and volunteers. この2年間、私は支部代表リエゾン（CRL）として、理事会および支部長と協力してきました。この役職は、各支部が直面するさまざまな問題に触れるだけでなく、JALT会長として必要とされる活動やコミットメントについても見識を深めることができました。会長として、私はJALTのあらゆるレベルでの協力関係を発展させたいと考えています。私たちは、組織がよりスマートに機能するための解決策を見つけ、パンデミックによって得られた知識を活用する必要があります。これからも、会員やボランティアの方々をサポートしていきます。

Education / 学位

• MA in TEF/SL, University of Birmingham (U.K.) / バーミンガム大学修士
• Bachelor of Business, Edith Cowan University (Perth, Australia) / エディス・コーワン大学ビジネス士号

Employment / 職歴

• Associate Professor, Niigata University / 新潟大学准教授

JALT Experience

• JALT Elected officer Chapter Representative Liaison (2020 – present) JALTナショナルオフィサー
• Niigata JALT Chapter President (2019 – present) 新潟支部、会長
• Niigata JALT NEAR Language conference, conference chair (2017 – 2018, 2021) / 新潟支部、NEAR大会委員長
• Niigata JALT Public Relations (2016) / 新潟支部, 広報委員長

Nominee for Position of Vice President

Statement of Purpose

As Vice President, my goal will be to follow in the footsteps of the great individuals that I have learned from who served in this position before me. Recently, as JALT has had many changes and new direction within the organization, I look forward to coming in as a support role to the President, and for JCO, who I will be working closely with and doing my best to ensure the organization not only carries on but also sees growth and structural development. Working behind the scenes and adding my experience and support to the Board and JCO and the organization as a whole is my focus and I look forward to serving the community for the next term if allowed.

Education & Employment / 経歴書

Kenn, originally from Los Angeles, California, currently lives in Nagoya, Japan, with his wife and 2 young daughters, Karina and Miley. After university and majoring in psychology, his educational career started off working for Apollo Group and various educational institutes and colleges in the United States. In 2007, He left California to travel for several years. After that, he settled down in Southeast Asia and worked for the Ministry of Education of Thailand. He spent several years working for the MOE and opened up schools in Thailand. During that period he also assisted in several joint ventures with international schools in Singapore, Vietnam, and China. Currently, Kenn is the Director of Operations/Principal of 6 international kindergartens in Aichi with over 100 staff and 1000 students. He is also on the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) and the President-elect of the Tokyo Association of International Preschools (TAIP) and is a founding member of the Tokai International School Association (TISA) and several other community-based organizations.

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

Kenn has been a member of JALT for several years. He was actively involved in the Teaching Younger Learners SIG for two years as the SIG Coordinator. He truly loves working with young learners and is passionate about the field. He is a firm believer in JALT and what it aims to accomplish and the platform which it provides for teachers in Japan. He can bring great enthusiasm, a fresh perspective, and organizational management skills to the position of Vice President.

Nominee for Position of Director of Membership

Statement of Purpose

I am honoured to be nominated for the position of JALT’s Director of Membership. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we have seen a slight drop in membership numbers. However, as we move forward, I hope we can think about what kind of organization we would like to become. First and foremost, I would like to continue Melodie Cook’s work. Furthermore, while consulting with JALT chapter presidents, SIG coordinators, and most importantly, the JALT membership at large, I hope we can not only recruit more members who reflect the diverse demographic of language teachers in Japan, but also increase participation. My outsider perspective, paired with my work ethic, will enable me to be an asset to JALT. この度、JALTの会員担当理事にご推薦いただき、光栄に存じます。残念ながら、パンデミックが続いているため、会員数が若干減少しています。しかし、これから先、どのような組織にしていきたいかを共に考えていければと思います。まず何よりも、メロディ・クック氏の仕事を引き継いでいきたいと思っています。また、各支部長やSIG代表だけに留まらず、JALT会員の皆さんとも相談しながら、日本の語学講師の多様性を反映した会員を増やすだけでなく、（各種研究会への）参加者も増やせいけたらと願っています。私のアウトサイダー的な視点と仕事に対する倫理観をJALT発展のために寄与できるように努めます。

Education / 学位

Ph.D. Temple University/博士（テンプル大学）

Employment / 職歴

Lecturer, Mukogawa Women’s University, Nishinomiya /武庫川女子大学（講師）

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

• Osaka JALT Membership Chair, Member at Large/大阪支部：メンバーシップ委員、無任所役員
• The Language Teacher Recently Received Column Coeditor/コラム編集者
• JALT Post-Conference Proceedings Content Editor/コンテンツエディター

