The President is the face of the chapter, speaking at conferences and events in and outside of Japan, and the chief executive of the chapter, guiding the direction of the chapter and supporting the various Chairs as needed.  

Heather Woodward earned her M.S. Ed in TESOL from Temple University in 2018. Heather taught in China, Vietnam, and Japan before joining Rikkyo University, a private university located in Tokyo in 2019. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational technology from the University of Florida. Her academic interests include TBLT, CALL, and material development.

The Programs Chair works with the President and the Treasurer to establish a budget for events, seeks out possible speakers and groups for future events, plans event details, and more. If you are interested in suggesting an event or in joining the Events Team, please email the Programs Chair.

Mariana Oana Senda has over 20 years of teaching experience and currently teaches at Tokyo University of Science, along with two other universities in Japan. With a background in medical healthcare, and biology, and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Exeter (UK), she brings a rich interdisciplinary approach to language education. Her academic interests include educational neuroscience, empathy in English language teaching, and the integration of task-based learning to support student well-being and lifelong learning. Recently, she began their doctoral studies while continuing to actively contribute to the ELT community through workshops, conference presentations, and collaborative projects.

The Treasurer oversees all financial aspects of the chapter; this includes the funding of events, donations to other Chapters and SIGs, and planning the yearly budget. 

Courtney Scarborough has over 10 years of experience teaching English language courses to students from elementary school through university. She currently teaches at Rikkyo University in Tokyo and has previously held teaching positions at Kindai University and Kansai Gaidai University. Prior to working in Japan, she taugh in Korea, Indonesia, and the US. Her research interests include writing centers, extensive reading, and literature in language teaching.

The Educational Technology Chair promotes applications of educational technology in language teaching and organizes EdTech focused workshops/talks. The aim is to enhance the teaching-learning experiences with technology. If you are interested in promoting educational technology, please email the Educational Technology Chair. 

Sarah Miyoshi Deutchman is a Global Teaching Fellow at Tokyo International University. Her research focuses on data-driven learning, corpus linguistics, learner autonomy, and vocabulary. Her research focuses on data-driven learning, corpus linguistics, learner autonomy, and vocabulary. She's also a data science boot camp graduate and continues her studies in machine learning and NLP, with a keen interest in AI's role in education.

The Secretary maintains the official reports by the chairs each month, plans the agenda and organizes the space for officer meetings. In addition, the Secretary orders business cards for the chairs.

Robert Moriarty is an Assistant Professor at Meikai University in Urayasu, Chiba. He studied Linguistics at Duke University, moved to Aomori to teach English in 2007, and earned his M.A. in TESOL from Temple University in 2020. His research interests include game-based learning, the interaction of dopamine and learning, and extensive reading. He enjoys running and playing a variety of games when not busy helping to raise two zany bilingual daughters.

The Public Relations Chair expands the reach of the Tokyo Chapter through our various social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube. The Public Relations Chair works with the Programs Team and the Publicity Team to make sure that information about events, jobs, and more is disseminated effectively.

Liling is a Language Lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies. She received her B.A. in Sociology from UCLA and her M. S. Ed. degree in the TESOL from Temple University, Japan Campus.  Her research interests include educational technology and writing. 

The Membership Chair's main duties are to keep track of membership counts, to send welcome messages and renewal notices, and to support the Publicity Chair by providing the up-to-date membership log. If you have a question about your membership or about possible local membership, please email the Membership Chair.

Kane Linton is a doctoral student at Monash University specializing in Japanese educational policy, focusing on English foreign language (EFL) education. He teaches in the Department of Global Studies at Wayo Women's University and has extensive experience in EFL instruction, having worked on three continents and four countries. His research interests include language education policy (LEP), task-based learning (TBL), and digital tools in EFL classrooms. He enjoys hiking the Japanese Alps with his Labrador in his spare time.

The External Outreach Chair communicates with SIGs, research groups, and universities to create opportunities for collaboration on future events. Please contact the External Outreach Chair if you are interested in working with Tokyo JALT as a co-sponsor or convener.

Pharo Sok is a lecturer at Kyushu Sangyo University in Fukuoka. After earning his M.A. in History from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, he was a college history teacher specializing in transnational history. In Japan, he has been teaching English in private language schools and higher education. With research interests in foreign language enjoyment, art in the classroom, and narrative inquiry, he strives to create classrooms where students can flourish and develop at a crucial life stage in a fun, collaborative, and creative classroom environment.

The Research & Grants Chair helps ensure that our events, grants, showcase, and more include only the best research. This means that they must be skilled in research techniques and more. If you have questions or concerns about research or presentations held by Tokyo JALT or if you are interested in applying for a Grant, please email the Research & Grants Chair.

