President - Michael Stout

Michael Stout is a teacher at Toyo Gakuen University. He has been teaching for over 11 years. He has taught learners from 3 to 73. He has an M.ED (TESOL) from Temple University. His main interests are project-based language learning, testing and CALL.

He has also been active in the ELT community in Japan. He has served in both local and national positions with JALT. He is currently a member of the JALT National Domestic Affairs Committee. He was the committee chair from 2006-2008. During his tenure as committee chair JALT and ACTJ signed an affiliation agreement. He was founding chair of the Nakasendo English Conference. He is also a member of ETJ. He serves on the ETJ Tokyo planning committee.

Vice President - Anthony Fenton

Anthony Fenton B.P.E, B.A, TESOL Cert., M.Ed., moved to Japan in September 1991, but is regularly in Canada. He lent some support during the initial start-up of ACTJ.  He has taught at junior and senior high schools, colleges, and is currently teaching and participating in several research projects at a university in Japan and Australia.  He is working hard to complete his PhD in comparative education and is active in presenting his research at conferences in Canada, Japan, and Australia.  His volunteer work ranges from developmental education projects in Myanmar and Vietnam to serving as review mentor and academic editor for several journals.

Treasurer - Adam Murray

Adam Murray is originally from Port Hope, Ontario. He graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1997. In the fall of 1997, he came to Japan on the working holiday program with plans to stay a year or two. He is now teaching at Tokai University (Shimizu campus). He is interested in vocabulary acquisition, learning technologies and learner motivation.

He has been a member of the ACTJ Executive since 2005.  In addition to being the Treasurer, he also maintains the website. Since 2003, he has been involved with JALT and has taken on various responsibilities at the local and national level.  He is currently the Program Chair at Shizuoka chapter and co-Intern Coordinator for the upcoming 35th Annual International Conference.

Public Relations Chair – (Currently Vacant)

Membership Chair - Rick Bales

Richard Bales, originally from Winnipeg, and has been living in Japan since 2002. During the last nine years, he has worked as an instructor in an ESL program at the University of Manitoba, as an ALT on the JET Program at elementary and junior high schools, a NET and curriculum advisor for Saitama City, and an instructor in the continuing education section of Bunkyo Gakuin University. Rick currently instructs at Tokyo Kasei University in Tokyo. His interests are vocabulary acquisition, SLA, testing, motivation, and teacher training. 

Publications Chair - Andrew Reimann

Andrew Reimann first came to Japan in 1996. Since that time, he has worked at many different institutions under a variety of circumstances, resulting in several cross-cultural, learning experiences. Prior to coming to Japan his experience included one year teaching in Mexico, establishing a Language school in Montreal, and almost five years teaching experience at different schools and organizations in Canada. Graduate and undergraduate degrees are in Applied Linguistics and Education.  At present Andrew is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Studies at Utsunomiya University. Research interests include bilingual language learning, motivational differences and developing intercultural communicative competence as part of EFL. Andrew has been an active member of ACTJ since 2000 and has held the executive positions of membership chair from 2000 to 2004 and Canadian Content editor from 2004 to present.

Recording Secretary - Paul Rowan

Originally from Vancouver Island, Paul first studied TESOL at VCC in Vancouver and then taught at a number of English “colleges” in Vancouver, and then at language schools in Japan including business/corporate English teaching in the Kanto region.

Paul holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics and teaches full-time at Yokohama City University and part-time at Waseda University. His research interests are in vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension and in task-based lessons where students can use different forms of media for their English production and self-evaluation. 

Paul is married and has two daughters (one 6 year old and a 1½ year old) which keep him busy, but he will do the best job he can for ACTJ.

Online voting will take place from October 29 through to November 2, 2009. Votes can also be cast in-person at the annual ACTJ conference on November 3, 2009 in Tokyo. Votes will only be counted once.