In January, Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott will become president of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese. She was elected to the position after serving two years as vice president-secretary of the organization. Dr. Saito-Abbott is professor and chair of the School of World Languages and Cultures at CSU Monterey Bay, where she has been on the faculty since 1996. “My primary assignment for the past two years was to strengthen 24 affiliates in the U.S.,” she said. As president, she will coordinate with other language teaching associations “to promote world languages and cultures nationwide.” The American Association of Teachers of Japanese works to promote study of the language and broaden knowledge and appreciation of Japan and its culture. Its 1,500 members represent every state as well as Canada, Australia, Europe and Japan. Dr. Saito-Abbott earned a Ph.D. in foreign language education at The Ohio State University. She has taught all levels of Japanese language and culture courses.

Published Dec. 4, 2015