President

Role summary

Among other things I attend the JALT National Executive Board meetings and vote on the various motions that have arisen during the year.  At the local level I coordinate with our treasurer to make sure that the end-of-the-month financial reports are sent to JALT HQ on time and make sure that we have enough local officers to make JALT Niigata run smoothly during the year.

Fun fact about me
My surname is based on the late Old English word for the color red.

Treasurer

Role summary
If you have general questions/curiosity on the “accounting” side of things in JALT, let me know! I’m also on the tech back-end side of many different committees & conferences within JALT, so if you want to see “CenCOM” in action, come on in!

Fun fact about me
At home, I run 6 monitors. In my office, I run 5. But surprisingly, I don’t play games at all. My PC workstations are designed with maximum productivity & online teaching in mind. 

Membership

Role summary
I keep up with the membership list and let people know what we're up to. I’m also involved with various parts of JALT such as the TYL SIG, ART SIG, SPIN, and The Language Teacher journal, so if you’d like to know more about or collaborate with these groups, please let me know!

Fun fact about me
Before I came to Japan as a JET ALT, I worked in Greece as an archaeologist. I love ancient history, and particularly the mythology of ancient cultures. I once dropped and smashed a clay pot that was about 2500 years old…

Program Chair

Role summary
I plan and organize chapter events and work with other chapters and SIGs to co-sponsor events. Our goal is to provide our members with a wide variety of topics and speakers. If you have ideas for a speaker or topic you would like to see, please let me know!

Fun fact about me
Although I’ve been to the Amazon rainforest three times, I still haven’t made it to all of Japan’s prefectures. JALT has helped, though, bringing me to new cities for presentations and for JALT and PanSIG conferences, and I look forward to going to more now that we are back to in-person conferences!

Publicity Chair

Role summary
We post our local chapter events on our website, Facebook page and Twitter and we are keen to support our members too. If you are holding any kind of teacher training, have a language education-related event, or are looking for a teacher to employ, get in touch with me.

Fun fact about me
I love reading maps, and can spend hours leafing through “Touring Mapple,” planning imaginary trips and adventures. However, I have the worst sense of direction in the world. Finding my way and figuring out where I made a wrong turn usually end up being the most adventurous part of my trips.