2025 JETAA Chicago Election Results

Thank you to all who attended our March Open Board Meeting, cast your vote in our officer elections, or ran for a position. Our community is stronger when more voices are heard, so your presence is appreciated!

We are proud to present your 2025-2026 Leadership Team:

Gabriel Coronado, President

Lara Espinoza, Vice President

Sara Brown, Secretary

Amber Jackson, Treasurer

Alexis Palmer, Marketing Lead

Joe Palermo, Networking Lead

Congratulations to you all!

We appreciate the hard work of everyone who served in 2024 and we look forward to an exciting 2025 and beyond! Keep an eye out for the Save the Date for our annual KanSouGeiKai, a celebration of the change from one year to another!

And if you are interested in learning more about the leadership team, what we do in our local community, and how you can be involved, please contact us here!

The 2025 JETAA Chicago elections begin now!

It is election time! Have your voice heard in the 2025 JETAA Chicago officer elections and join us later today for our March Open Board Meeting(OBM)!

The platforms submitted by the 2025 candidates can be reviewed here!

Sign up to receive your ballot here!

For those interested in participating in the election, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• You must be a member of JETAA Chicago and its subchapters, claiming residency in Illinois, Indiana or Wisconsin, to vote. You will be asked to confirm your status when completing your ballot.

• All votes will be cast online using an electronic ballot. Sign up here to receive your ballot.

• Our elections are being monitored by an impartial third party from outside our chapter.

• You do not need to attend the OBM to vote.

• Voting is now open (12:00PM CST until 7:30PM CST on Monday, 3/3)! The 2025 Leadership Team will be announced at the OBM after this time.

  
  

For details on each officer position, please see the descriptions at the end of this post. We are currently looking to recruit additional officers, so if you are interested, let us know!

If you have any questions about the process, contact us at info@jetaachicago.com. We look forward to seeing you soon!

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Position Descriptions

UPDATED:2.7.25

President*

The President is responsible for the day to day leadership of the organization as a whole and making sure the board is working to fulfill the mission of JETAA Chicago. This includes ensuring transparency in operations, making sure paperwork is in order and filed on time, actively supporting all officers and facilitating the events of JETAA. It also includes personally liaising with members of the alumni community, Japan community in Chicago, MOFA, CLAIR, and JETAA USA.

Vice President

The Vice President supports their fellow officers and the membership-at-large in fulfilling the mission of JETAA Chicago. This includes collaborating with the President to guide the board, leading meetings, attending events, and monitoring activities to ensure a smooth process for the organization as a whole. The Vice President is also required to ensure that the duties of the President, Treasurer and Secretary are fulfilled should there be a time when they are unable to do so; this includes, but is not limited to, all of the responsibilities outlined in the respective position descriptions.

Treasurer**

The Treasurer is responsible for keeping the chapter within the budget, tracking donations, receipts, event expenses and event attendance throughout the year. The Treasurer is also responsible for ensuring that the entire board has a strong understanding of the yearly budget process and timeline. In February the treasurer turns in proof of expenses and activities held the previous year that use GiA funds and in June they are responsible for proposing the chapter’s expenses for the upcoming year. Making sure both reports are done accurately and in a timely manner ensures that the chapter stays active and in turn can offer support to outgoing JETs and alumni.

Junior Treasurer

The Junior Treasurer is a one year position that eventually leads to the two-year treasurer position. The Junior Treasurer will shadow the  treasurer and learn the role. They will also help with paperwork and any  other tasks delineated by the treasurer.

Secretary

The Secretary is the administrator and information manager for the organization. They manage and track files and data, and maintain historical records to ensure organizational sustainability.

The Secretary is also responsible for ensuring transparency in information sharing to maintain trust in the organization. This includes the monthly responsibility for taking minutes during meetings, making edits to them, and sending the finalized document to the board for approval before they make their way to the JET Program Coordinators at the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago for record keeping.

Activities Lead

The Activities Lead is responsible for overseeing the ongoing events and alumni engagement efforts of JETAA Chicago. This includes creating documentation for events, supporting and directly organizing events for JETAA Chicago, including social gatherings, clubs, quarterly dinners and more. The Activities Lead works to develop a wide range of activities through assisting fellow officers and other alumni with planning and partnerships with external organizations.

Marketing Lead

The Marketing Lead handles JETAA Chicago’s brand presence on and offline and focuses on organizational promotion. This includes digital promotional materials, social media posts, the monthly newsletter, website content and event collateral. Helping promote Japan-related content to the community and returning the favor for other organizations is key to maintaining visibility and strong communal ties.

Networking Lead

The Networking Lead works to connect JET alumni from all backgrounds with career and professional networking opportunities in the local, regional and national community. They are responsible for developing connections through partnerships with local businesses and Japan related organizations and coordinating events, such as the annual career development workshop, career counseling sessions and recent returnee oriented programming.

Outreach Lead

The Outreach Lead works to actively engage every level of the alumni community of JETAA Chicago. They help support the community marketing and operations strategies with  programs for a diverse alumni base, encourage and empower active/inactive alumni to get involved and serve as a connector to help build relationships that cultivate organizational growth and longevity. The Outreach Lead is also responsible for coordinating the Survival Series, the chapter’s initiative for engaging and training outgoing JETs, which usually consists of three to five events.

Philanthropy Lead

The Philanthropy Lead is responsible for fundraising efforts for JETAA Chicago and creating opportunities for the chapter to give back in meaningful ways to the Japan-America community. The Philanthropy Lead may solicit donations, apply for grants, research opportunities for supporting local partners, plan fundraisers and other philanthropic events, and ensure that all appropriate follow-up is completed.

*To run for President, you must have spent at least one year on the board.

**The Treasurer position is a two-year term.

JETAA Chicago March Open Board Meeting and 2025 Officer Elections

JETAA Chicago invites our JET alumni community to join our virtual March Open Board Meeting (OBM) and 2025 Officer Elections on Monday, March 3rd at 6:30 pm CST!

Full details for the 2025 JETAA Chicago elections are below:

The platforms submitted by the 2025 candidates can be reviewed here!

Sign up to receive your ballot here!

For those interested in participating in the election, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• You must be a member of JETAA Chicago and its subchapters, claiming residency in Illinois, Indiana or Wisconsin, to vote. You will be asked to confirm your status when completing your ballot.

• All votes will be cast online using an electronic ballot. Sign up here to receive your ballot.

• Our elections are being monitored by an impartial third party from outside our chapter.

• You do not need to attend the OBM to vote.

• Voting will be open from 12:00PM CST until 7:30PM CST on Monday, 3/3. The incoming/continuing officers will be announced at the OBM after this time.

  
  

For details on each officer position, please see the descriptions here. Even if you can't attend the meeting, we would still appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to cast your ballot and help vote in the next generation of JETAA Chicago leadership!

Sign up to attend the Open Board Meeting here!