Nominee for Position of Director of Program

Statement of Purpose

The Director of Program is a high profile, intense and rewarding position to volunteer for, so with the support of all those that make up JALT, I would like to continue serving our community. If re-elected, I will carry out the functions of Director of Program as prescribed by the JALT Constitution, By-Laws, and Standing Rules. I some continuing plans and ideas. I would like to try and get conference themes ahead by one-year, search for newer venues, but also keep reliable ones, and continue to encourage volunteering on the conference team. I have more plans and ideas, and given another opportunity it is my intent to continue to represent JALT’s dynamic community of practice with a progressive mindset, while holding to what has kept JALT a valued member of Japan’s language education community. プログラム・ディレクターとしての職務は、人前に立ち、努力を要し、そして奉仕するに値するポジションです。これらJALTを作り上げるすべての要素を支えに、地域に貢献し続けたいと考えます。再選された暁には、JALT憲章及び諸規則に基づき、プログラム・ディレクターとしての職務を全うする所存です。 私には他にも様々なアイディアと計画があります。日本の語学教育業界において重要で、漸進的マインドを持つ活動的なJALTコミュニティの代表として、その発展に引き続き寄与することを希望します。

Education & Employment / 経歴書

I have taught in various sectors of Japan’s English language teaching industry. I currently teach in the area of college and university education. I graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. I also have a Masters of Management in International Management from University of Phoenix, as well as a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership specializing in Curriculum and Instruction from the same university. 来日以来、英語教育業界で様々な分野における指導を行ってきました。現在は高等教育機関での指導に携わっています。私は、シラキュース大学で政治科学の学士号を取得し、フェニックス大学で国際マネジメントの修士号、及び教育学博士号を取得しました。博士論文のテーマは、カリキュラム・指導に焦点を置いた教育におけるリーダーシップです。

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

In March of 2007 I joined JALT as a member of the Akita Chapter. Since then I have held various posts within JALT; as a Chapter President, Chapter Program Chair, Chapter Treasurer, SIG Publicity Chair, and Business Manager. I am the current Director of Program. In these capacities I have been a continuous presence at Executive Board Meetings and within the select committees that do the business of JALT. Throughout my volunteer tenure I have worked with people from our SIGs, Chapters, Associate Members, Board of Directors, other appointed officers, and JALT Central Office. 2007年3月にJALT秋田支部に入会し、これまで、秋田支部長、支部のプログラム責任者、支部の役員、SIGの広報責任者、ビジネスマネジャーを歴任し、現在はプログラム・ディレクターを務めています。これらの活動をとおして、JALTを運営する執行役員会や選考委員において、継続してプレゼンスを発揮してきました。また、これらの活動は、SIGや各支部、会員、準会員、執行幹部、事務局のスタッフ、JALT本部との協働により行ってきました。

Nominee for Position of Director of Public Relations

Statement of Purpose

I started doing the job of Director of Public Relations for JALT at the beginning of 2019. I’ve accomplished a lot in that time, but I feel that I still have more to contribute, so I would be honored to be elected to serve one more term. I’m pleased with the positive reception of the JALT Talk newsletter, with its expanded coverage to include local events and calls for participation, as well as notifications of all JALT publications, making this monthly newsletter more relevant to our members. As a member of the board of directors, I’ve pushed for transparency in the advertisements appearing in JALT media and transparency within JALT, and I support the efforts to increase the diversity within our organization, its leadership, and among its conference speakers, as well as the efforts to create more family-friendly conferences. If elected, I will continue to serve JALT, its officers, and its members to the best of my ability.

