| chapter info
S. McIntire Allen, Chair
chair.wj@jetalumni.org
S. (Steven) McIntire Allen, or Mak, short for McIntire, was born in Yangon, Myanmar (then Rangoon, Burma) in 1963. He graduated from school in Western New York. After college, he bought a motorcycle, and drove across country to work at the Alta ski resort in Utah. He toured around the Western United States on his motorcycle, and eventually went to Europe in 1987. He worked as a ski guide at the St. Anton ski resort in Austria, and taught water skiing on the island of Skiathos in Greece. He also worked as a motorcycle courier in London, a factory worker in Sweden, and a migrant laborer in Spain.
After returning to the United States, he worked on an historical vessel, a 1920s Grand Banks Schooner, sailing around the Caribbean. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he had to get a real job. He began studying Japanese, and entered the University of Connecticut School of Law.
After his first year of law school, he took a leave of absence to spend a year in Ishinomaki, Miyagi on the JET Program in 1993-1994. Spring vacation of that year was spent hitchhiking around Southeast Asia, and visiting family friends in Yangon. Unfortunately, if he had spent more than one year away from law school, he would have had to repeat his first year, so he returned for a semester of law school in Connecticut, and then returned to Japan for a semester at Temple University School of Law in Tokyo in 1995. That summer, he worked at a think tank in Akasaka Mituske.
After graduating from law school in 1996, he moved to New York City, and sat for the New York bar exam. He worked as a contract attorney for White & Case, and then moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to work for Square USA (now Square-Enix, creators of Final Fantasy). He sat for the California bar exam, and in 2001 he moved to Tokyo to work for Asahi Law Offices (now Nishimura & Asahi). In 2005, he moved to Osaka to work for Osaka International Law Offices.
Jonathan Rankine, Vice-Chair
for Kyushu
vicechair.wj@jetalumni.org
Jonathan Rankine's professional skills in the areas of organizational training, legal and political affairs, translation, public-private partnerships, and research and analysis are complemented by his in-depth knowledge of Japanese business culture and fluent language skills in English, Japanese and French.
Mr. Rankine focuses on business-related cross-cultural areas such as interpersonal relations, team-building, project-planning and completion, negotiation, and forward thinking among clients of differing professional backgrounds, sectors and cultures. His consulting specialties include ISO-related auditing on behalf of international clients in Japan, ISO auditing and audit & documentation training/preparation on behalf of Japanese clients, translation, legal consultation – notably international law/treaty law, training needs assessment, training program development, and pre-departure and repatriation training. He is also a skilled facilitator and coach to executives and senior managers.
Mr. Rankine has a successful track record of training & consulting relationships with prominent organizations such as the Japanese Ministry of Education and the Asahi Kasei Company.
Mr. Rankine grew up in Toronto, Canada, and holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree [Political & Legal Studies] from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. He also holds an Honours Master of Arts Degree [International Relations (International Law & Development)] from the University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada, where he taught Canadian Law & Political Studies at the university while on a teaching fellowship. He further holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Local Government [Public-Private Partnerships] from the University of North Florida, Jacksonville, USA, as well as numerous certificates.
Mr. Rankine has lived, studied and worked for extended periods in Canada, the US and Japan. He has also travelled to and done business in over 40 countries around Asia, Europe, North and South America.
An avid sportsman, he holds the rank of Instructor in Scuba Diving, as well as enjoying snowboarding, golf, and martial arts. As a lover of film, books, art and music, his shelves bear the burden of collecting.
Alessandro “Alex” Stanciu, Treasurer
treasurer.wj@jetalumni.org
My name is Alessandro “Alex” Stanciu. I am 34 years old, living in Osaka, Japan and have been running a Smith’s School of English franchise since 2004.
My school is located in Fuse which is in East Osaka City in Kansai.
Smith’s School of English – Fuse
http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/fuse.shtml
スミス 英会話 布施 校 / 東大阪 市 英会話
I was born in Romania to a Romanian father and an Italian mother during the Communist Era. Our family left Romania and we relocated to Chicago in the United States when I was about 5 years old. I still speak these languages and continue to visit both countries regularly to see relatives.
I graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and joined the JET Program at the suggestion of our department dean. I had personally never heard of the JET Program but was intrigued by the idea of teaching English in Japan.
I was assigned to a very rural junior high school in Tottori Prefecture from 2000-2002 and had an absolutely amazing time!
The town is called Yurihama Cho and if you are ever in Tottori Prefecture I highly recommend visiting this area! The beaches, hot springs and mountains are amazing and you will definitely be hooked!
Yurihama Cho (鳥取県東伯郡湯梨浜町)
http://www.yurihama.jp/en/index.html
To this day I continue to keep in touch with my former co-workers as well as several students, some of whom have since gone on and graduated from universities around the country as well as overseas! I still visit that junior high school in Tottori about 3 times a year, usually making a visit on graduation day in the spring to surprise the parents and teachers.
For me, the JET Program was a life changing experience. I have written a more detailed account of my experiences here for those who are interested.
http://www.sse-franchise.com/testimonials/t27.shtml
Following the JET Program I returned to Chicago and worked as an account manager at a telecommunications company for a few years before making the decision to once again return to Japan in 2004 and join Smith’s School of English. It felt nice to be back and spending time with old friends again in Japan. I also was pleasantly surprised to find several former JET Program participants among the franchise owners! You can find several of their stories over on the Smiths School of English site as they continue to enjoy their experiences in Japan. I had a wonderful time while on the JET program, I also often joined various JETAA activities while back in Chicago and I am now looking forward to becoming involved with JETAA and making a contribution to the organization here in Japan.
Life in Japan has been a constant adventure for me and I continue to enjoy all it has to offer!
I look forward to meeting and working with other fellow JET Program participants and if I can be of any assistance or answer any questions, please feel free to contact me anytime!
Alessandro “Alex” Stanciu
アレッサンドロ “アレックス” スタンシュー
- JET Program – ALT in Tottori Prefecture 2000 – 2002
- Smith’s School of English Fuse- Franchise Owner/English Teacher 2004 - Present
- スミス 英会話 布施 校 / 東大阪 市 英会話
- http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/fuse.shtml
- JETAA Western Japan (JETAAWJ) – Treasurer 2008 - Present
JETAA By-laws
JETAA
Western Japan By-laws
Country
Representative Summary
JETAAWJ is always looking for people interested in participating as Chapter Representatives. Please contact one of the representatives above, or the Japan Country Representative for more information.