Dear members,

It was a somewhat quiet August with events to commemorate the end of War II, but there were PAC events with Rep. Taro Kono as well as the latest from Gaza, and a sneak preview of A Pale View of Hills. Your new Board of Directors and Committee chairs are working on an ambitious agenda for the following year, which will be a special one for the Club. Allow me to share some early details.

As noted in a previous mail, I will serve as president, Randy Schmidt as First Vice President, Avi Gokool as Second Vice President, Anthony Rowley as Treasurer, and Kathleen Benoza as Secretary. Other directors are Michiyo Nakamoto, Masayuki Watanabe, Michael King, and Taeko Nagayama, as well as Martin Fackler and Simon Farrell, who will be our Kanji. David Umeda will serve as Reserve Director.

Our Committee chairs as of August 20.

Most committees will meet at least once a month for events and informational exchange, and I encourage everyone to contact the chairpersons to express your interest. The Club needs your enthusiasm and energy, and an easy way to contribute is through our various committee activities. We are in particular looking for IT experts to help upgrade Club capabilities and those with membership marketing experience.

A major focus of the new Board will be events tied to our 80th anniversary as well as a fundraising campaign intended to ensure the financial stability of our organization. What we lack is great experience in holding something as important as an anniversary gala. As we hold these only every decade, we’d like it to be very memorable, historic, and affordable – no small brief. Separately, we lack a deep understanding of the intricacies of leading a capital campaign in Japan, which is essential for the FCCJ’s future. If you or your network can assist on any of the above areas, please contact me directly at 2024sloan@fccj.or.jp. All ideas welcome.

We look forward to working together over the next year.

Dan Sloan
President, FCCJ