Place your vote here!
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 January 30th, 2022, until 11:59PM EST on February 6th, 2022.
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)
Platforms:
Josephine C for President:
Hi everyone! My name is Josephine and I want to be re-elected as your NEJETAA President! I returned from Japan in 2017 after 2 awesome years in Kumamoto where I taught at Arao’s largest elementary school, which had a notorious reputation across the prefecture as having the most difficult and cute students. I moved to Massachusetts shortly after I finished my time on the JET program, and I became a member of the NEJETAA board in November 2017.
In the past 3 years, I’ve had the honour and privilege to serve as your President. I have learned a lot about NEJETAA, gotten to know you guys better, and worked hard on my goal to build a stronger New England JET community and make new connections with Japanese related organizations in New England.
Although the past two years of the pandemic have been very challenging for everyone, it has also highlighted new tools which we can use to bring people together and strengthen our chapter. Moving forward, I’d like to continue hosting virtual events, such as our highly successful Meet the Author and Tea Appreciation events to make our activities more accessible to everyone. I’d also like to host more events outside of Boston, such as our visit to the Tower Hill Botanical Garden in central MA so that we can connect in person with more of our members.
As your President, I want to continue expanding chapter membership and participation by continuing to introduce new events and leverage new resources. Moving forward, I think we can also collaborate our events and activities with other JET alumni chapters and Japanese community associations in New England to build on the momentum that we established pre-COVID to make NEJETAA better than ever. Thank you for your consideration!
よろしくお願いします！
Kayla Potter for Membership Coordinator:
Konnichiwa!
I’m Kayla Potter. I spent three wonderful years (2012-2015) in Aki City, Kochi Prefecture where I worked at 7 elementary schools and 2 middle schools, all while taking in gorgeous ocean views.
Over the last several years, I’ve moved to Boston, finished my graduate studies in international higher education, and have spent the past 5 years working as an international student advisor. Once again, I am reminded of the importance of growing your networks. I would be honored to continue working with the NEJETAA board as your new Membership Coordinator!
As Membership Coordinator, my goal is to make NEJETAA more accessible to JET alum throughout New England. During my time in Kochi, my fellow JETs became a vital social and professional network. I hope to work with the other NEJETAA Board members to better reach alumni throughout the New England region and help those alumni continue to strengthen both the NEJETAA community and their own professional networks. Our membership rolls and new member outreach efforts need updated and made more user-friendly. Additionally, I hope to see the NEJETAA Facebook page and our regional state pages to become a more active place for community, coordination, and discussion.
I hope to meet each and every one of you in the coming year!
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!
Sabrina Cramer for Webmaster:
Hi! My name is Sabrina and I'd love to continue being your webmaster! I spent an amazing year in Gunma Prefecture from 2015-2016. After returning from Japan, I represented NEJETAA at various events such as the annual JET Q&A at the Boston Children's Museum and JET Pre-Departure Orientation before moving South.
While living in North Carolina, I was an area chapter lead and the Social Media Coordinator for JETAASE, before taking over as secretary for a year. I established their Instagram presence, updated the website, and led recruitment events. I have been maintaining JETAA websites for 3 years now using several platforms, Wix and Squarespace, and am very tech savvy. I look forward to continuing to update NEJETAA's website, newsletters, and social media accounts!
Place your vote here!
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 June 15th, 2021, until 11:59PM EST on July 1st, 2021.
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
Platforms:
Giuliana Alfinito for Vice-President:
Hi everyone, my name is Giuliana—I’m currently your Vice President of the New England JET Alumni Association (NEJETAA) and I am running for re-election. I lived in Shingu-shi, Wakayama-ken from 2017 to 2018.This last year has been one unlike any other. As we move forward into summer, many of us look forward to reuniting with our fellow JET alumni for in-person events. However, as we’ve learned over the course of the pandemic, hosting virtual get-togethers can help create a more accessible and inclusive member base, especially for those of us who lead busy lives, live far from our hub in Boston, or who have families. As your Vice President, I will work to ensure that we maintain a balance between both types of events, so that we continue to connect with the broader NEJETAA community. As your representative, I welcome any feedback, ideas, or thoughts you may have about NEJETAA can best serve you. Feel free to email me at giuliana.for.vice.pres@gmail.com.May we seen one another again soon, but on-screen and off! よろしくお願いします! -Giuliana Alfinito
Matt Castle for Social Chair:
Hi all, I’m Matt Castle and I’m running for re-election as Social Chair! I was an ALT in Yamanashi-ken from 2011-2013. Prior to my current stint as social chair, I previously served on NEJETAA’s executive board from 2013 to 2018, including 3 terms as Vice President. During this past year on the board, I’ve helped in planning numerous events, from our Shinnenkai, Virtual Tea Tasting, to the meet the Author events, and game nights.
As Social Chair, I plan to continue to prioritize events that allow NEJETAA to reach out to members throughout all of New England. In the short term, I intend on continuing Zoom/online video social events that we started during the pandemic. These digital events have been great in allowing us to engage our membership without regards to geography. As we move into the summer, I’m also planning to find ways for us to safely gather in person, particularly through things like hiking and other forms of outdoor gatherings. I’m also looking to resume our annual ski trip this winter, though the form it will take will be dependent on the course the pandemic takes in the fall and after. I look forward to continuing to serve you all as your Social Chair for another year.
Jesse Kerstetter for Treasurer:
I've been the NEJETAA Treasurer for three years. I would like to continue my work as Treasurer and continue my involvement and support of our chapter. I hope to continue to build upon the institutional knowledge I have for this position working with our local NEJETAA leaders and community, as well as the larger JETAA community and CLAIR. Having relocated to Providence in the past year, I'm interested in seeing how the JETAA community will continue to grow and form across New England. I served as an ALT in Odate-shi, Akita-ken from 2006-2010. Thank you for your consideration ~ よろしくおねがいします!
Have you been thinking about getting more involved in NEJETAA, but you’re not sure how? Do you want to make friends, stay connected to your time on JET, and be involved in the Japan community in Boston? Now is your chance!
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!
What we need: *Less than 200 words *Self-introduction, including where and when you were on JET *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 spring elections here.
Members will be voting for Vice-President, Treasurer, and Social Chair (refer to officer duties listed below).
Positions are normally for a one year term, no term limits. Officers are expected to attend as many of the executive meetings (held as necessary) and general meetings per year as possible, with 50% attendance as a minimum.
The NEJETAA Officers Position Descriptions:
1. Vice President The VP provides both leadership and follow-through on projects planned during meetings, and makes sure that we are fulfilling all our obligations as a JETAA chapter. In addition, the VP is the point person for any NEJETAA sub chapters in New England. Another important responsibility of the VP’s is to provide support to all the other officers. Specifically, this means: working with the membership/ marketing coordinator to increase and track membership; taking on the duties of the president when the president is unavailable; and balancing the powers of the treasurer by checking our bank account. Finally, the VP will prepare the agenda for all NEJETAA general and officer meetings.
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 February 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. Social Chair The Social Chair oversees the logistical planning of NEJETAA events, such as General Meetings, Nihongo Dakes, Shinnenkais, and Happy Hours. The Social Chair advertises upcoming events and works in coordination with other officers to recruit new members. He or she also collaborates with the Membership/Marketing Coordinator to develop activities to increase member participation after the annual membership survey. The Social Chair should attend at least half of all official NEJETAA events.
Run, run, run!
Please send your platform to Josephine at president@nejetaa.com by June 1st.
Thanks, and we’re looking forward to hearing from you!