Team

LEADERSHIP

RIE KIJIMA　Chief Executive Officer

She worked at World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa Bureau and East Asia Bureau with an emphasis on education policies such as girls education in Laos, Morocco, Tunisia, Vietnam etc., primary education for the poor and minority, to higher education, teacher training etc. Rie also interned at JICA Tunisia office as an education consultant for NGOs in Boston. Trained at Stanford d.school and Nueva Design Institute, focusing on design thinking. In 2015, Rie joined USJLP (US-Japan Leadership Program) 2015/16 Mission. Graduated International Christian University Faculty of Liberal Arts Humanities Scientists, and Stanford University School of Education Doctoral Degree (International Comparative Education). Served as a lecturer at Stanford University School of Education and Interim Director of International and Comparative Education (2016-17). Specialized fields are development education, assessment evaluation, international comparison test, educational psychology. Rie is raising two daughters in elementary school and kindergarten.

Rie and Mariko will co-instruct a course on STEAM and Design Thinking at the Stanford Summer Arts Institute in 2020.

EMAIL : rkijima@skylabo.org

KAY SHIMIZU 　 Chief Strategy Officer

Kay was raised bilingual, traveling back and forth between the United States and Japan since her childhood. She had founded and sold design type production company in Silicon Valley and Shenzhen, China. She earned a doctoral degree in Political Science from Stanford University after receiving aeducation at Seishin Women's Academy, Keio Women's High School, and PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY. After working as an associate professor at Columbia University, an Abe Fellow, and a visiting researcher at Waseda University's Department of Political Economy, she is now an associate professor at University of Pittsburgh. Based in New York and Tokyo, she supports various art exchanges as well as research. Parenting a 2 year old son who likes to play outdoors and a newly born girl. USJLP (US-Japan Leadership Program) 2015/16 DELEGATE. Visiting Researcher, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University.

EMAIL : kayshimizu@skylabo.org

MARIKO YOSHIHARA YANG　Chief Education Officer

Instructor, Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)

After graduating from Seishin Women's University and the University of California, she earned a M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University. Taught courses on qualitative method and research design at Ritsumeikan University, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Hosei University. Her research at the intersection of individuals, institutions and innovation can be found in the volumes published by the MIT Press, the Tokyo University Press and Hakuto Shobo, as well as in the Journal of Science Policy and Research Management. Co-organized the Stanford Silicon Valley US-Japan Dialogue 2016 “Womenomics, the Workplace and Women”. She raises two daughters and a son in Silicon Valley and serves on the board of Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. US-Japan Council (USJC) member since 2015.

Mariko and Rie will co-instruct a course on STEAM and Design Thinking at the Stanford Summer Arts Institute in 2020.

EMAIL : marikoyang@skylabo.org

SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD

SHELLEY GOLDMAN　　LECTURER

Professor of Education at Stanford University

She has specialized in teaching at Stanford University for over 20 years since 1994. Applying design thinking, she develops a curriculum which closely follows the needs of students, and conducts research and activities to spread STEAM education. She has worked as a professor of elementary and junior high school, an adviser to New York Public School Education, and a program director of a non-profit educational research institute (Menlo Park, California). With the support of the American Science Foundation, and the improvement of mathematics learning with a life-oriented application-oriented curriculum, she has influenced the US education community with numerous projects.

For everyone in Japan; "The world is changing rapidly now. The ability to carry out creative activities, the ability to solve problems with critical thinking, communication ability and coordination, etc., will be much more needed in near future. While touching on the latest trends in the educational world such as the use of technology in a learning environment and a design-based curriculum, I would like to think about the future education with everyone. "

CHIKATOMO HODO　SUPERVISOR

Chairman, Accenture Japan

Graduated from Stanford University's Faculty of Engineering (Master's degree in Business Engineering) and joined Accenture in 1982. Received Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Columbia University Graduate School of Management, and became a partner in 1995. After working in major roles such as strategy group general management partner, communication and high technology headquarters communication general partner, and general manager of communication and high technology headquarters, Mr. Hodo managed the Japanese market from April 2006 to August 2015 as a representative director. Retired in September 2015. He was named as one of the top 25 Japanese active runners in the Global Coordinator, which is launched by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in collaboration with the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and other related ministries. In addition, he has participated in the “IoT Promotion Consortium”, an organization which promotes technology development and creation of new businesses related to IoT (Internet of Things) in collaboration with industry, government, and academia in 2016. Also, on the basis of global trends as a Deputy Secretary of Economics Association, New Economic Alliance Secretary, and Keidanren Deputy Commissioner, he made numerous proposals to contribute to Japan's growth, etc., and actively engaged in various political and business activities on behalf of Accenture.

SACHIKO KUNO

S&R Foundation CEO

Acquired Ph.D. in Engineering from Kyoto University Graduate School of Engineering. After working as a researcher at the Munich Technical University, she co-founded R-tech Ueno Co., Ltd. in 1989 with Takashi Ueno. Involved in basic research, development research, manufacturing and approval applications, she successfully commercialized "Rescula Eye Drops", the first Prostone glaucoma preventive drug in 1994. After that, she moved to the United States, and co-founded Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and became the CEO. In the same company, she engaged in research and development of Prostone new drug, company management, and successfully commercialized chronic idiopathic constipation drug "Amitiza". Co-founded VLP Therapeutics with an aim to develop innovative vaccines in 2012. As a social entrepreneur, she founded the S & R Foundation , while she also is a board member at Johns Hopkins University and Maureen & Mike Mansfield Foundation.

DAISUKE KAN

Senior Managing Director, Cheerio Japan

While at university, he worked as an African drum performer and conducted a research about indigenous people in Hawaii. He then earned MBA from Stanford University. In addition to working on reconstructing business and updating projects at his family business, Cherio Corporation, Daisuke works on improving productivity of labor-intensive local industries, building human resource development models, and promoting diversity inclusion. Cherio is the first Japanese company to be the top sponsor of Tokyo Rainbow Pride (LGBTQ Parade) and has been in operation for four years. He is also the US-Japan Leadership Program Fellow of the US-Japan Foundation, ASIA 21 Fellow of ASIA SOCIETY's Young Leadership Program of NY, and a member of the Tofu Project which manages entrepreneurs’ community of Japan and Silicon Valley. Daisuke serves as a director of a non-profit organization E-LAB and works to stimulate children's creativity through art.

YOKY MATSUOKA

Google Nest Labs CTO

OPERATIONS TEAM

Lani Takano

Operations Manager (Silicon Valley)

Lani Takano received her B.S. in Computer Science/Math from University of California, Davis. She has designed and wrote control software for custom 　　　…READ MORE

Naomi Kurisu

Operations Manager (Japan)

She was interested in intercultural communication because of her experience of studying abroad in New Zealand, England, and Canada for a short time since she　…READ MORE

Risako Ninomiya

Project Assistant (Japan)

Interested in the subject of education and gender, in the third year of university, learn about education and childcare policy at Yale University. After returning home …READ MORE