We are pleased to welcome the following new members to the Council (joined in August 2025):
Hawaii
- Scott Kikkawa (Honolulu, HI)
Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Eric Fujimoto (Aiea, HI)
Private Wealth Advisor, Ho`ea – Wealth Advisory Group - Liya Safina (Honolulu, HI)
Creative Technologist & Digital Designer, Google - Mark Levin (Honolulu, HI)
Director, Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Program, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - Joan Pan (Honolulu, HI)
Associate Director, Center for Japanese Studies, School of Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Japan
- Taku Furusato (Tokyo, Japan)
CEO, Fleet - Kaito Hasegawa (Tokyo, Japan)
Caregiver - Yoshi Okamoto (Tokyo, Japan)
Representative Director, Renaissance Philanthropy Japan - Aaron Snipe (Tokyo, Japan)
Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Tokyo - Satoshi Usami (Tokyo, Japan)
Data Scientist, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
New York & Vicinity
- Jared Poelman (New York, NY)
Director of Engineering, Braze
Midwest
- Miyako Shinyong Yamamoto (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
Consultant
Pacific Northwest
- Megumi Kato (Portland, OR)
Senior Director of Brand and Innovation, Portland Japanese Garden
Southeast
- Lexington Whalen (Atlanta, GA)
Graduate Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology - Sean Kim (Panama City, FL)
VP of Strategic Partnerships, Bay County Chamber of Commerce
Southern CA & Southwest
- Luanne Kanzawa (San Diego, CA)
Executive Director & CEO, Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum of San Diego - Rei Kitagawa (San Diego, CA)
Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. - Maya Hojnacki (Pleasanton, CA)
Founder, AltSource Global, Inc. - Akemi Look (Los Angeles, CA)
JX Co-Chair, LA Next Generation JA Leaders Initiative
Texas & Vicinity
- Tetsuo Ashizawa (Seabrook, TX)
Professor Emeritus, Houston Methodist Research Institute