Professor Minako Nakayasu

Professor Nakayasu was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, and has taught English and linguistics at three college/universities. She holds a Master of Education at Shizuoka University, and a Ph.D. degree in English linguistics at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland. Music is an important part of her life - she likes both pop and classical music. She also likes travelling. She enjoys exploring towns, and communicating with people using her beginner' s knowledge of their language.

Associate Professor Michael Paul Johnson

Michael grew up on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. He has lived in Japan for over 25 years. He holds an undergraduate degree in English from Simon Fraser University, and a Master's Degree in International Education from the University of Sydney. He also holds a Master's of Applied Linguistics, and Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern Queensland. He has taught ESL, EFL, EAP, and ESP in tertiary settings in Japan and the United States for over 20 years. Michael's main area of research focuses on motivation, instructional design, and student engagement. In his free time he enjoys surfing, beachcombing, taking pictures, and practicing a variety of Japanese martial arts.

Senior Assistant Professor Michael C. Boyce

Living and working on the coast of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan since moving from Vancouver, Canada in 1996, Michael has spent over twenty years working part-time and full-time at various universities in the Tokai region. In his free time, Michael runs local volunteer environmental groups and a national marine sports organization. Michael has currently finished his coursework as an education doctoral student specializing in Organizational Leadership at Northeastern University and has an MA in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding from California State University -Dominguez Hills. Additionally, he finished his undergraduate work in History in Art and Anthropology at the University of Victoria. Michael's current research interests include conflict resolution, adaptive leadership, organizational and systems theories, service-learning, internationalization, and the conditions of adjunct faculty in higher education institutions.

Assistant Professor Sean Thornton

Sean is originally from Kent in Britain, but had also lived in Germany and India before coming to Japan in 2001. SInce then he has lived and worked in a number of places around Japan and has taught English in a wide range of contexts including: kindergarten, elementary school, high school, business English and at multiple universities. He holds an MA in Applied Lingustics from Nottingham University and a BA in Religious Studies from Lancaster University. Since completing his MA he has also undertaken an online postgraduate course in Cultural Astronomy. These various fields have informed a range of research into Language education, history and anthropolgy. He has an ongoing interest in research into language policy and the role and function of compulsory English courses.