Meet the 2025 Emerging Leaders Program Delegation

VP of Operation
Eyebot 

Kiyo Gomi is the Vice President of Operations at Eyebot, a Boston-based startup dedicated to making vision care more accessible. He has spent the past seven years working with early-stage companies, building scalable systems and procedures to support growth. At Eyebot, Kiyo oversees “everything that is not engineering, sales, or marketing,” with a focus on finance, human resources, and the infrastructure needed to manage Eyebot’s fleet of vision-testing kiosks in the field. 

Before joining Eyebot, Kiyo worked in education-focused nonprofits, holding a variety of operational and development roles that helped organizations deliver on their missions. He holds a B.A. in Physics from Carleton College and an M.B.A. from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. 

Originally from Yokohama, Japan, Kiyo is a former collegiate baseball player and an avid marathon runner. 

Project Manager
Intralink

Austi Kaji is a Los Angeles native currently based in Tokyo. She holds a B.A. from the School of International Liberal Studies from Waseda University, where she studied international relations. As Project Manager at Intralink, she supports foreign scale-ups entering Japan, and secures APAC investment as the Japan Representative for the State of New Jersey. Her work spans strategic planning, facilitating major partnerships with Japanese corporations, and capital raises. 

Passionate about strengthening U.S.-Japan ties, Austi also dedicates her time to community building. She serves as Vice Chair of the Young Professionals Forum at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) and is on the Event Planning Committee for the Japan region of the U.S.-Japan Council. 

Outside of work, Austi enjoys traveling, boxing, gardening, and exploring new restaurants with fellow foodies.

Senior Associate
Coral Capital 

Tiffany Kayo is an investor at Coral Capital, a leading venture capital firm in Japan, where she focuses on early-stage technology companies across both Japan and the United States. She is passionate about investing in mission-critical areas such as artificial intelligence, defense, and software—sectors that will define the next generation of global competitiveness. At Coral, she supports Japanese founders building globally competitive businesses and helps U.S. startups localize and expand into Japan. Beyond investing, she co-hosts Coral’s English-language podcast, highlighting voices driving innovation in U.S.–Japan business and technology. Tiffany began her career as an equities trader at Morgan Stanley in Tokyo. Raised between Japan and the U.S., she brings a bicultural perspective to investing, supported by studies in Economics and Computer Science at Clark University and the London School of Economics. Based in Tokyo, she travels frequently, including to the U.S., and enjoys staying active through pilates, pickleball, golf, and boxing. 

Associate Data Scientist
Harvard Business School  

Liz is an Associate Data Scientist at Harvard Business School, where she has worked for the past nine years. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, she holds Master’s degrees in Government from Harvard University and in Applied Sociology from UMass Boston. She is passionate about using data to improve social policy issues and support evidence-based decision-making. 

In addition to her work at HBS, Liz serves as an elected official in Brookline, Massachusetts, representing one of the largest Japanese communities in the state. She was recently appointed Secretary of the Brookline Commission for Women, where she advocates for gender equity at the local level.  

Liz is a 2014 graduate of the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program and an alumni of the 2015–2016 JET Program in Gunma Prefecture, where her mother is from. 

Outside of work, she is always planning her next travel adventure and looks for opportunities to create community across diverse backgrounds. 

Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture Specialist
Congressional Hunger Center

Chika Kondo is an expert in agrifood systems and sustainable agriculture with a PhD from Kyoto University, where she researched organic farmer–consumer partnerships. Her career spans multiple facets of the food system, from urban farming, farmers’ markets, and culinary work to agrifood education, research, farmer network collaboration, food justice organizing, and produce retail in specialty grocery stores. She currently serves as a Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellow, designing livelihood programs centered on agroecology and value chain development while leading advocacy on urban food systems and food system transformation. In Texas, Chika is a member of the steering committee for the Coppell Farmers Market, where she works to create pathways for more people to connect directly with the sources of their food. Passionate about strengthening sustainable agriculture through meaningful partnerships, she is committed to honing her expertise in food and agriculture buying, selling, and supply chain operations. Outside of work, she enjoys urban gardening, cooking, fermenting, and pottery—seeking to engage with every step of the food journey, from seed to plate.

Manager, Intelligence Analysis
Cell CrowdStrike

Kazu Koyama has built his career at the intersection of the private sector and national security, rooted in both Japan and the United States. He is currently a Manager in the Intelligence Analysis Cell at CrowdStrike, where he leads a team of analysts investigating global cyber threat actors and delivering strategic insights for government and industry clients. Previously, he worked at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, where he managed defense contracts and helped launch a landmark U.S.-Japan co-production of an advanced missile defense system.

Kazu earned a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, graduating summa cum laude in three years. He also studied advanced Mandarin at National Taiwan University as a recipient of the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship. Outside of work, he enjoys Olympic weightlifting and rooting for his hometown Boston Red Sox.

