Greetings from our new Officers

Elections for the Chair and Vice Chair for 2018-2019 have wrapped up, and Ms. Ashlie O'Neill and Ms. Rose Tanasugarn, respectively, will be taking on those positions.

Ashlie O'Neill, left as Chair and Rose Tanasugarn, right, as Vice Chair

Ashlie, of course, served as Vice Chair for the last two years, and Rose served on the Board of Advisors. Both have been actively involved in revitalizing JETAA International over the past few years and bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to their new posts.

Message from Ashlie:

Hello, My name is Ashlie O'Neill and I am the JETAA International Chair for 2018-2019. I completed 3 years on JET in Hyogo Prefecture from 2013-2016. I consider myself very lucky to have been placed in such a beautiful and accessible part of Japan. When I was on JET I got quite involved with Hyogo AJET and National AJET, holding a variety of positions including Block 6 Rep, Director of Alumni Relations and Vice-Chair. 

The transition from JET to life back in Sydney was a tough one but I was lucky enough to find a great community in JETAANSW. I have just recently been re-elected as the Events Coordinator for JETAANSW and I am looking forward to another year of fun events and working with inbound and outbound JET participants. Additionally, I have been serving for 2 years as the Vice-Chair of JETAA-I and I feel as though I am finally ready to step up as the Chair.

This year I am excited to work alongside the Country Representatives, CLAIR, National AJET and Alumni and external Stakeholders from around the globe to achieve great things. I personally would like to work towards building mental health support for those in Japan and work with Alumni who live in areas that do not have pre-established JETAA chapters to create a larger and more inclusive network for JET Alumni. Additionally, with the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics and Paralympics just around the corner I have no doubt that it will be a busy year for us all.

Please feel free to reach out to me at any time with ideas on how we can help chapters and alumni around the world. JETAA-I 2.0 is still a new project and we are always interested in new ways to improve and service those that we represent. 

Message from Rose:

Greetings, fellow alumni!  I'm Rose Tanasugarn.  My hometown is Los Angeles, CA, but I have lived in Kobe since 2008.  I've been a JET in Shimane twice (1990-1993 and 2003-2006), and was thrilled that my proposal to promote tourism and culture in western Shimane was selected by CLAIR in the inaugural Furusato Vision Project in Fall 2017.

Having participated in JETAA Southern California (JETAASC) activities from 1993-2003, I was fortunate to observe what a strong chapter is capable of doing for its constituents.  Drawing upon JETAASC's examples, since 2012 I have served as an officer for JETAA Western Japan (JETAAWJ), gradually fostering key relationships with CLAIR, local government officials, consular officials, and AJET leaders to provide networking events for both alumni and current JETs, mostly in the Kansai region. 

With new volunteers becoming involved in JETAAWJ leadership, I have transitioned into an advisory role for the chapter and am eager to work with JETAA-I to support chapters around the globe.  My goal is to start a new chapter for alumni in Southeast Asia and a virtual chapter for alumni who live in regions with little or no alumni presence.

JETAA-I can only be as strong and productive as we make it; by sharing best practices and working together towards mutually determined goals, we can help promote Japan's relations with foreign countries.  I look forward to your input and ideas as JETAA-I continues to rebuild and gain momentum. Yoroshiku!