Leadership

Director, President

Language: English, Japanese

Born in Tokyo, Japan, TG is a history enthusiast and transportation aficionado, raised in a US Navy family with a deep appreciation for cross-cultural connections. A lifelong train buff and self-described “transportation nerd,” TG has translated this passion into a professional career as an airline pilot, currently flying the Airbus A220. Beyond the cockpit, TG is committed to community engagement, bringing volunteer experience with industry groups, nonprofits, and museums. Now, as president of the Japan America Transportation Historical Organization (JATHO), TG is excited to lead efforts to celebrate and preserve the rich legacy of US-Japan transportation history, fostering friendship and understanding between the two great nations. 

Director, Vice President

Language: English, Japanese

Educated in both Japan and the United States, Nathan brings a unique international perspective to JATHO. His career began in automotive retail and photography, ultimately leading to technical and leadership roles at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, where he served on the quality assurance team and leveraged a broad skill set that included inspecting, auditing, engineering, translating, and interpreting.

Nathan’s passion for transportation is rooted in a lifelong fascination with automotive engineering and design, particularly the intrinsic value and innovation found in Japanese and German cars. In addition to his engineering background and enthusiasm for automobiles, Nathan is also a skilled aviator. He currently serves as captain on the Embraer E-175.

Director, Secretary & Treasurer

Language: English, Japanese

Josh is a software engineer, researcher and occasional translator/interpreter working at the intersection of technology and language. Fluent in both English and Japanese, his long standing connections to Japan and a desire to foster Japan-U.S. collaboration brought him to JATHO, where he will serve as Secretary and Treasurer.

Josh currently works as a Principal Applied Scientist at Oracle, leading projects in medical natural language processing. His previous experience includes a Tokyo startup working on Manga translation, research at the University of Tokyo, and backend engineering at eBay. For more about Josh, please see his site.

Lead Grant Writer

Language: English
Stefanie Taushanoff has worked in AR/VR research & development and as an adjunct professor in the Seattle area since 2018.  Prior to that she worked for an electrochemistry startup in Oregon and as a university lecturer in North Carolina and Tokyo, Japan.  Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she got her doctorate in Chemical Physics from the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University.  She lives with her husband in East King County and will grasp at any excuse to use the 2-Line when heading into the city proper.