Danshiro Velasco holds a BA in English and French, a Master of Education (MEd), a second master’s degree in psychology, and a PhD in International Psychology. He is an Associate Professor at Seikei University in Tokyo, where he teaches courses on psychology, culture, and society, as well as English. He is also a Certified Psychologist from the Japanese Psychological Association (日本心理学会認定心理士), and is a mental health therapist at his own private practice. He has conducted research in the fields of psychology, intercultural communication, study abroad, and second-language learning.  

The Teaching Younger Learners chair coordinates the organization of regular events (3 times per year) for teachers of preschool through high school learners with the Younger Learners SIG and the venue. This involves finding speakers, communicating with possible presenters and scheduling events. If you are interested in helping to find great speakers and presenters at all levels or to spread the word to more teachers in both English & Japanese as well as student teachers, ALTs and JETs. Those with skills in Japanese, producing flyers and helping extend our online presence are especially encouraged to join the team.  Email the TYL Chair at TokyoJALTYL@gmail.com if you are interested.

Gaby Benthien

Gaby Benthien (BEd, MEd, EdD) is Associate Professor at Shumei University in Chiba, and Adjunct Lecturer at Chuo University in Tokyo. She has been teaching foreign languages (Japanese, German and English) to a range of age levels and in a variety of teaching contexts in Australia and Japan for nearly 30 years. 

The majority of her recent classes have been related to intercultural understanding and L2 education classes for students taking elementary education license credits. Her research interests include L2 teacher education and development, L2 motivation, socio-cultural aspects of language education, intercultural communication and understanding and study abroad. In her free time, Gaby enjoys being outdoors, being creative, and exploring Japan and other countries. Gaby is a member of the JALT Teaching Younger Learners SIG, Intercultural Education in Language Learning SIG and Teacher Development SIG and is also involved with the JACET-based Japanese Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages for Elementary school Teacher Education (JPOSTL elementary).

Ruthie Iida 

Ruthie has been living in Japan and working as a language school owner and head teacher since 1999. She is passionate about instilling learner autonomy in even her youngest learners and also about curriculum and materials design and EFL literacy practices. She is also a phonics nerd. 

Yitzha Sarwono Boon 

Yitzha has been teaching children for more than 20 years, and she worked in Indonesia before moving to Japan in 2020. Her experiences include Montessori for early young learners and kindergarten. She is now working in an Eikawa. Her interest lies in several topics like technology for EYL class and story telling in classroom.

The Editor oversees the publication of the Tokyo JALT Journal, from the initial request for manuscripts to the release of the latest issue. The Editor also maintain relations with the Editorial Review Board and is involved in the selection and revisions of manuscripts.

Jesse Reed is a lecturer at a number of universities, including Kanagawa University, Musashino University, and Tokyo Medical and Dental University. He graduated from Temple University and his current research focuses on task-based learning.

The Social Events Coordinator plans networking and socializing opportunities for Tokyo area members and prospective members. Events include drinks, dinner, discussion groups, and more.

Sophie earned an MSc in Psychology of Language from Edinburgh University. Her research interests include Cognitive Linguistics, the use of prepositions by native and non-native speakers of a language as well as Second Language Acquisition in general. She currently works at Juntendo University. Prior to coming to Japan, she taught English for Academic Purposes at King’s College London and other British universities.

The JET/ALT Coordinator works closely with the TYL coordinator and liaises with the JET and ALT community to bring Professional Development events to public and private schools JETs and ALTs. 

I am a current JET PROGRAM ALT in Miyazaki Prefecture. Part of my duties are being the T1 in Team Teaching classes, coaching students for Eiken 2 or higher, and training them to debate. I also take part as a debate judge every year, and get assigned to present at Skills Development Conferences.

Before coming to Japan, I taught at a public high school in the Philippines. I also used to teach English at De La Salle-Araneta University Language Center to Korean university students.​

Now, I am taking up MEd TESOL at Sam Houston University, Texas.

The Publicity Chair's main responsibilities are to assemble the Tokyo JALT newsletter and to update the content of the website. The Publicity Chair works with the team to ensure that all information, including job postings, event details, and more are accurate and up-to-date. If you have something for the website or newsletter, please email the Publicity Chair.

The Webmaster is in charge of keeping our link Tokyo-JALT.org up and running and also helps ensure our overall website health. If you have questions concerning issues of website design, please email the Webmaster.

The Research Workshops Chair works with the Programs Chair to organise a continuous series of bi- or tri-monthly, 90-minute Research Workshops. Presenters are invited from all over Japan to provide demonstrations and advice to Tokyo JALT members who are interested in quantitative and qualitative research methodology. Planned topics include corpus analysis, questionnaire development, Rasch analysis, and the creation of publication standard visuals.

The Vice President assists the President and helps organize annual events, such as the State of the Chapter and the Showcase.

The Facilities Chair organizes the venue for our events and acts as the liaison between venue and the Tokyo JALT team.