Founder
Kaiwa

Hiroyuki Kuwana is the Founder of Kaiwa, an AI conversational partner that helps people express themselves authentically across languages. Growing up bilingual, Hiro struggled with kanji tests at Japanese school but what frustrated him most was wanting to share his stories with Oba-chan and Oji-chan without constantly code-switching to English or oversimplifying his thoughts. This personal experience revealed the gap between academic language learning and authentic emotional expression, sparking his mission to create technology that prepares people for the conversations that actually matter—sharing dreams with grandparents, expressing complex feelings, and connecting deeply with family without linguistic barriers. Finished with his Environmental Engineering degree at Brown University, Hiro has founded multiple ventures including Flybyrd, which organizes scattered feedback for B2C companies, and Destinoma, which creates tailor-made travel itineraries. Through Kaiwa, he aims to bridge the gap between knowing words and truly connecting through them, enabling genuine human connection across cultures.

Music Brand Partnerships Professional
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Todd Matsumoto is a Music Brand Partnerships Professional at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles, where he represents leading entertainment talent in the commercial partnerships space. He specializes in working with celebrity Asian talent, including top names in K-Pop, J-Pop, AAPI, and international Asian music, bridging global artists with world-class brands.

Beyond his client work, Todd serves as Co-Head of CAA’s employee resource group, Asians in Media (AIM), advancing representation and community within the agency. He also sits on the LA Next Generation Japanese American Leaders Entertainment Committee and has previously served as a Board Fellow with the Nisei Week Foundation.

Todd holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Colorado Boulder and began his career abroad, teaching English in Japan for three years to university students and professionals. His lifelong connection to travel and culture has taken him around the world, circumnavigating the globe with Semester at Sea, living and working at a children’s home in Mexico, and even hitchhiking across the United States. In his free time, Todd enjoys cooking Japanese food.

JD-MBA Candidate
University of California, Berkeley

Robert Roche is a JD–MBA candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, and an incoming associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York. His multidisciplinary career spans law, business, and social impact, with experience in startups, nonprofits, academia, and corporate law.

He began his career in agricultural operations, helping scale an early-stage venture into a biomass processing company. There, he managed a 300-acre farm and a 70-person team while reporting directly to the CEO during the company’s expansion. His role included navigating regulatory matters and engaging with policymakers on Capitol Hill. Beyond the startup, he has contributed to nonprofit and legal aid organizations and worked on corporate law matters through his legal training.

Committed to strengthening U.S.–Japan relations, Robert serves on the Northern California Planning Committee of the U.S.–Japan Council, where he organizes regional programs and events. Born in Japan and raised across Japan, China, and the United States, he brings a cross-cultural perspective to his professional and community work, bolstering his dedication to building bridges across sectors and international boundaries.

Founder
Little Well Studio

Akemi Tsutsui is an artist, cultural educator, and Founder of Little Well Studio based in Denver, CO. As an artist, Akemi has exhibited with the Denver Art Museum, History Colorado and Denver Theater District. She serves as a Cultural Consultant to the Japanese Arts Network, Storyteller for Asian Girls Ignite, and was a Co-Producer of ZOTTO – an immersive experience set to return as a touring production in Spring 2026. Akemi is a lifelong karate-ka and has competed nationally and internationally. She was a kata athlete on the USA Karate Senior National Team and National Team Coach for AAU Karate. Akemi is an instructor at her family’s karate dojo, Colorado Budokan, as well as an Adjunct Faculty at Colorado School of Mines, teaching Shotokan Karate as a for-credit class. When Akemi is not busy making art or teaching karate, she enjoys singing enka and traveling to Japan, tracing her family’s lineage.

Managing Editor, Storytelling
Microsoft

Megumi is a dual-hatted leader, serving as both Managing Editor of Storytelling at Microsoft as well as IMA to the Deputy Director of Public Affairs at U.S. Forces Japan. At Microsoft, Megumi leads global editorial strategy and launched The Monthly Tech-In, the company’s LinkedIn newsletter with over 9 million subscribers, shaping narratives that reflect depth and inclusivity. In her Air Force Reserve role, she advises commanders on public affairs strategies that strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and foster cross-cultural understanding.

Raised as a mixed-race Japanese American in Georgia, Megumi’s experiences navigating diverse cultures inspire her servant leadership style—centered on empowering others and amplifying voices. She is passionate about mentoring, cross-sector collaboration and building community, and she champions strategic communication and alliance-building through her work at Microsoft and in the Air Force. When she’s not working, you can find Megumi in the mountains year-round hiking, camping and skiing.

Manager of Joint Use Infrastructure
Hawaiian Electric

Brianne drives the expansion of 5G, cable, and broadband technologies at Hawaiian Electric, leveraging transmission and distribution assets across Hawai‘i. Previously, she served as a Senior Project Manager, leading critical electrical infrastructure projects that support affordable housing in urban Honolulu. A Mechanical Engineering graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, she began her career in power generation and now specializes in large-scale utility construction and strategic partnerships.

A dedicated advocate for women’s leadership, Brianne co-leads Hawaiian Electric’s Wahine Power Employee Resource Group, helped launch its first all-women mentorship program, and organized the company’s inaugural Women’s Conference. She serves on the boards of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association, the UH College of Engineering Alumni Association, and the Child & Family Service Guild. She also co-chairs the Mentor Hawai‘i Committee through the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i Young Professionals Program and was selected for the inaugural 2025 Onward Hawai‘i Fellows cohort. In 2021, she served as Cherry Blossom Festival Queen and received the Miss Popularity and Miss Congeniality awards. Outside of work, she enjoys golfing and spending time with her husband and their two golden retrievers.