Now that JETAA NY is an official 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, we are required by law to have a real live Board of Directors, and on September 27, the new Board held its first official meeting. Here’s a brief intro to each of your Directors.

Tony McCormac (Gifu-ken, 1998-99)
Chairman of the Board
Tony served as JETAA NY Treasurer from 2005-07 and in that role became the point person for moving JETAA NY to 501(c)(3) status. He currently works for Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions as Director for International Business Development and lives in New York.

Sara Beinert
Sara, the only non-JET alum member of the Board, is currently Major Gifts Officer at the Center for Constitutional Rights. Previously, she was Manager of Individual Gifts at the Brennan Center for Justice, and Special Events Manager at the Ms. Foundation for
Women. She also serves on the Board of Women in Media and News.

Joshua Safier (Oita-ken, 1991-92)
Joshua is the Director of the Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business at the Columbia Business School and has fourteen years of experience in the field of higher education with particular expertise in intercultural learning and exchange. He also heads Columbia University’s Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

Evan Hyman (Osaka-fu, 1995-96)
Evan served as JETAA NY Secretary from 1997-98. He currently works as a Product Manager at Mitsui Foods International, heading up marketing efforts for the company.

Shannan Spisak (Kanagawa-ken, 1996-98)
A former JETAA NY President (2002-05), Shannan is serving her second term as one of JETAA USA’s two Country Representatives and has been deeply involved in efforts to obtain 501(c)(3) status in all of her roles. She has also served as JETAA NY Database Manager since 2005. Shannan currently works as an assistant in the Barnard College President’s office.

Jennifer Olayon (Nagasaki-ken, 1999-2000)
Jennifer served as JETAA NY President from 2005-07 and helped manage JETAA NY’s efforts to obtain not-for-profit status. She currently is a senior program officer at Columbia Business School’s Center on Japanese Economy and Business.

Katrina Barnas (Chiba-ken, 2001-02)
Kat served as JETAA NY Vice President from 2005-07 during which time she was actively involved in the efforts to obtain not-for-profit status. She is currently a senior program manager at the Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business at Columbia Business School.

Robert Tuck (Miyagi-ken CIR, 2003-05)
Robert is the current JETAA NY President and previously served as Secretary in 2006, working closely with the former officers on not-for-profit issues. He hails originally from Durham, England and is pursuing a Ph.D. in modern Japanese literature at Columbia.