Events - 02.25.2020

Disaster Prevention and Recovery Summit

Date: 02.25.2020

Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Location: JAPAN HOUSE Salon, Level 5

Fee: Complimentary

Though Los Angeles and Japan are separated by thousands of miles, they are united in the shared challenge of earthquakes. It’s never been more urgent for communities to exchange their knowledge and resources around the natural disasters (a topic introduced through the "Designing with Disaster" exhibition) we all face. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, along with Keidanren USA and World Trade Center Los Angeles, is proud to present a timely discussion on disaster prevention and recovery, featuring leaders from some of Japan’s largest companies and utilities sharing their experience and expertise. This dialogue will draw on their high-level perspectives gained through dealing with recent disasters in Japan, such as the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This event is part of a series of disaster prevention and recovery summits being held around the nation.

Program Details

Registration

Registration has closed.

Panel 1 Speaker Profiles

Takami Abe
NTT Washington D.C. Representative Office | Deputy General Manager

Mr. Takami Abe has been Deputy General Manager of NTT Washington D.C. Representative Office since July 2019. He has worked for NTT for about 20 years and has experience in infrastructure management, human resources, network operations, and service development. In 2011, he experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake as an engineer in the network operations department, and led the emergency recovery of the optical fiber network immediately after the earthquake and the subsequent permanent restoration.

He received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. He also received a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2000 and 1998, respectively.

Masahiro Nakayama (“Mark”)
Central Japan Railway Company | General Manager, Washington DC Office

A 29-year veteran of Central Japan Railway Company (JR-Central), Mr. Masahiro Nakayama was appointed General Manager of the Washington D.C. Office in 2015 to oversee the company’s North America operations after three years of his active leadership at International Department in Tokyo. Besides the high-speed rail operations, Mr. Nakayama has long managerial experience in the transit-oriented developments and the hospitality business, which are mainly focused on JR-Central’s high-speed rail stations in Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya.

Mr. Nakayama holds a Master of Professional Studies (Hospitality Administration) degree from Cornell University and a BA in economics from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.

Beverly Rider
Hitachi Global Digital Holdings | Chief Commercial Officer, Social Innovation Business

Beverly Rider is currently Chief Commercial Officer with Hitachi Global Digital Holdings. She joined Hitachi in 2017 to broaden her work in Industrial IoT & Smart Cities. Prior to her tenure with Hitachi, Beverly held positions as CCO of GE and VP & Head of IoT at Ericsson, and practiced law.

Beverly is passionate about enabling cities, citizens, corporations and the environment to utilize technology for long term sustainable growth, efficiencies, productivity and resilience. She attended the UW, WWU and Seattle University School of Law and lives in Florida with her husband and three children, enjoying sports, music and traveling together.

Aaron Gross
City of Los Angeles | Chief Resilience Officer, Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti

With over 20 years of service to the City of LA, Aaron became the City’s Chief Resilience Officer in March, 2019. In that role, he is charged with helping to implement Resilient LA, the City’s robust resilience plan by working with City departments, local, regional, national and international stakeholders, and with communities in Los Angeles. Aaron was most recently employed at the LA Department of Water and Power as its Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer and served in that role since 2015 aiming to making LA a more efficient and sustainable City.

Prior to joining LADWP, he served as an International Trade Specialist and as Liaison to the Port of Los Angeles, in Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of International Trade. Aaron has also served in two LA Mayoral administrations, for three City Councilmembers, the LA City Attorney, and for the Port of Los Angeles in various capacities from field work, to legislative affairs, to land use planning. Aaron studied Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned Master degrees in Non-Profit Management and Social Work from the University of Southern California.

Panel 2 Speaker Profiles

Yasushi Matsuno
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (CEPCO) | General Manager Washington Office

Mr. Yasushi Matsuno has been the General Manager of CEPCO’s Washington Office since July 2017. CEPCO, established in 1951, is one of the electric utility companies in Japan. CEPCO supplies electric power service to a large area of Central Japan, serving more than 16 million people. CEPCO established its Washington office in June 1982. It is one of vital importance for international research and serves as a study center for environmental, political, cultural, social, and economic matters with regard to utility management and operations.

