USJC Management & Staff

The Council maintains offices in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, CA. It also has staff based in San Francisco and Tokyo, Japan. U.S.-Japan Council staff members are responsible for administering programs, implementing the decisions of the Board of Directors and promoting the Council’s mission and organizational goals.

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• Washington, D.C.
• Hawaii
• Los Angeles/San Francisco
• Silicon Valley
• Tokyo

Suzanne Basalla

President and CEO

Alison Aadland

Public Relations Manager

Wendy Abe

Director of External Relations, Hawaii Office

Shane Graves

Director of Program Development, DC Office

Yumi Hiroshima

Executive Assistant & Program Manager, Silicon Valley

Grace Kim

Program Manager, DC Office

Aya Maher

Director of Communications, DC Office

Allison Murata

Program Manager, Los Angeles Office

Merissa Nakamura

Membership Engagement and Regional Coordinator, DC Office

Sonoko Plummer

Director of Administration

Maria Sabasa

Accounting Manager

Terri Swetnam, PhD

Chief Operating Officer

Kenta Takamori

Executive Director, Silicon Valley Japan Platform

Junko Tsuda

Executive Director, U.S.-Japan Council (Japan)

Kaoru Utada

Director, Programs & Partnerships

Laura Winthrop Abbot

Executive Vice President

Gary Zottoli

Finance Manager, DC Office

Click here to learn about the USJC (Japan) and TOMODACHI Initiative staff based in Tokyo.