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Executive Committee Honorary Chair, Shinji Watanabe - Consul-General of Japan in Nashville Shinji Watanabe is the current Consul General of Japan in Nashville, who assumed his role in April 2024, previously serving in Denver and Sweden, focusing on strengthening U.S.-Japan ties, supporting Japanese companies (Bridgestone, Nissan, etc.), and fostering cultural exchange in his five-state jurisdiction (TN, AR, KY, LA, MS). Chair, Rene DeBerdt - Denham-Blythe Rene is a Construction and Development Manager and is celebrating 28 years of successful project management with Denham-Blythe Co., a design-build construction company which specializes in industrial and commercial facilities. Born and raised in Japan, Rene moved to Michigan to study engineering. In 1991, Rene accepted a position with Toyota Tsusho that allowed him to utilize his language and cultural knowledge of Japan. Working inside the Georgetown Toyota facility for Japanese Toyota engineers and equipment builders opened his eyes to the challenges of differing cultures and languages. Other Toyota facilities in England and Canada soon requested his assistance to successfully complete new production lines. Rene started at Denham-Blythe Company in 1997 as a project manager and has managed many projects throughout the United States and Mexico. His current position as Construction and Development Manager is allowing him more opportunities to assist Japanese clients in fulfilling their expansion needs and making their facilities operational. Vice-Chair, Keitaro Nomura - Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Secretary, Kay Sargent - Lexington Sister Cities Kay is the Executive Director of Lexington Sister Cities, a program that fosters global connections between Lexington and communities around the world. Under her leadership, Lexington maintains partnerships with Deauville, France; County Kildare, Ireland; Shinhidaka, Japan; Newmarket, England; and Jeju City, South Korea. In her role with the Lexington (KY) Sister Cities Commission for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Kay oversees all local Sister Cities programs and international exchanges. She plays a key role in welcoming foreign dignitaries, supporting international tourism efforts, and strengthening Lexington’s global presence on both national and international levels. Kay serves on the boards of Sister Cities International, the Sister Cities International Foundation, and the Sister Cities International Honorary Board. She is also the SCI Kentucky State Representative for the organization and helps with the Finance and Membership Committees. Kay is active in many civic and community affairs and serves on committees and boards with various local and state organizations. Treasurer, David Kidd - Fifth Third Bank David is Senior Vice President at Fifth Third Bank. Prior to his banking career, David was in corporate sales at AT&T. In addition to being a board member of JASK, Mr. Kidd is also the current President of the Lexington Children’s Theatre, sits on the Shriner’s Hospital Corporate Council, the board for United Way of the Bluegrass, and is a coach for 4-H Shooting Sports. He is also on the selection committee for Leadership Kentucky and on the steering committee of Leadership Lexington. Marketing, Yukie Cooper - Gray Construction Yukie serves as Manager, Economic Development at Gray Construction, where she leads the company’s economic development strategy and key initiatives. Headquartered in Lexington, KY, Gray Construction is built on a strong family legacy and is recognized globally for delivering fully integrated industrial services, including engineering, design, construction, digital solutions, equipment manufacturing, and real estate development. With a strategic network of 20 offices across the U.S. and internationally, Gray provides the scale and expertise to support projects ranging from large, complex developments to small and mid-size facilities across the country. This broad footprint, paired with highly skilled and versatile teams, enables Gray to consistently deliver exceptional results in core markets such as Food & Beverage, Manufacturing, Advanced Technology, Data Centers, Distribution, and Commercial sectors. Having delivered more than 380 Japanese projects in the U.S., Gray remains deeply committed to supporting both new and long-standing customers throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Chair Emeritus, Bill Quenemoen - Denham-Blythe Bill served as the Chief Executive Officer at Denham-Blythe Company until 2023. Since stepping down from that position, he has been engaged in a business development role with the company. Bill graduated with his BSCE from Ohio State in 1993 and subsequently obtained his master's degree in civil engineering and an MBA at the University of Kentucky. He enjoys structural design work and is a registered professional engineer in several states. He also serves on the Chrysalis House Board of Directors, another Kentucky-based non-profit organization. Operations, John Ferguson - Pro Tech Quality Solutions John is the President of Pro Tech Quality Solutions, an industry leader in third party quality assurances services including Containment, Sorting, Rework, Launch Assistance, Representation and Problem Solving. Robert L. Brown - Lynch, Cox, Gilman & Goodman Robert represents domestic and foreign companies reach customers in overseas markets. Robert is chair of National District Export Council appointed by US Secretary of Commerce. He is also chair of Kentucky District Export Council, and treasurer of Sister Cities of Louisville. Robert has previously served as chair of the Kentucky World Trade Center, chair of the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana, and chair of Crane House, a leading Asian cultural and business society. On a global scale, he is chair of the American Bar Association, Section of International Law and its 20,000 members in over 100 countries. In addition to a law degree, he has earned MBA and MS in urban economics (Louisville), MS in Japanese business (Jochi University in Tokyo), and two PhDs in law and development (University of Cambridge and The London School of Economics and Political Science). Recently, he completed an LL.M. in world trade from the University of London. He has also passed the CPA exam. He is admitted in Kentucky, New York, California, District of Columbia, England and Wales, and Hong Kong. From 1990-1993, he was admitted as a foreign lawyer in Japan. Karen Wheeler - Suntory Global Spirits Karen Wheeler serves as the Community Relations & Operation Support Coordinator at Suntory Global Spirits, where she is committed to promoting employee engagement and enhancing community involvement. She plays an active role on several Board of Directors, including JASK, where she leverages her expertise to support and improve local initiatives. Her previous community service includes valuable contributions to the United Way of the Bluegrass and Frankfort Chamber of Commerce. With 25 years of leadership experience, Karen has held key roles at Coca-Cola, Bank One (now part of Chase Bank), and the U.S. Army. