Before stepping down as Chairman this spring, Craig led TELL’s board of directors for three and a half years, pushing hard to professionalize TELL, and to ensure that our processes and personnel allow us to continue to grow and support the mental health needs of the international community in Japan. Jill Butler served as Board Treasurer for nearly two years, helping to reorganize TELL’s financial processes to provide the directors with improved financial management abilities.
In April and May, TELL’s board of directors elected four new board members: Lise Frederiksen, Steve Weiss, Julia-Sophie Selig Sonderhoff and Nick Tsai.
Lise Frederiksen came to Japan in the beginning of September 2015, when her husband started his tenure as the Danish Ambassador to Japan. This is their second time here, following a previous stint in Japan from 2005–2008. Lise is a lawyer, graduated from the University of Copenhagen, who has worked in that capacity in Denmark for around 16 years, as well as having been involved in public diplomacy during postings to different countries over the years.Steve Weiss has been a director in PwC’s Tokyo office since July 2013, and has 13 years experience at PwC working with companies in the financial services industry. Steve frequently provides educational sessions to Japanese financial services companies on the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
Nick Tsai is an attorney at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and a registered gaikokuho-jimu-
Julia-Sophie Selig Sonderhoff is a native of Hamburg, Germany, but grew up in Japan, graduating from St Maur Int’l in Yokohama. She speaks German, Japanese and English, and has worked as a dolphin trainer in Okinawa. Julia holds a Masters Degree in International Tourism Management from the University of Queensland in Australia, and returned to Japan ‘for good’ in 2005.
Not only does TELL rely on the generosity and support of the community to provide volunteer Lifeline phone counselors and funding, but also our board of directors is comprised of volunteers. Last year, TELL opened a phone room in Kobe and we just completed our third training course for volunteer phone counselors living in the Kansai region. In part as a result, our overall phone counselor numbers are increasing, our shift coverage is improving, and we are moving closer to our goal of providing a 24/7 Lifeline.