Since joining CEPCO in 1994, Matsuno has worked in the Power System Operation Department and the Corporate Strategy Planning Division for the majority of his business career, which includes generation and network investment planning, BCP, and liaison work in Tokyo Office with METI (regulatory agency). He graduated from the University of Tokyo with a BA in Electric Engineering in 1994. He now lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and two children.

Kazuhiro Yoshimura
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. Washington Office | T&D Research Manager

Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshimura has been a manager of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) Washington Office since July 2018. He is responsible for researching T&D sector regulatory trend, market trend and utilities’ strategy. Also, he explores emerging technologies and innovative business models in the US seeking potential business partners. After starting his career in TEPCO as a lineman in 2005, he has been engaged in distribution business over 10 years.

Nao Kawakami
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) | Chief Representative in Washington D.C.

Mr. Nao Kawakami has been Chief Representative of Washington D.C. of Japan Bank for International Cooperation since July 2018. Since Mr. Kawakami joined the Bank, he experienced a wide range of project financing including energy (oil and natural gas) and power sector. Mr. Kawakami was Country Director of Indonesia and other ASEAN countries from 2013 to 2016. He was in charge of overall corporate planning, including coordination with the Japanese Government as Director in Corporate Planning Department from 2016 to 2018.

Mr. Kawakami graduated the University of Tokyo (Bachelor of Law) in 1996. He received LL.M degree at the University of Michigan Law School (Ann Arbor) in 2000.

Lawren Markle
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation | Senior Director of Communications

Lawren Markle is the Senior Director of Communications at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and is integrally involved in LAEDC’s programs, research and thought leadership. He is the primary press contact and provides the media and partners with analysis, examples and data to support stories about jobs and the industries of LA’s economy. His areas of focus include new mobility, renewable energy, technology, economic resiliency. He is the lead for LAEDC’s guide, Preparing for Business after an Earthquake, as part of LAEDC’s stewardship of the economy.

Lawren serves on the board of Innovate Pasadena and as an advisor for the Net Zero Accelerator run by USGBC-LA.

Lawren joined LAEDC in 2013 and has led public relations and marketing for years, prior to his current role. Before LAEDC, Lawren served as Director of Media Relations at Caltech, where he and his team supported news coverage of the successful landing of Mars Curiosity Rover and many other scientific breakthroughs. His favorite memory is leading a dozen of the nation’s best science reporters into the desert for a science tour with lead scientist John Grotzinger to prepare them for covering the Mars Rover’s mission. Prior to that, Lawren cultivated thought leadership campaigns for 20 high-tech companies while working at Chicago-based PR Agency Tech Image for ten years, where he designed and implemented media relations strategy to help clients break through the noise and succeed. Prior to that, Lawren served in product marketing for LA-based consumer electronics company ViewSonic.

Lawren was recognized by PRSourcecode in 2007 as one of the top 25 PR professionals in technology, based on a poll of top editors and reporters.

Lawren has lived in LA County for 20 years. In addition to his service on Innovate Pasadena nad Net Zero Accelerator, he has previously served on the board of Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy, as an appointee to SCAQMD’s Air Quality Institute, as an appointee to Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s Advisory Committee, and served on former State Senator Carol Liu’s Green21 sustainability council. He loves horses and dogs, but don’t we all?

Parking

By Car: Parking garage at Hollywood & Highland can be entered from Highland Avenue or Orange Drive. Parking is validated at JAPAN HOUSE for 2 hours at a rate of $3; then $2 every 20 minutes or $6 per hour.$18 daily maximum. Free self- parking will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis on the date of the event with your RSVP. Please bring your parking ticket with you to receive validation.

By Metro: The Metro Red Line, Hollywood/Highland station, is conveniently located directly below Hollywood & Highland.