President
Role
The SIG President is responsible for coordinating all the activities of the SIG. The SIG President is the main contact person for the SIG and acts as a liaison between the JALT Central Office (JCO), the other officers, and the members. The SIG President also represents the members and officers of the SIG at the Executive Board Meeting (EBM) and is responsible for preparing, organizing, and chairing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held each year at the conference.
John Carle
John Carle is an experienced educator teaching at multiple universities in the Kansai region, including Kinki University and Kansai University. He is also the founder of Oak Hills Press, a publishing company dedicated to helping independent authors publish and distribute textbooks in Japan.
John’s primary focus is on creating both online and printed materials for university educators and students. Under the pen name Jon Charles, he authored The English Gym (TEG) series, designed specifically for Japanese university students. These textbooks have been widely adopted and are in use at dozens of universities across Japan.
Currently, John is working on a new presentation-focused textbook. He also created the website A Guide to Independent Publishing for EFL in Japan, which serves as a comprehensive resource for educators interested in self-publishing their work.
Treasurer
Role
The Treasurer keeps all financial records and collect and disburse all funds of the Materials Writers SIG. He presents an account of the financial status of the organization at the Materials Writers SIG Annual Meeting and submits regular financial reports to the National SIG Treasurer Liaison. The Treasurer prepares the financial documents for an internal audit to take place after the books have been closed at the end of each calendar year.
Marcus Grandon
I began teaching in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1990, where I still reside and make my living by teaching at local universities. I also work at the University of Birmingham in their English Language and Linguistics MA Programme as a Teaching Fellow, where I supervise coursework and dissertations. In addition, I produce multimedia content and write grassroots materials for the Japanese context. I have a B.Sc. in Business administration, an M.A. in Humanities, a post-grad certificate in Online Instruction, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics. Currently, my research focuses on the student use of video-based materials in university classrooms.
Program Co-Chairs
Role
The main task of the Program Chair is to organize the SIG forum at the autumn JALT National Conference. However recently, the number of joint events with JALT chapters is seeing a pleasant rise and the MW-SIG also is involved with the annual Pan-SIG Conference. Beyond these events, the role of the Program Chair may also include promoting a featured speaker at the JALT National Conference.
Andre Parsons
André has lived and worked in Hakodate for over 20 years and is currently an Associate Professor at Hokkaido University of Education - Hakodate campus. His areas of interest include learner and teacher autonomy, language learning beyond the classroom, extensive reading and listening, and more recently, material development. He has previously served as Membership Co-Chair and Program Co-Chair for the Extensive Reading SIG.
Rachel Patterson
Rachel earned her master’s in business administration from the University of Memphis along with a minor in Japanese. She began teaching English part-time while studying abroad at the Osaka University of Economics and grew to enjoy language teaching through her experience. For two years, she volunteered teaching ESL to refugees in the United States and taught at a private language school in Morioka City in Japan. Rachel later joined ELS Language Services as in EAP instructor in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States before returning to Osaka Japan to work full time. She currently works as an academic administrator and university instructor in the Kindai University Faculty of International Studies Global Studies Program and specializes in materials creation and professional development.
Publication Chair
Role
The Publication Chair oversees the production of our publication, Between the Keys, which is published three times a year.
Adam Littleton
Adam Littleton is a lecturer at Toyo University. He has been in Japan since 2010 and has worked as an English teacher, lecturer and designer of teaching materials. An avid writer, in addition to academic work and teaching materials, he enjoys publishing fiction and any and all forms of copy. He holds a BA from the University of Colorado and an MA in TESOL from the University of Manchester.
Membership Chair
Role
The Membership Chair keeps our membership lists up to date, and keeps the members informed of the happenings of the SIG.
Stephen Bridge
Steve has an MATESOL from St. Michael’s College in his home state, Vermont, and his U.S. residence is in Ohio now, where his wife, son, daughter, and Great Dane are. His first time in Japan (1989 to 1992) involved teaching in Tokushima City high schools and junior high schools, and before returning to Japan in the summer of 2021, he taught Japanese employees of Honda North America through a special program at The Ohio State University. He currently teaches both Japanese and international students as a Global Teaching Fellow at Tokyo International University in Kawagoe, Saitama. His publishing aspirations include pronunciation, grammar, and TOEIC textbooks. In his free time, he loves playing soccer and futsal and exploring new places in Japan.
Member-at-Large
Matt Cotter
Matthew Cotter, formerly a primary school teacher in New Zealand is an associate professor at Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, Japan. He holds a B.A (Māori Studies), B.Sc. (Psychology), Dip.Teach and a M.Ed specializing in TESOL. His research interests include TESOL, CALL and indigenous culture support. Publications include two graded readers including the award winning graded reader Identity and Drifting, and also textbooks Sports and English and soon to be released Exploring Down Under (2025).
Bob Jones
Bob and his wife run a small school, the REJ English House, in Ena City, Gifu. He also teaches three days a week in Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Nagoya. Before coming to Japan in 1990, he taught English in Spain, Sweden, Malaysia, and London. He has a B.A. in French and Spanish from Sheffield University, and an MSc in Teaching English from Aston University. He has co-authored two books Tell Me Your Stories (Macmillan) and Eat Well! An Introductory English Course for Nutritionists (Perceptia Press). In his free time, he enjoys taking photos and is learning to play the guitar.
Barry Keith
Barry is a Professor at the University of the Ryukyus. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from Ritsumeikan University. In a 30-year career in Japan, he has lived in Kyoto, Gunma and now Okinawa. A member of JALT since 2005, he served as Treasurer, Membership Chair, and Programs Chair in Gunma, Coordinator of the Extensive Reading SIG, and President of the Okinawa Chapter. In his free time he loves learning languages, so he is keenly interested in effective learning materials.
Joel Neff
Joel Neff
Joel Neff is a lecturer at Utsunomiya University and the owner-operator of Big Sun English in Tochigi Prefecture. In addition to teaching, Joel is a writer-for-hire and currently writes at LearnedLetter.com. He holds B.S. in Communication and an M.A. in TESOL and Linguistics.
Adam Murray
Adam Murray is a professor at the University of the Ryukyus. He co-authored Health Matters (2009) published by Pearson Longman Kirihara (republished with Kinseido), Our World Today (Nan'undo), Our World Tomorrow (Nan'undo), and Live Well! (Kinseido). His current research is on classroom-based assessment and the use of listening materials.
Joshua Salomon
Joshua Lee Solomon is a lecturer in the Hirosaki University Institute for Liberal Arts Development and Practices in Aomori Prefecture. In addition to teaching English and helping develop the liberal arts English curriculum, he is heavily involved in the management of the university’s self-access learning center, the English Lounge (https://home.hirosaki-u.ac.
Kinsella Valies
Kinsella (She/Her) is an assistant professor at Jissen Women’s University in Tokyo. Mary Immaculate College in Ireland awarded her a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics. She is originally from Curaçao, a Dutch island in the Caribbean. She has lived abroad in various countries for most of her life. She got her start as a published writer with Between the Keys. Her research interests include task-based language teaching, speaking assessment, learner motivation, and peer review. Kinsella is currently also serving as the JALT Writers' Support Group Committee Chair.
