TFT Staff

Dan is a Co-Founder of TABLE FOR TWO USA.  He has provided strategic advice to major multinational corporations, drawing from experience in international finance and management consulting.  He is also the co-founder and COO of Piece to Peace, a Tokyo-based apparel and technology company that focuses on environmentally and socially-conscious consumer products.  Dan received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Fumi spent 7 years in the economic consulting industry in the U.S. and Japan before entering the field of international development.  He has worked in the Millennium Villages in Malawi, as well as in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  Fumi received his BA from Williams College and was the first cohort of the MDP (Masters in Development Practice) program from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Chris worked in advertising shortly before transitioning to marketing within the pharmaceutical IT industry.  Chris received his BA from Columbia University in 2010.

Rie worked in sales in the IT industry and as a Research Associate at an executive research firm. Rie is currently studying towards an MBA at the University of San Francisco with the goal of learning how business skills and knowledge can be applied to management of non-profit organizations.

Aya has mentored thousands of students as a high school teacher and is passionate about inspiring people. Aya received an MBA in Marketing and Sustainable Business at San Francisco State University, where she served as VP of Marketing for Net Impact’s SFSU chapter and organized TFT events collaborating with Net Impact.

Nobuaki Yasunaga came to the U.S. in 2009 and is one of the co-founders of TFT’s DC chapter.  He is also a manager at a nonprofit think-tank in Washington, D.C.  Before he became a member of TFT USA, he  worked at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan in the international affairs division for more than 6 years. Nobu received his BA and MA from Waseda University.

Saiki is an investment manager in the Toronto office of a Japanese investment and trading company. He received a Bachelor’s in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford in the UK.  In addition to his full-time job as an investment manager and role with TFT in Canada, he supports operations of various non-profits around the world on a pro-bono basis.

Hideharu has been working with international accounting and consultancy firms in the US, Japan and Australia. Hideharu is a CPA and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Waseda University, and a Master of Commerce degree from the University of Sydney, Australia. In addition to being involved with TFT, he is a board member and a treasurer of the Japan Business Association of Southern California, a non-profit organization in LA consisting of nearly 450 Japanese corporations.

Mayumi started her career at Accenture and led several consulting projects in the Marketing and Sales field for major communication and manufacturing companies. She received an MBA in International Management at Thunderbird which is coincidentally the first TFT partner in the US. With a strong interest in helping to improve health through her work, she joined a pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly. She has broad experience as a Six Sigma Black Belt, Brand Manager of a drug for mental illness and Life Cycle Planning Manager of a drug for diabetes.

Valerie has spent most of her life beginning start-up nonprofits locally and internationally.  She is currently a graduate student at the University of San Francisco studying Nonprofit Administration.  Valerie is passionate about international development work and has spent many years abroad researching needs in different parts of the world, including South Korea, Tanzania, the Netherlands and Fiji.