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree from Midway College. As a proud U.S. Army Veteran, Karen is also a graduate of Leadership Kentucky (2018) and has been honored with the esteemed Lisa Murrell Award, recognizing her dedication to leadership and inspiration. Board Members Jeff Ayotte - Hitachi Astermo Automotive Systems Hitachi Astermoi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc., is a Tier 1 supplier of world-class products to the global automotive market. The company operates ones sales and research and development office, one aftermarket sales office, and three manufacturing facilities in the United States. Mikiko Blosser - Toyota Tsusho David Bugg - Toyota Kiki Creech - Asahi Bluegrass Forge Corp. Creech is the Vice President of Asahi Bluegrass Forge Corporation, where she has dedicated nearly 22 years to the company’s growth and success. Originally from the Shonan area of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Kiki moved to the United States in 1991 as an exchange student in North Carolina. Her professional journey reflects her strong work ethic, cross-cultural perspective, and commitment to excellence in manufacturing. Outside of work, Kiki enjoys a fulfilling family life as a proud mother of a son and daughter, and a doting grandmother to two beautiful grandchildren. Michelle Deans - Cherry Bekaert Michelle Deans is a Director of Assurance Services at Cherry Bekaert, Michelle focuses on audits, reviews and compilations of financial statements for the industrial manufacturing and retail industries, including automobile dealerships. In addition to traditional assurance engagements on financial statements, Michelle specializes in employee benefit plan audits for a variety of clients in various industries. Michelle has a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Kentucky and is a native of Lexington, Kentucky. Vanessa Grossl - Council State of Governments Vanessa is JASK's Young Professional JET Programme Representative. She is a Policy Analyst at the Council State of Governments. Prior to joining CSG, Vanessa worked in Multicultural Affairs with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Prior to her time as a civil servant, Vanessa spent nearly a decade as a foreign language teacher. She was a JET Programme participant in Tahara, Aichi for 5 years from 2006-2011 before serving as Vice President and President of the Kentucky Association of Japanese Language Teachers. While in Japan, Vanessa also worked for the U.S. Embassy in Japan at the USDA’s Agricultural Trade Office where she collaborated with foreign governments on a number of initiatives and coauthored several reports, including the 2007 Exporter Guide. Bob Helton - At-Large Masamichi Inoue - University of Kentucky Masamichi is an Associate Professor of Japan Studies at the University of Kentucky. Since the mid-1990s, he has been conducting a series of anthropological and cultural analyses of the U.S. military base issues in Okinawa. Masamichi has initiated a project which traces, through a set of case studies, how Japanese culture has evolved since the 20th century as a global sanctuary—a transnational space of refuge, intimacy, and social critique open to social bodies with diverse gender, ethnic, national, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, he has been conducting fieldwork with the campus police to examine issues of security in the increasingly globalized environment of post-9.11 American society. “Border-crossing” as a form of intellectual enterprise mediates and unites these projects, manifesting itself as Masamichi writes Japan (including Okinawa) from a global perspective on the one hand and explore global America as a Japanese intellectual on the other. Masahito Kikumoto - At-Large Philip Koester - Waterfront Botanical Gardens Philip is the President of the Waterfront Botanical Gardens. The Waterfront Botanical Gardens was started by Botanica, an umbrella organization for the local gardening community that was started in 1993 to help enlighten, entertain, and educate the community about the botanical world. In 2001, Botanica learned that it was the beneficiary of a trust established by member Helen Harrigan, a local gardener with a desire to see a botanical garden and conservatory built in Louisville. Craig McCloud - McCloud Law Group Deven Richardson - Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development Deven Richardson is a Director of Existing Business and Community Development within the Cabinet for Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In this capacity, he is responsible for managing critical business relationships across the state and serves as the primary liaison for the Cabinet with Japanese and Korean companies. Prior to joining Team Kentucky, Deven served for three years as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State, completing a notable tour at Embassy Tokyo as a Consular and Economic Officer. Deven holds a Bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University (2019), completed the prestigious Fulbright Program at Waseda University in 2020, and earned a Master's degree from Georgetown University in 2022. A native of Kentucky, he is dedicated to maintaining his fluency in Japanese and enjoys hiking, cooking, and fitness. Shelley Theise Warren - At-Large
Originally from Newton, Massachusetts, Shelley Theise Warren is a proud graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her degree in Urban Studies. In 2016, after a successful career as a Business Consultant for real estate franchises affiliated with Prudential, GMAC, and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Shelley and her husband, Alex, relocated to Georgetown, Kentucky. Since moving to Georgetown, Shelley has actively engaged in her community, serving as the Educational Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator for JASK. She has also taken on a leadership role as the Chair of the 2024 revival of Georgetown’s Sister City relationship with Tahara, Japan. Recently, she hosted a garden reception at her home for His Excellency Shigeo Yamada in conjunction with the 2025 NAJAS conference organized by JASK, further demonstrating her commitment to fostering international connections and community growth. Randall Weber - Topy America Lori Werth - UPIKE |