What Does the National Council Do?
The AJET National Council works to enhance the lives of JET Programme participants.
We represent your views and concerns to CLAIR and the government ministries that manage the JET Programme. We do so by maintaining a close working relationship with CLAIR throughout the year, highlighted by our face-to-face forums called the AJET-CLAIR-MEXT-MIC-MOFA Opinion Exchange Meeting.
Photo of 2024-2025 AJET Committee
What Does the National Council Do?
The AJET National Council works to enhance the lives of JET Programme participants.
We represent your views and concerns to CLAIR and the government ministries that manage the JET Programme. We do so by maintaining a close working relationship with CLAIR throughout the year, highlighted by our face-to-face forums called the AJET-CLAIR-MEXT-MIC-MOFA Opinion Exchange Meeting.
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Our Projects
What we do
Committed to providing JETs with the best experience
Peer support group hotline
The AJET Peer Support Group is available to call on Microsoft Teams between 8 P.M. and 7 A.M. every night! AJET PSG is a volunteer organization, by and for JETs. PSG is a free listening and referral service, and operates with confidentiality and anonymity. Additionally, PSG is always seeking volunteers.
Providing support to AJET Groups
National AJET supports all regional AJET chapters through block organization and appointing Block Representatives to promote activity and assist in growing their local chapters. National AJET also supports AJET Special Interest Groups in the same manner.
Career and professional consultation sessions
Our consultation sessions are designed to assist JETs with teaching, language education pedagogy and provide assistance to any issues faced in work settings. We also hold career consultation sessions for JETs who would like assistance in finding work post-JET.
We Voice the Opinions and Concerns of JETs
We ask current and former JET Programme participants what issues or concerns they have regarding the JET Programme, we tailor-make a survey that we send out every year for everyone’s responses on those issues and address them to CLAIR and the Japanese government ministries that manage the JET Programme.
Maintaining the AJET Website
This website is all managed by our Webmasters. If you have any articles or found any issues with the website, please email webmaster@ajet.net
National AJET Council
Meet the Council! The team is comprised of volunteer JETs from all across Japan. Our council members come from diverse backgrounds and represent the best of the JET Programme!
Executive Members
Cadely (Kay) Paton
National AJET Chair
Cadely is a first-year JET based in Gunma, who’s passionate about amplifying grassroots voices and creating meaningful connections across cultures.
She is passionate about advocacy, previously serving as Deputy Convener of the Culture and Media Committee in the Scottish Youth Parliament. Furthermore, Cadely is currently a member of JOMOJET, a grassroots group that promotes cultural exchange and community among JETs in Gunma.
When Cadely isn’t volunteering or promoting advocacy, she can be found car camping across Japan! She is also an avid collector of manhole cards!
chair@ajet.net
Christopher Brickey
National AJET Vice-Chair
Chris aka “Brickey” is a first-year CIR (5th year JET) based in Shiga Prefecture. Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Jacksonville Florida, he was the Miami JET Program Coordinator between his stints as an ALT and CIR.
In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym, playing Magic the Gathering and cafe/izakaya-hopping.
vice@ajet.net
Spencer Stevens
National AJET Treasurer
Spencer Stevens is a fifth-year ALT teaching in Gifu Prefecture. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, he’s a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan.
He served as the Block 5 Representative of Asian Pacific Islander AJET. His hobbies include curling (competed in the 5th Japan Mixed Championship), domestic travel, and technology.
Make the JET experience your own. It’s okay to learn about all the various “ESIDs” out there, but only you know your wants, needs, and goals. If there’s something you can’t attain on your own, ask for help! You’re not alone and we’re here if you need us.
As Treasurer, Spencer wants to launch a development fund to help local AJET chapters and AJET special interest groups, as well as maintain an emergency fund for JETs in need of financial support.
treasurer@ajet.net
Non-Executive Members
Logan Keene
Director of Alumni Relations
Logan is a fourth-year ALT based in Fukagawa City, Hokkaido. A humble but motivated Kiwi from Aotearoa New Zealand. Logan likes to travel during the summer discovering new places around the island and shreds his snowboard down the slopes during the winter. He loves social events where he can catch up with friends and meet new people.
alumni.relations@ajet.net
Bryan Ho
Advertisement and Partnerships Director
Bryan is a first-year ALT teaching in Kochi City, he is born and raised in the sunny island of Singapore.
