Hi everyone,
My name is Ryan Bedford and I am the newly elected President of JETAADC for 2014-2015. For the past two years I’ve helped out the organization as its Treasurer and Executive Board member, making sure we had the funds for the many events JETAADC provides to the US-Japan community here in the nation’s capital. I’m excited to take the reins from the very capable hands of our past President, Leigh Ann Mastrini, and guide the group of officers and volunteers to another successful year.
Last year was an incredibly active and creative 12 months for the Chapter, as we established new events while continuing our more traditional activities. A highlight was JET Talks, a new speaker series inspired by TED Talks, which brought to DC people with compelling stories and close connections to Japan. We had three JET Talks events last year, including screenings and panel discussions of the films Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story and HAFU. I look forward to helping the two new JET Talks Co-chairs, Nick Harling and Maurice Maloney, carry on the good work that the inaugural Chair Shana Tischler started.
JETAADC is still looking for a few people to fill the vacant positions, so if you are interested in becoming an officer or have any questions please ask away at President@jetaadc.org. Serving as an officer is a fantastic way to stay connected to Japan and get involved with the US-Japan community. We will be having our first JETAADC event of the year this Wednesday – a happy hour at Sign of the Whale on April 30, from 6pm – 9pm – so feel free to ask any of the officers there as well. The currently vacant officer positions include:
- Social Co-chair
- JET Ambassadors
- Professional Development
- Technology, Returners Handbook
I’m excited for what’s to come with JETAADC and look forward to seeing you at our events! If you have any suggestions for activities, ideas for future JET Talks, or would just like more information on how to get involved with JETAADC, please send me or any of the officers an email; a list of emails can be found at https://jetaadc.org/officers/. Thanks for reading andよろしくお願いします!
Ryan Bedford
JETAADC President
Kumamoto JET, 2007-2010
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