Team Members

Team Members
The team that keeps YCAPS on track and moving forward

John Bradford
Executive Director &
Managing Research Fellow
Bio
Narushige Michishita
Director, YCAPS Japan
Bio
Christopher Johnstone
Director, YCAPS Japan
Bio
Brian J. Waidelich
President, YCAPS USA
Bio
Marvin "Ed" Thompson
Vice President, YCAPS USA
Bio
W illiam Yale
Treasurer, YCAPS USA
Bio
Yoko Clingensmith
Secretary, YCAPS USA
Stephen Nagy
Director, Policy Research
Bio

Nick Millward
ASPEN Community Manager
Director, Mongolia Connect
Bio

Elif Sercen Nurcan
Social Media Administrator
Bio
Ian Kennedy
Research Activities Coordinator
Bio
Benjamin Blandin
Coordinator, Maritime Security Network
Bio

Kat Nguyen
Social Media Administrator

Patricia Yarrow
Administrator, info@ycaps.org
Bio

Jagannath Panda
Director for Europe-Asia Research Cooperation
Bio
Luc Maccionni
Local Chapter Leader, Okinawa
John Mensing
Director, Historical Studies & Chugoku Community Programs
Bio
Jenna Lindeke Heavenrich
Lead Analyst
Bio
Charlie Brown
Director, Southeast Asia Regional Programs
Bio

Gretchen Sotebeer
Program Analyst
Bio
Keiko Mitchell
Kyushu Team Member
Alex Chou
Director, Student Relations & Washington DC Coordinator
Bio

Kelly Langley
Director, Public Relations
Bio
Kiyoshi Asano
Director, Self-Defense Force Cooperation and Planning
William Winberg
Policy Dialogue Events Coordinator
Bio
Giorgi Mamisashvili
Research Team Support

Bio
Clare Bowden
Local Chapter Leader, Okinawa
Isabel Santiago
Grant Writing Team Member
Staff

Jeffery Mazziotta
Activities Coordinator
Bio

Amani Kidd
Director, Getting to Know Japan
Bio
Gabriela Wurst
Internship Coordinator
Bio

Toshio Fukuhara
Business Director, YCAPS Japan
Bio
Research Fellows

Ford Hart
Distinguished Research Fellow
Bio

Sato Yoichiro
Senior Research Fellow
Bio

Kei Koga
Senior Research Fellow
Bio

Ian Ralby
Senior Fellow - Maritime Governance
Bio

Scott Edwards
Free and Open Indo-Pacific Senior Fellow
Bio

Christopher Len
Senior Fellow - Energy & SLOC Security
Bio

Jeffrey Payne
Senior Research Fellow
Bio

Keizo Kitagawa
Senior Research Fellow
Bio

David Vernal
Senior Research Fellow of AI
Bio

Hanh Nguyen
Fellow - Internatonal Relations in Southeast Asia
Bio

Constantine Panayiotou
YCAPS Fellow for Pacific Ocean Affairs
Bio

Sam Baron
Fellow - Policy Research
Bio

Chiew-Ping Hoo
Research Fellow
Bio

Ivy Kwek
Research Fellow
Bio

Bich Tran
Research Fellow
Bio

Eric Ang
Fellow - Maritime Security in Southeast Asia
Bio

Ryan Ashley
Fellow - Japan/Southeast Asia Relations
Bio

Jada Cryslynn Fraser
Indo-Pacific Minilaterals Fellow
Bio

Robert Mizo
Research Fellow
Bio

Mingi Hyun
Fellow - East Asian Naval Affairs
Bio

Evan Zachary Ota
Maritime Fellow
Bio

Sam Gitlitz
Research Fellow
Bio
Interns

Kotaro Watanabe
Western Tokyo Activities Intern
Isak Nordenberg
Research Programs Intern
Bio
Tristan Eng
Communications Intern
Bio
Advisors

Lieutenant General Chip Gregson (USMC Rtd)
Senior Advisor for US-Japan Relations
Vice Admiral Yoji Koda, (JMSDF Rtd)
Senior Advisor for Navy Activities
Dr. Michael Macarthur Bosack
Special Advisor for Government Affairs
Dr. Annette Bradford
Special Advisor for Education & Policy
Dr. Nancy Snow
Special Advisor for Public Diplomacy
Dr. Asyura Salleh
Special Advisor for Maritime Security
Dr. Carl Gabrielson
Special Advisor, Getting to Know Japan Series

Team Members

The team that keeps YCAPS on track and moving forward

Executive Director & Managing Research Fellow

Director, YCAPS Japan

Christopher Johnstone

Director, YCAPS Japan

President, YCAPS USA

Vice President, YCAPS USA

Treasurer, YCAPS USA

Yoko Clingensmith

Secretary, YCAPS USA

Director, Policy Research

ASPEN Community ManagerDirector, Mongolia Connect

Elif Sercen Nurcan

Social Media Administrator

Research Activities Coordinator

Benjamin Blandin

Coordinator, Maritime Security Network

Kat Nguyen

Social Media Administrator

Administrator, info@ycaps.org

Director for Europe-Asia Research Cooperation

Luc Maccionni

Local Chapter Leader, Okinawa

Director, Historical Studies & Chugoku Community Programs

Jenna Lindeke Heavenrich

Lead Analyst

Director, Southeast Asia Regional Programs

Gretchen Sotebeer

Program Analyst

Kyushu Team Member

Director, Student Relations & Washington DC Coordinator

Director, Public Relations

Kiyoshi Asano

Director, Self-Defense Force Cooperation and Planning

William Winberg

Policy Dialogue Events Coordinator

Research Team Support

Clare Bowden

Local Chapter Leader, Okinawa

Isabel Santiago

Grant Writing Team Member

Staff

Activities Coordinator

Amani Kidd

Director, Getting to Know Japan

Gabriela Wurst

Internship Coordinator

Business Director, YCAPS Japan

Research Fellows

Distinguished Research Fellow

Senior Research Fellow

Senior Research Fellow

Senior Fellow - Maritime Governance

Free and Open Indo-Pacific Senior Fellow

Senior Fellow - Energy & SLOC Security

Senior Research Fellow

Senior Research Fellow

Senior Research Fellow of AI

Fellow - Internatonal Relations in Southeast Asia

YCAPS Fellow for Pacific Ocean Affairs

Fellow - Policy Research

Research Fellow

Research Fellow

Research Fellow

Fellow - Maritime Security in Southeast Asia

Fellow - Japan/Southeast Asia Relations

Indo-Pacific Minilaterals Fellow

Research Fellow

Fellow - East Asian Naval Affairs

Maritime Fellow

Research Fellow

Interns

Kotaro Watanabe

Western Tokyo Activities Intern

Research Programs InternBio

Communications InternBio

Advisors

Senior Advisor for US-Japan Relations

Vice Admiral Yoji Koda, (JMSDF Rtd)

Executive Director &
Managing Research Fellow

ASPEN Community Manager
Director, Mongolia Connect

Research Programs Intern
Bio

Communications Intern
Bio

Dr. Asyura Salleh