Board of Directors
& Staff
David Robinson
Chairman and Director
David is a partner in the law firm of Maynard Nexsen. He is the Honorary Consul for Japan in North Carolina and a founding member of JASNC (David has also founded and is active in numerous other cross-border cultural/business/diplomatic organizations). David’s law practice assists US companies with exporting their products overseas and assists foreign companies investing in the United States. He is the sole Japanese diplomat in the Carolinas. David has been an officer and director of JASNC since its inception.
Jonathan Brewster
Director
Jonathan is a project manager on the Business Recruitment Team at the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (“EDPNC”), and served as director of the North Carolina Japan Center from 2018 – 2023. Prior to arriving in North Carolina, Jonathan spent a decade living and working in Japan, first in Shiga Prefecture during his tenure on the JET Program, and then at Fujitsu, Ltd., in Tokyo. In his current role, Jonathan manages economic development projects from all over the world (including Japan), representing companies considering North Carolina for their operations.
Eileen Cai
Director
Eileen is based in Charlotte, NC, and has more than 14 years of experience specializing in global site selection consulting, incentives negotiation, business development, FDI attraction, and U.S. location strategy with a notable focus on manufacturing. She has held leadership positions at Ernst & Young, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Eileen has a B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from the State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz.
Jon Callies
Director
Jon is President & CEO of DENSO Manufacturing North Carolina — located in Statesville, North Carolina for
the past 1.5 years in the Motor/Chasis Components Division. He spent more than 31 years at DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, Electric/Electrification Components Division with increasing responsibility each year before becoming President of Denso Manufacturing North Carolina. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Tech University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.
David "Chet" Chetwynd
Director and Secretary
Chet is CEO of JMNC Solutions, a niche management consulting firm with extensive experience helping Japanese companies succeed in global markets. He was previously an executive at Hitachi for 15 years, serving as the Vice President of Global Strategy at Hitachi Vantara while also driving the Hitachi Ltd Americas Region strategy and transformation. Chet has lived and traveled throughout Asia, learning and gaining an appreciation of Japan’s history, culture, and business practices. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of North Carolina.
Steve Cooper
Treasurer
Steve is Managing Partner at Rödl & Partner offices in Charlotte, NC and Greenville, SC. He has 40 years in Attest, Accounting, Tax Compliance and Consulting, primarily in: Manufacturing, Automotive, Medical Products, Advanced materials, Distribution, and Construction. Steve graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Accounting, and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in South Carolina and North
Carolina.
Julia Lattarulo
Director
Julia is a proud North Carolina native who graduated from The Catholic University of America with a double degree in History and Politics. She participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET
Program) and lived in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. Upon returning from Japan, Julia continued her involvement with the Japanese Community through JASNC, dedicating her time as a volunteer and now as a Board
Director. She is currently Treasurer for JET’s SouthEast Alumni Chapter. Julia is a Real Estate Broker with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Pinehurst Realty Group.
Marco Machi
Director
Marco is originally from Rome, Italy. He moved to Raleigh in 1996 and has since held executive positions within ABB, Hiitachi and other large multinational groups, working closely with Japanese corporations
and commercial partners in the energy and industrial automation space. Marco lived and worked in Tokyo from 2013 to 2018 as head of APAC/Japan sales & business development. During his time in
Tokyo, he established long strategic collaborations with local customers and partners. Marco now lives in Raleigh with his wife Yuko, working as Hitachi America executive in the energy sustainability business.
Tim Newlin
Chair Emeritus
Tim is currently working with a number of non-profit organizations, after over three decades of banking and investments. He is a founding member and has been a board member of JASNC since 2015. He spent 2 years as treasurer and the past 6 years as Chairman.
Yoshinori "Joe" Sakai
Director
Joe is originally from Yokohama, Japan and has lived in the U.S. since 1985. He retired after 40 years in the Automotive industry. He worked for TE Connectivity, formerly known as Tyco Electronics, automotive group, for 38 years. He was an expat in Singapore as General Manager of ASEAN automotive group, responsible for plant operations, sales & marketing, engineering and financial. Joe is grandfather
to seven grandchildren. He also serves as Chairman of the Japanese School (Raleigh).
Remington Scruggs
Director
Remington is a Relationship Manager in PNC’s Commercial Banking Group, responsible for delivering banking products and services to Commercial companies within the Charlotte Market. Remington has
been active in the banking industry for the past five years, and is a trusted advisor with experience in providing clients strategic and forward-thinking advice for their business and growth. He attended
Appalachian State University in Boone, NC where he received a B.S. in Business Administration in Accounting. He also earned a Master of Science in Accounting.
Miki Walker
Director
Miki graduated from college in California and moved to the RTP area in the summer of 2001. She worked as an administrator for 5 years and became a housewife after giving birth to her son. She worked part-time as an interpreter and tutor when her son entered school. She is co-leader of the Bon Odori Club which performs events at festivals, schools, and retirement communities.
Akira Negi
Director
Seiko Okada
Director
Michi Calcagno
Executive Director - Staff
Michi is a New Jersey native, who spent 20 years in California working in the telecommunications industry, before moving to Raleigh in 2019. Her professional career includes roles in marketing, operations, product development, and program management. She attended Middlebury College's Japanese language summer immersion program before spending her junior year of college studying at Sophia University in Tokyo. Her undergraduate degree from Lafayette College is in Economics, and she has an MBA from Cornell University.