He enjoys playing music, cooking and has a passion for feeding the local stray cats. His new hobbies in Japan include fishing and camping, especially in places where you can find the most breathtaking sceneries in Japan.
advertising.partnerships@ajet.net
Jessica Wong
Director of Social Media
Jessica is commencing her fifth-year as an ALT on the JET Program in Minoh, Osaka. Jessica is originally from Portland, Oregon (USA).
Her hobbies include making coffee, going on long walks, and trying to make friends with cats she sees.
Jessica feels she has a lot to learn but is looking forward to serving the JET community as the Director of Social Media this year.
social.media@ajet.net
Kurtis Carter
Co-Director of Professional and Educational Development
Kurtis is a first-year ALT living in Iwaki, Fukushima. Originally from Sydney, Australia (G-day!). In his spare time Kurtis enjoys dancing (Waacking), going to karaoke and attending K-POP concerts. He is also a big fan of Eurovision.
Kurtis joins the AJET team already with a wealth of experience, working as a Japanese teacher in Australian secondary schools for 5 years. He honed his skills as an educator focusing on areas such as student motivation, embedding indigenous perspectives into languages, supporting Japanese background students and on student wellbeing and inclusion. Kurtis is also the Secretary and Administration Officer of the Japanese Teachers Association of New South Wales. Where he provides professional learning support and opportunities to teachers in Australia.
As a part of the AJET team, Kurtis wants to facilitate professional learning seminars to assist JETs on their language learning and educational & professional journeys.
prof.edu@ajet.net
Bobby N.
Co-Director of Professional and Educational Development
Bobby is a first-year ALT from the San Francisco Bay Area who recently graduated with a Masters in Teaching English from San Francisco State University. His passion for language and culture has led him to volunteer within State Department cultural exchanges and international student programs.
He enjoys presenting his research at various conferences which involves helping students transition into higher education and become lifelong language learners. You can see more from Bobby at Good Morning Aomori, a long standing JET run publication in addition to his work writing for USJETAAs Senpai Spotlight.
prof.edu@ajet.net
Lerato (Lee) Phiri
Director of Research
Lerato Phiri is a first-year ALT teaching at a high school in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi
Prefecture. Originally from South Africa, she holds degrees in psychology and is completing a
master’s focused on adolescent delinquency.
You can find Lerato exploring Japan’s historical sites and cuisines or binging on a Netflix series.
She looks forward to serving her role the best way possible. Post-JET, she plans to qualify as an
educational psychologist.
research@ajet.net
Cristian Valdez
Webmaster
Cristian is a third-year JET originally from Southern California, graduated from Cal State San Bernardino with a degree in Computer Systems before promptly joining the JET program. He was then placed in Takko machi, Aomori.
In his free time, he enjoys building keyboards and tinkering with retro electronics, creating engaging English computer games for his students, cycling across the countryside, and hitting the gym daily for weight training. He has also joined the local ceramics and traditional dance club, and is working on starting a cooking class to teach locals about foreign foods. Cristian looks forward to fulfilling AJET’s technical needs as webmaster for the 2025-2026 year.
webmaster@ajet.net
Hannah Fulton
Project Manager & Block 3 Representative
Hannah is a first-year ALT from the Northern California placed in Gunma.
Hannah graduated from California State University Monterey Bay in May 2024 with a B.A. in Japanese Language & Culture, and a minor in Visual & Public Art. While an undergrad student, she was able to study abroad at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, for 1 year, and this amazing experience highly influenced her to return to Japan as a JET ALT.
She enjoys reading, drawing, anime, video games, hiking, yoga, traveling, and trying new foods! She is greatly looking forward to supporting the AJET community as this year’s Project Manager and Block 3 Representative!
block3@ajet.net
Kavita Singh
Co-Director of Community Relations
Kavita is a first-year ALT based in Kyoto city. Originally from Malaysia and raised in Aotearoa New Zealand, she spent over five years in community and youth development, learning that building and sustaining meaningful connections are key to a thriving community and that snacks solve more problems than you’d think.
By passion, she is an illustrator as well as a devoted explorer of bookstores, cafés, big ideas, and the forested paths of Kyoto’s mountains, where she occasionally disappears to contemplate life or accidentally gets lost (sometimes both).
communityrelations@ajet.net
Samantha Macrae
Co-Director of Community Relations
Samantha is a fourth-year JET located in Tamba City, Hyogo. Born and raised in New York City, she attended boarding school in Connecticut before attending and graduating from SUNY Cortland with a degree in Social Philosophy and a minor in Communications.
