Each year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) the members of the VNCS elect an Executive Group from the general membership whose responsibility it is to execute the work of the society throughout the year. The positions are all volunteer. Below is a list of the current and past Executive Officers and Directors.
2022 Executive Officers |
Tsugio Kurushima – President
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Debbie Ibaraki – Vice President |
Ken Watai – Treasurer
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SecretaryVacant |
Mike Abe – Past President
Mike enjoys golf, shodo and sumi-e and holds a third degree black belt in Yoshinkan Aikido. He has been editor of the Victoria Nikkei Forum newsletter since 2001 and has served as VNCS president for seven years over the last ten years. |
2022 Directors |
Natsuki Abe
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Maureen Bird |
Yuuri Daiku
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Karen Koyanagi Geiger
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Reyna Goshinmon
Reyna founded her own small, independent business in 2016 and has spent the last 20 years in retail, service and sales management. She brings her experience and skill sets to the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society Board of Directors and trusts that they can be applied within the organization, to help support and promote the nikkei community. Reyna looks forward to representing the Okinawan and Japanese Canadian community, contributing to the organization and connecting with people. |
Amy Kawano
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Craig Mercer
Craig has been serving as a Director with the VNCS Board off and on since 2010 and looks after the VNCS website. |
Yukari Peerless – Communications Director
One of Yukari’s first jobs in Canada was working for the Canadian College of Film and Acting. Her interest in the theatre arts was fuelled by watching student films and participating in acting workshops. She serves as the director of communication at Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society. She also serves as a board member at Canadian College of Performing Arts where she is an active member of Cultural Safety Working Group. She is also a part of the Arts, Culture, and Education committee at National Association of Japanese Canadians. As the owner of Lucid Communication, she provides a variety of services such as interpretation and cultural consulting to Japanese and Canadian clients, including the local government and the government of Japan. Past projects and clients include ANA, Dove, Post and Disney. As a host and producer of Living Brave Podcast, Yukari enjoys showcasing Japanese and Japanese-Canadian/Japanese-American artists. Additionally, she produces a Japanese podcast focused on various social issues. Yukari is also a digital content creator and can be found across social media. |
Christina ShoreMaria Cristina Shore (Nisisaki Fukuda) is a Sansei born in Mexico City, Mexico and moved to Victoria in 1983. She has been active in the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society (VNCS) for many years participating in activities, as well as sitting on the Board of Directors and Steering Committees, and serving as President. Currently she enjoys being a member of the Furusato Dancers and bringing a touch of the Mexican-Japanese community to us with her pinata creations. Cristina works with the Inter Cultural Association of Victoria (ICA Victoria) assisting immigrants and refugees transition into the greater Victoria community and contributes a unique perspective to the VNCS. |
Past VNCS Board of Directors
2021 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Tsugio Kurushima
Vice President: Debbie Ibaraki
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Vacant
Natuski Abe (Heritage Committee)
Maureen Bird
Sandy Cohen
Mieko Fedrau (Cultural Outreach)
Lorin Goshinmon
Rieko Hatakeyama
Amy Kawano
Craig Mercer (Website Admin)
Yukari Peerless (Communications Director)
2020 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Tsugio Kurushima
Vice President: Debbie Ibaraki
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Vacant
Natuski Abe (Heritage Committee)
Mieko Fedrau (Cultural Outreach)
Lorin Goshinmon
Amy Kawano
Scott McDonald (Website Admin)
Craig Mercer (Scholarship Committee)
Yukari Peerless (Communications Director)
Bruce Yoshida
2019 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Tsugio Kurushima
Vice President: Debbie Ibaraki
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Vacant
Past President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Mieko Fedrau
Lorin Goshinmon
Amy Kawano
Scott McDonald
Craig Mercer
Yukari Peerless (Communications Director)
Bruce Yoshida
2018 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Tsugio Kurushima
Vice President: Debbie Ibaraki
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Vacant
Past President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Mieko Fedrau
Kyla Fitzgerald
Lorin Goshinmon
Hitomi Harama
Amy Kawano
Karen Kobayashi
Craig Mercer
Kana Mercer
Yukari Peerless (Communications Director)
2017 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Tsugio Kurushima
Vice President: Debbie Ibaraki
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Vacant
Past President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Mieko Fedrau
Kyla Fitzgerald (Ex-Officio)
Hitomi Harama
Amy Kawano
Karen Kobayashi
Tomoko Okada
Yukari Peerless (Communications Director)
Cristina Shore
2016 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Tsugio Kurushima
Vice President: Debbie Ibaraki
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Vacant
Past President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Mieko Fedrau
Kyla Fitzgerald (Ex-Officio)
Hitomi Harama
Amy Kawano
Karen Kobayashi
Tomoko Okada
Yukari Peerless
Cristina Shore
Jeff Tanaka
2015 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Vice President: Cristina Shore
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Toni Burton
Past President: Tsugio Kurushima
Patti Ayukawa
Kyla Fitzgerald (Ex-Officio)
Debbie Ibaraki
Amy Kawano
Karen Kobayashi
Craig Mercer (VNCS Website/Grant Applications)
Kana Mercer
Yukari Peerless
2014 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Vice President: Cristina Shore
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: vacant
Past President: Tsugio Kurushima
Kyla Fitzgerald (Ex-Officio)
Debbie Ibaraki
Amy Kawano
Yukari Peerless
2013 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Vice President: Cristina Shore
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Debbie Ibaraki
Past President: Tsugio Kurushima
James Harada-Down
Debbie Ibaraki
Amy Kawano
Craig Mercer (VNCS Website/Grant Applications)
Noreen Scarth
Henry Shimizu
2012 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Vice President: Cristina Shore
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Debbie Ibaraki
Past President: Tsugio Kurushima
James Harada-Down
Debbie Ibaraki
Amy Kawano
Craig Mercer (VNCS Website/Grant Applications)
Noreen Scarth
Henry Shimizu
2011 Executive Officers & Directors
President: Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Vice President: Cristina Shore
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Debbie Ibaraki
Past President: Tsugio Kurushima
James Harada-Down
Mami Harada-Down
Brian Harvey
Debbie Ibaraki
Amy Kawano
Craig Mercer (VNCS Website/Grant Applications)
Cody Poulton
Noreen Scarth
Henry Shimizu
2010 Executive Officers & Directorss
President: Tsugio Kurushima
Vice President: Cristina Shore
Treasurer: Ken Watai
Secretary: Susan Kurushima
Past President: Mike Abe
Mike Abe (Victoria Nikkei Forum Newsletter)
Kathy Harris
Debbie Ibaraki
Akira Iwase
Roy Katsuyama
Amy Kawano
Craig Mercer (VNCS Website/Grant Applications)
Henry Shimizu