Education / 学位

MA in TEFL with distinction from the University of Birmingham (U.K.) バーミンガム大学（英国）TEFL修士

Employment / 職歴

Associate Professor, Kindai University (campus in Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture) 近畿大学 産業理工学部（職名：准教授）

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

• Joined JALT in 1990
• Fukuoka JALT program chair 1995 – 1997
• Fukuoka JALT chapter president 1998 – 2002; again 2010 – 2019
• Created and maintained JALT.org’s first online event calendar (2001 – 2008, see https//hosted.jalt.org/calendar/archive.php)
• TEVAL SIG webmaster 2015 – 2021
• PanSIG Conference webmaster 2016 – present
• Acting Director of Public Relations Feb. 2019 – June 2019
• Director of Public Relations June 2019 – present
• 2019年6月 – 現在：広報担当理事
• 2019年2月 – 2019年6月現在：広報担当理事（理事代行）
• 2016年1月 – 現在：JALT PanSIG大会 ウェブサイト担当
• 2015 年1月 – 2021 年6月：試験と評価研究部会（TEVAL SIG）ウェブサイト担当
• 2010年11月 – 2019年2月：福岡支部支部長
• 2008年3月 – 現在：JALT年次大会 提出論文の選考委員
• 2001年 – 2008年 ：jalt.orgのイベントカレンダーウェブサイト担当
• 1998年 – 2002年11月：福岡支部支部長
• 1995年 – 1997年：福岡支部企画委員長
• 1990年 JALT入会

Nominee for Position of Director of Records

Samantha Kawakami

Statement of Purpose

Over the years I have found JALT to be a great source of inspiration, but I had resisted getting more deeply involved, due to not feeling like I had much to offer. However, I feel that there is something that I can do for JALT now. One of my skills is creating and organizing documents that are concise, relevant, and easy for the end user to follow. I used these skills to create protocol documents for room hosts for the JALT Conferences in 2020 and 2021. Through the teams I worked with during the JALT conferences these past two years, I have honed these skills and learned ways to improve document design.

I feel very strongly that JALT as an organization has a lot of knowledge that could benefit from being better organized. As Director of Records, I would like to use my skills to help make this knowledge more accessible to members. Two tasks that I feel strongly about are updating the standing rules and working to gather and organize documents so that there is a library of resources readily available for both new and long-term members as they take on new roles.

Education / 学位

BA in Communication (Japanese minor), Alma College (Alma, Michigan, USA)


Employment / 職歴

Associate Professor, Matsue Kosen (Matsue, Shimane) (until very recently Part-Time Teacher at Shimane University and Owner/Teacher of Sam’s English School)

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

• 2021 JALT2021 International Conference, Online Conference Coordinator
• 2020 JALT2020 International Conference, Room Host Coordinator
• 2013-present Member of Hiroshima Chapter and BRAIN SIG
• 2003-2009 Associate Member (Macmillan LanguageHouse)

Michael Phillips

Statement of Purpose

I have been living and working in Japan since July 2001 and have a wide range of JALT experiences (as detailed below). I have been participating in EBMs since 2012 and a lot has happened in the last decade, with JALT facing challenges and changes scarcely imagined even a few years ago. One of these is the way information is received, processed, distributed, and stored, meaning that the continuity of information flow and data management has become an increasingly important component within our organisation. One response has been the implementation of the new servers, website, and jalt.org emails. Another has seen the shift in administrative discussions from EBM.net to Basecamp. Most recently, groups such as the newly created OSC, of which I am a member, have begun to critically review and revise some of the documents currently in use on the website. The process of records management is ongoing and I feel that my educational administrative experiences (both in Australia and Japan) and existing professional network have well prepared me for the demands of the DoR role. I therefore look forward to continuing to work with the directors and supporting JALT into its future.

Education / 学位

• Postgraduate Certificate (TSL) with Distinction, University of Southern Queensland
• Master of Education (TESOL) with Distinction, University of Southern Queensland

Employment / 職歴

Lecturer, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (2012-)

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

• Kitakyushu Chapter day member (2001-2008)
• Kitakyushu Chapter member (2008-2012)
• Kitakyushu Chapter Treasurer (2010-2013)
• Oita Chapter member (2013-)
• Oita Chapter Treasurer (2013-2014)
• Oita Chapter President (2014-2020)
• CALL SIG member (2015-2016)
• BizCom SIG member (2017-2021)
• BizCom SIG Publications Chair (2018-2021)
• CUE SIG Proceedings Co-editor (2019-2021)
• BizCom SIG Coordinator (2020-2021)
• BizCom SIG Publicity Co-chair (2020-2021)
• TLT Proofreader (2020-)
• PanSIG Reviewer (2021-)
• Post-Conference Publication Copy editor (2021-)
• Chapter Treasurer Liaison (2021-)
• Financial Steering Committee member (2021-)
• Development Fund Subcommittee member (2021-)
• GALE SIG member (2022-)
• Officer Support Committee member (2022-)
• TLT SIG Focus Co-editor (2022-)