When she’s not traveling all across Japan, you can find her eating delicious food, hiking, practicing yoga, snowboarding, baking and working out.
communityrelations@ajet.net
Shelby Keiko Trelfa
Director of Translation & Interpretation
Shelby is entering her fourth-year as an ALT in Shiga prefecture. She’s from Metro-Detroit, Michigan.
You can likely find her studying Japanese or reading Japanese novels at the nearest cafe. Her interest in learning Japanese is rooted in her Japanese heritage. When she’s not studying, she’s likely visiting with friends, running, or exploring new places.
As Director of Translation and Interpretation, she hopes to help with the flow of information and communication needed between English and Japanese.
translation@ajet.net
Block Representatives
Michealea Lemons
Block 1 Representative
Michealea is a second-year JET placed in Gojome, Akita and hails from Washington State in the US. She also serves as the current Executive Director of Charity Akita, a local non-profit that brings locals and foreigners together in the Akita prefecture. When she’s not watching anime, she enjoys studying Japanese, attending local events, trying new Japanese foods and exploring the Tohoku area.
She hopes to build a strong community for JETs across the prefectures within her block and welcomes any ideas and support!
block1@ajet.net
Osama Omar
Block 2 Representative
Osama Omar is a third-year JET from the Aizu Region, of Fukushima Prefecture. Although he is a Canadian from Toronto, ON – He was born in Bangladesh and raised in Japan, having lived 15+ childhood years in Miyazaki and Shimane, completing his Japanese elementary school graduation here.
Osama also serves as the Advisor and Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) for the Yanaizu International Association, which he helped to establish. He also serves as the Area Support Leader (ASL) for the Aizu Region, appointed by the Fukushima Prefectural Government.
He is a proud University of Toronto Alumni, having served in Executive Directorship for The UofT Japan Association and liaison with the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto.
In his free time, Osama enjoys cooking, running and playing soccer as an avid ChelseaFC Fan. He also loves travelling across Japan with his wife and daughter, while running a Food Truck business with his friend.
Through NAJET, he hopes to create a supportive community and foster meaningful partnerships by taking Japan to the world.
block2@ajet.net
Sophie Nevel
Block 6 Representative
Sophie is a fourth (soon-to-be-fifth) year JET from Chicago, IL, USA, based in Shiga prefecture. They are National AJET’s Block 6 representative as well as the head of Shiga AJET. Sophie has a passion for travel, art of all forms, and community-building, and spends much of their free time soaking in hot springs, attending local events and festivals, and exploring both rural and urban Japan.
During their remaining time on JET, Sophie hopes to strengthen the community and increase connectivity between the prefectures of Block 6, Shiga, Kyoto, and Hyogo. However, they organize events with an “all are welcome” mindset, connecting JETs and non-JET community members from across many other prefectures in Japan. They welcome any and all questions, comments, and concerns regarding life in Japan, Block 6, and/or Shiga!
block6@ajet.net
Leann Garcia
Block 8 Representative
Leann is a fourth-year JET based in Ehime Prefecture, certified Shikoku stan, and National AJET’s Block 8 (Shikoku) Representative.
Originally a science teacher and geoscientist in Manila, she spends a lot of her free time going around the island’s hidden-gem nature spots trying to view the Seto Naikai from every possible angle, and occasionally stopping at some cute cafès along the way.
Her biggest loves are summer festivals, travel, and Kagawa’s Sanuki udon. She believes that, though easily overlooked, each of the four Shikoku prefectures has a wealth of things to offer, and hopes to foster a vibrant community among Shikoku JETs based on a shared appreciation for the region that’s often difficult to describe to people who haven’t experienced it.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, issues, or insights about Shikoku JET life!
block8@ajet.net
Jocelyn Sanchez
Block 10 Representative
Jocelyn is originally from sunny Southern California and is entering her fourth-year working for the charming town of Hasami in Nagasaki Prefecture. One of her favorite things to do is go on road trips. Jocelyn has already visited 46 of Japan’s 47 prefectures and plans to cross the final one off her list soon. In her new role, she looks forward to strengthening communication and collaboration between P.A.s, local AJET chapters, and the JET communities across Block 10.
block10@ajet.net
Currently Vacant Positions
Director of Branding & Content
Block 4 Representative (Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka)
Block 5 Representative (Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Toyama)
Block 7 Representative (Osaka, Nara, Mie, Wakayama)
Block 9 Representative (Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Yamaaguchi, Tottori)
Block 11 Representative (Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Okinawa)
Please contact elections@ajet.net to apply.
