Greetings from Washington!  We have been busy this summer coordinating the Japan Studies Award DC Internship and collaborating with other Japanese organizations with cultural exchange activities. 

Introducing the CEPEX Co-Directors in Washington, DC:

Christy Busch

Christy Busch, a long time Japan-enthusiast, first forayed across the Pacific in high school as a Youth for Understanding Japan-U.S. Senate-Exchange Scholar. While living with a host family in Kyoto prefecture, she developed a love of Hello Kitty, purikura, matcha ice cream, and riding mama chari. While pursuing a BA in International Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Christy studied Japanese and spent a semester at the Nagasaki College of Foreign Languages. After graduation, the JET Program called her to Kumamoto Prefecture where she spent 3 years deep in the mountains of Kyushu teaching English to a village full of children. Christy attended graduate school at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and earned an MA in International Policy Studies in 2008. She loves historical fiction novels, sewing and taking her dog, Cricket, for long walks.
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Nikki Lindsay

Nikki Lindsay joined CEPEX in May 2011.  A three-year JET Program participant in Saijo in Ehime, Japan, Nikki has been actively involved in promoting US-Japan relations in the Washington, DC area. She is a member of the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, DC; JET Program Application Review Committee; JET Program Interview Committee; and JETAADC alumni group; as well as a former National Cherry Blossom Festival Goodwill Ambassador.  Nikki graduated from American University with a degree in International Marketing and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business with an MBA degree focused on marketing and supply chain management.