& U.S.-Japan Council (Japan)

2019 Annual Conference
ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS
Eleni KOUNALAKIS

Lieutenant Governor, State of California

Ambassador Kounalakis was sworn in as the 50th Lieutenant Governor of California
by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2019. She is a native Californian and the firstwoman to be elected as the state’s lieutenant governor. From 2010 to 2013, Ambassador
Kounalakis served as President Obama’s Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary. She
was the first Greek American woman—and one of America’s youngest—to serve as U.S.
Ambassador. She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an MBA from UC Berkeley andan Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the American College of Greece.

Christopher J. DODD

Senior Counsel, Arnold & Porter; Former Chairman & Chief Executive Oﬃcer,Motion Picture Association of America

Senator Dodd brings strategic counsel to Arnold & Porter’s clients seeking to address
governmental, political and business challenges. Senator Dodd previously served in theU.S. Congress for more than three decades. He was Chairman of the Senate Committeeon Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and on the Committees on Foreign Relations(including its East Asia subcommittee) and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Laws
that he authored include the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection
Act, as well as the Family and Medical Leave Act. After leaving government service in2011, Senator Dodd joined the Motion Picture Association of America.

Kenichiro MUKAI

Minister, Head of Chancery, Embassy of Japan in the United State of America

Serving in his current role since August 2018, Mr. Mukai oversees general affairs, including
VIP visits between Japan and the United States, annual events at the Ambassador’sresidence, and strengthening relations with states, governors and Japanese American
communities. An Arabic-speaking diplomat, he has held positions that include: Deputy
Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Egypt; Director of the First and Second Middle East
Divisions at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Minister-Counsellor, Embassy of Japanin Iraq; and Counsellor, Japan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. He holds aB.A. from Kyoto University and studied at University of Michigan.

Maika ITSUNOTOMODACHI Program Alumna
Ms. Itsuno is a fifth-year medical student at Keio University in Tokyo, currently conducting
neurophysiological research while doing her clinical rotations. She participated inthe TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program while in high school, and theTOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program while in college. Inspired by herexperience, she has since explored opportunities across many areas of interest. Most
recently, she participated in the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar, where
she took part in a program with young scientists from all over the world. Wishing to pay
forward to the TOMODACHI community, she helped organize the first TOMODACHI
Generation Summit.
*Ms. Itsuno is speaking on the “Investing in the TOMODACHI Generation” panel.

Natsumi KOMATSU

TOMODACHI Program Alumna

Ms. Komatsu is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering at Rice University. She received her bachelor’s degree in applied physics at
Keio University in Japan. She spent her junior year at Rice University participating in an
exchange program supported by the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship
Program. She also participated in the TOMODACHI STEM @ Rice University for Female
Students Program in 2017. She researches carbon nanomaterials for next-generation
semiconductor and renewable energy devices.
*Ms. Komatsu is speaking on the “Investing in the TOMODACHI Generation” panel.

Jinko GOTOH

Animation Producer & Consultant; Vice-President, Women in Animation
Ms. Gotoh has 25+ years of experience in the animation industry, with an emphasison the evolution of animation and CGI. She is currently producing a Netflix animatedfeature called Escape from Hat. Her screen credits include the upcoming Klaus, The
Lego Movie 2, The Little Prince, The Illusionist, 9, Finding Nemo and Space Jam. She has
worked at Disney Feature Animation and Pixar. She serves as Vice-President for Womenin Animation, which aims to advance women and people of diverse backgrounds in theindustry. She earned a B.S. in Applied Math and an MFA in Film from Columbia University.
*Ms. Gotoh is speaking on the “Women’s Dialogue: Effective Leadership in Today’s CompetitiveWorld” panel.

Caitlin HATA

Fermentation Sous Chef
After taking cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, Ms. Hata moved to North
Carolina and began working at fine dining restaurants. She joined Herons in theUmstead Hotel in Cary, and then worked at [ONE] Restaurant in Chapel Hill as chef departie. While there, her interest in fermentation grew, and she received her first SCOBY(Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) from Co-Executive Chef Kim Floresca. Ms.
Hata joined Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Beverly Hills as chef de partie in 2015, and laterjoined Christopher Kostow’s Charter Oak restaurant in Napa Valley. She began working
at The Manufactory in 2018.
*Ms. Hata is speaking on the “Fermentation: Food as Medicine” panel.

Julie WOLFSON

Journalist / Theatre Artist
Ms. Wolfson is a freelance writer and theatre artist who explores the creative process bytelling stories about talented people who make amazing things. Her work as a journalist
is driven by whisky distillers, coffee roasters, entrepreneurs, artists and designers, aswell as musicians, chefs, and even occasional celebrities who have stories of innovationand ingenuity. As a theatre director and arts educator, Ms. Wolfson has directed plays atnumerous regional theatres and taught workshops in acting and comedy. She also holds
public speaking workshops, where students learn how to harness the power of theatre totap into their best presentational selves.
*Ms. Wolfson is speaking on the “Fermentation: Food as Medicine” panel.

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