- Dec 5, 2014
Congratulations and welcome to the new NEJETAA Officers!
President: Leslie Risak Membership Coordinator: Bill Zagata Communications Coordinator / Webmaster: Tim Ogino
And a big thank you to Jenny Cheng, our outgoing NEJETAA Treasurer. Thanks for your service! お疲れ様でした！
Finally, Rachel Paulis has kindly agreed to step in as treasurer and will serve the remainder of Jenny’s term.
New officers: よろしくお願いします！
Online Voting is now open for the November 2014 NEJETAA Executive Officer Elections.
Please read the candidate platforms and instructions below. You can cast your vote on the Google Form HERE.
Alternatively, you can join us and cast your vote in person at our next General Body meeting on November 24th, 2014 to be held at UNOs Restaurant in Harvard Square (22 John F. Kennedy St, Cambridge, MA 02138) from 7:00pm.
Voting Rules:
Online Voting Instructions and Rules:
1. Each NEJETAA member is entitled to cast one ballot only.
2. You have the option to vote for a single candidate or abstain for each position
3. This poll will be open from its posting on November 17th, 2014, until 11:59PM EST on November 24th, 2014.
To be an eligible NEJETAA member (required to vote), you must:
1. Be an alumnus/alumna of the JET Program
2. Currently reside in the New England region (CT, RI, VT, NH, ME, or MA)
3. Be in good standing with NEJETAA
Please direct any questions to Matt Castle (vicepres [at] nejetaa [dot] com).
If you are interested, detailed succession and voting scheduling procedure can be found in our bylaws here: http://nejetaa.com/index.php?option=com_rokdownloads&view=file&id=539%3Anejetaa-bylaws-2013&Itemid=61
Read the Candidate Platforms Below:
Leslie Risak for President
My name is Leslie Risak and I would like to submit my name for the position of President in NEJETAA. I was a JET for 2 years in Utsunomiya city in Tochigi prefecture where I spent many hours helping in the community through things such as weekly trips to orphanages as well as community discussion panels to raise awareness in international relations. In high school I also founded and was president of the Japanese culture club for two years where our end project was a funded trip to Japan.
I have been involved in NEJETAA for the past two years and was the interim president for the last 6 months. I look forward to continuing with my platform.
I would love to see our group do more social things and possibly expand our reach into some of the other communities already active around New England (such as Showa University or Japanese Language Groups). I would really love to also help plan and coordinate some activities with our JET community and I believe as President I could have a significant influence.
I really look forward to helping NEJETAA grow! Please consider me for the President position!
Bill Zagata for Membership Coordinator
Hello, my name is Bill Zagata and I would like to continue as Membership Coordinator for the NEJETAA. I spent three years living and working in Toyama-ken as an Assistant Language Teacher and have been fortunate to live and work in Japan after the JET Programme. As the next Membership Coordinator, I look forward to working with the incoming President and committee chairs to strengthen the network of JET alumni in New England.
Over the last year we have pushed to create more inclusive and interesting events for our members. I’d like to work with the recent returnees to craft programs that will help to further their interest in Japan as well as contribute to an active and diverse membership base for NEJETAA’s future success. For members that have been returned to New England and settled into a career or continued education, I’d like to work with the Social Coordinator to program events that will maximize participation.
Thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to continue as your Membership Coordinator.
Tim Ogino for Communications Coordinator / Webmaster
My name is Tim Ogino, and I am running for the position of Communications Coordinator / Webmaster.
For the past year, I have served in this position and have posted nearly one hundred job opportunities, events, and Japan-related information promptly for our membership. In addition, I have helped to strengthen NEJETAA’s relationships and raise its profile with other Japan related organizations in the area by attending several cross-organizational meetings, which in turn provides greater opportunities for our membership.
My main goal for this year is to completely overhaul the NEJETAA website. The website is currently run on an outdated platform which is difficult to navigate and clumsy to moderate. I propose creating a new website which will be easier to navigate for members and easier to moderate for the NEJETAA’s executive board in the future.
