JETAA USA National Conference (NatCon)
JETAA USA organized this year's NatCon with JETAA Chapter Florida JETAA (FLJETAA). Please see below for a recap of 2026 NatCon below.
Recap
As the 2026 JETAA USA National Conference (NatCon) came to a close, this year’s delegates left with fresh ideas, meaningful conversations, valuable insights, and new connections. From Thursday, August 6, to Sunday, August 9, JETAA Chapter leaders from the United States, Canada, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago, along with ecosystem partners from across the United States, gathered in Miami, Florida. This year’s NatCon was hosted by the Florida JET Alumni Association (FLJETAA) and the Consulate General of Japan in Miami. The conference theme was “Local Leaders, Global Minds: Advancing U.S.-Japan Ties One Community at a Time.”
Embassy of Japan Minister of Public Affairs Masatsugu Odaira and Japan Local Government Center/Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, New York (JLGC/CLAIR NY) Executive Director Ken Fujino provided opening remarks alongside JETAA USA Country and Florida JETAA leadership. Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA) and USJETAA (U.S. Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Alumni Association) sponsored the Keynote Fireside Chat, moderated by Shanti Shoji (Kagawa, 2002-2004) with Keynote Speaker Liz Brailsford (Niigata, 2004-2007). This year’s Keynote’s title was “How Local JET Alumni Leadership Strengthens Global Ties.” During the Keynote, Liz inspired delegates by sharing concrete steps to strengthen their Chapters’ impact locally and emphasizing the pivotal role of JET alumni as Citizen Diplomats in their communities. During the Friday evening reception, NatCon delegates were also honored to have Consul General Junya Nakano attend and kick off the evening with welcome remarks from the Miami Consulate.
Delegates also learned about opportunities to connect with other U.S.-Japan organizations ranging from the nonprofit to private sectors including the Laurasian Institution, National Association of Japan America Societies (NAJAS), and Quick USA. Session topics included strengthening JETAA Chapters’ relationships with their local embassies/consulates and exploring how returning JET alumni can lead to a stronger pipeline for recruitment and engagement with Japanese companies. JETAA USA’s sister organization USJETAA’s Executive Director Jessyca Livingston (Hokkaido, 2003-2006) provided an overview of USJETAA national activities and programs in addition to a presentation co-led by USJETAA Database Manager Peter Weber (Saitama, 2004-2007) and JET Alumni Association of Northern California (JETAANC) President Melissa Golden (Hokkaido, 2007-2012) on developments regarding the pilot national U.S. JET alumni database project. Other conference sessions included focus groups delineated by JETAA Chapter roles and breakout groups divided by topics such as eliminating leadership burnout, promoting sub-chapter engagement, discussing follow-up on the USJETAA database project, and increasing outreach to JET alumni from all generations.
Like last year’s NatCon, all attending JETAA Chapters provided brief presentations reporting on their Chapter successes and challenges. JETAA USA also shared a pre-recorded presentation from JET alumni leaders from the incoming 20th JETAA Chapter in the United States, JETAA Guam. The JETAA USA Chapter Council Session included highlights of JETAA USA activities and initiatives presented by Country Representatives Vivian Chen (Shimane, 2016-2018), Ryan Hata (Tottori, 2014-2017), and David LaCharite (Kagoshima, 2012-2016). The Matthew Gillam Award for Dedicated Service was presented to Alaska JET Alumni Association (AKJETAA) leader and current Treasurer Lea Rueter (Nara, 2008-2009) for over a decade of dedicated service and exemplary work bringing JET alumni across the state together into a thriving community.
JETAA USA would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the fantastic NatCon Host Chapter FLJETAA executive leadership team of President Cori Hallock (Hokkaido, 2007-2008), Vice President Virginia Montiel (Nagano, 2016-2020), Treasurer Allan Mordetsky (Saitama, 2005-2007), and Secretary Paola Torres (Gunma, 2015-2019) for putting together an invigorating and productive conference experience. We also want to thank other FLJETAA alumni supporters and volunteers from the Florida International University Japan Club. JETAA USA would also like to express our utmost gratitude to our conference partners, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA), Embassy of Japan, JLGC/CLAIR NY, Sasakawa USA, USJETAA, Laurasian Institution, Quick USA, and NAJAS for conference sponsorship and steadfast support for this year’s NatCon.
Lastly, we would like to give a special shout-out to all of our wonderful session speakers and facilitators we have not acknowledged yet: Aina Kondo, Yukako Harada, Samantha Corpuz (Gunma, 2012-2016), Matthew Gillam, Takeshi Yamagishi, Alexandra Melillo (Toyama, 2012-2015), Ryan Okada (Shiga, 2007-2012), Ryan Whitson (Shiga, 2002-2006), Bianca Sanchez Alvarez (Hiroshima, 2016-2018), Shuaib Syed (Okinawa, 2017-2019), Camille Marks Kelly (Nagasaki, 2019-2021), Miriam Lochan (Miyagi, 2018-2022), Tai Lam (Saga, 2 years), Jessica Record (Hyogo, 2015-2016), Veronica Mashek (Ehime, 2008-2009), Michael Coleman (Ibaraki, 1997-2000), Emily Kondo (Tottori, 2023-2025), Joe Mignano (2010-2014), Kathie Hagy (Akita, 2010-2012), and Patrick Fallon (Kumamoto, 2021-2022).
大変お疲れ様でした！また来年よろしくお願いします。