Nominee for Position of Director of Treasury

Statement of Purpose

My purpose for running for Director of Treasury again is basically the same as my reasons for originally deciding to run — to provide continuity and build on the strong foundation that my predecessors have laid. In my term as Director of Treasury I have worked hard with the Finance Committee and JCO to update the Treasury Handbook and provide video tutorials on new procedures such as using digital signatures in our monthly accounting reports. I have also tried to support Treasurers by providing a template for online registration and payment using online payment systems such as Paypal and Wise for online, face to face, and hybrid meetings and conferences. However, there is still more research needed to make these processes smoother and less complicated to manage, but by sharing our experiences, I think we can make it happen. I am also proud of the work done by the FSC to prepare the yearly budget during these pandemic years to enable JALT to continue providing support to teachers, Chapters and SIGs, and plan for the future. I have learned a lot in my time as the Director of Treasury and would like to apply that experience and knowledge in a second term.

Education / 学位

• Masters in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (in progress), University of Leicester, Leicester, England, UK
• Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Employment / 職歴

• Assistant Professor, Sapporo University, Sapporo, Hokkaido
• English Instructor/Teacher Trainer, Little Tree Eikaiwa, Sapporo, Hokkaido
• English Instructor/Teacher Trainer, GEOS Language Systems, Akita City, Akita; Sapporo, Hokkaido

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

• JALT National Officer Director of Treasury 2021 – present
• JALT National Officer FSC Chair 2019-2020
• JALT National Officer Chapter Treasurer Liaison 2017-2019
• JALT Hokkaido Chapter Treasurer 2008 – Present
• JALT Hokkaido Conference Coordinator and/or Conference Program Chair 2006 – 2020.

Nominee for Position of Auditor

Statement of Purpose

As a long-time Fukuoka JALT member, I have benefitted greatly from attending and presenting at local chapter meetings, CALL SIG conferences, PanSIG conferences, and national JALT conferences from Hokkaido to Okinawa. I enjoyed meeting people from the JALT community and working with them in different capacities. After having served for four years on the Board of Directors as Director of Treasury and two more years as JALT Vice-President, I would like to use my experience to serve as NPO JALT Auditor to oversee the activities of the Board of Directors, the Executive Board, JALT Central Office and all Chapters and SIGs within NPO JALT.  It will be my task to ensure that the Constitution and Bylaws are adhered to within the organization.  長年福岡のJALT会員として、北海道から沖縄まで、地方支部会、CALL SIG会議、PanSIG会議、JALT全国大会に参加し、発表することで大きな恩恵を受けています。JALTコミュニティの人々と出会い、さまざまな立場で一緒に仕事をすることを楽しみました。4年間財務担当理事を務め、さらに2年間JALT副会長を務めた経験を生かし、NPO法人JALT監事として理事会、理事会、JALT事務局、NPO法人JALT内の全支部・SIGの活動を監督したいと考えています。 また、NPO法人JALTの定款・細則が遵守されていることを確認することも私の仕事です。

Education / 学位

PhD, Kyushu Institute of Technology (Iizuka, Fukuoka); MA (TESOL), School for International Training (Brattleboro, Vermont, USA)   博士、九州工業大学、 福岡県飯塚 市; 修士TESOL, School for International Training (アメリカ)

Employment / 職歴

Professor, Kurume University, Institute of Foreign Language Education, Kurume, Fukuoka 教授、久留米大学、外国語教育研究所、福岡県久留米市

JALT Experience / JALT 関連

• NPO JALT Vice-President, 2020 – 2022
• NPO JALT Director of Treasury, 2016 – 2020
• CALL SIG Coordinator, SIG Treasurer, Conference Chair, Site Chair, Conference Treasurer, Conference Vetting Chair, Proceedings Editor
• PanSIG Conference Team Member, Proceedings Editor 2011, Proceedings Editor-in-Chief 2012, 2013
• JALT Fukuoka Chapter member since 1995
• NPO JALT 副理事長 （2020 〜 2022）
• NPO JALT 財務担当理事 （2016 〜 2020）
• コンピューター利用語学学習研究部会 コーティネーター、会計担当、学会運 営委員長, サイト編集長、学会会計担当、プロシーディングズ編集担当
• PanSIG学会運営チームメンバープロシーディングズ 編集担当（2011年）、プロシーディングズ編集長（2012 年、2013年）
• JALT福岡支部無任所会員（1995 〜 現在）