I hope to continue my work as Communications Coordinator / Webmaster and help JET alumni connect with each other and the greater Japanese community in New England.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
Treasurer (Vacant)
If you are interested in serving as Treasurer for NEJETAA, please contact our Vice-President, Matt (vicepres [at] nejetaa [dot] com).
Call for Platforms (due by 11/16)
Become an NEJETAA Officer!
It’s time for our Fall election cycle. Want to be more involved in NEJETAA and the Japanese community in New England? Become an NEJETAA Officer! See below for detailed position descriptions.
We are asking for platforms of all interested candidates to be submitted for review by our membership. If you’re interested in joining the NEJETAA board, please submit a platform.
Positions up for election:
President
Treasurer
Membership Coordinator
Communications Coordinator / Webmaster
What we need from you:
*Less than 200 words *Self-introduction *What you want to accomplish in your time as an officer
Please don’t include any sensitive personal information (phone number, email, etc.), as your platform will be posted online for the membership to read. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just introduce yourself to everyone and tell us what you want to do! Check out platforms from last year’s elections here.
Questions and Platform submissions can be sent to Matt (vicepres [at] nejetaa [dot] com). Platforms should be submitted by Sun. November 16th.
NEJETAA will then be holding officer elections on November 24th. (You will also have the option to vote online 11/17 – 11/24, or in person, location TBD, on Mon. 11/24)
Position Descriptions below:
1. President
The President takes leadership in planning the direction of our group and events, chairs meetings, delegates responsibilities, ensures that NEJETAA is fulfilling all of its obligations as a JETAA chapter (ie. writing and submitting annual reports, etc). The President also serves as our public face by networking and making remarks at events such as the Recent Returnee Dinner at the Consul General’s home. He or she serves as a primary contact for NEJETAA. The President also oversees any educational events, such as Japanese classes or special classes to prepare new JETs.
2. Treasurer
The treasurer plans the annual budget in conjunction with all officers. The treasurer oversees any and all grant requests. The treasurer submits an initial grant request to MOFA in Februrary and to CLAIR in May, and follow up reports and receipt submissions to CLAIR in February and to MOFA quarterly. The treasurer maintains and balances the bank account; collects receipts and writes checks for any chapter expenses, and deposits any checks received within two weeks. The treasurer oversees the obtaining of price quotes and reminds officers of the budget for specific activities. The treasurer oversees any other account or platform (Paypal, etc.) which
involves money changing hands. The treasurer informs the Vice President of all passwords, logins etc of any NEJETAA financial accounts. The treasurer also supports NEJETAA events as necessary.
3. Membership/Marketing Coordinator (Clerk)
The Membership/Marketing Coordinator welcomes returning JETs and collaborates with Webmaster on best practices to finding and signing up returning JETs. Membership/Marketing Coordinator develops strategies to keep current members engaged with the organization and updated on NEJETAA events and activities and takes meeting minutes for board transparency (minutes will be distributed via our CRM, Mailchimp and posted online on the NEJETAA website.) The Membership/Marketing Coordinator welcomes new people who register with Facebook page, LinkedIn group, Mailchimp email lists or on our website throughout the year and collects membership data, which is required by CLAIR to substantiate our funding. The Membership/Marketing Coordinator oversees an annual Membership survey and advises the Social Chair on how best to develop events to increase member participation. The Membership/Marketing Coordinator will collaborate with Webmaster to develop best communications marketing plan so to maximize marketing reach, aimed at increasing membership numbers and participation.
4. Communications Coordinator / Webmaster
The Webmaster proactively manages our internal and external communications and our strong online presence. The Webmaster updates content on the website and manages all social media channels including the Facebook page, Twitter account, and LinkedIn Group. The Webmaster assists officers to post content to the website, such as job descriptions and events for the calendar. The Webmaster supports marketing/outreach with the NEJETAA website and Facebook pages to attract more users and make the site more comprehensive and resourceful. The Webmaster maintains a “back office” nonpublic area on the website for holding officer accessible documents and resources as well as a shared email account for file storage. The Webmaster collaborates with the Membership Coordinator on communications to members, membership lists and surveys.