Coordinator

Adam Murray 

Role
As the title implies, the SIG Coordinator is responsible for coordinating all the activities of the SIG. The SIG Coordinator 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 Coordinator 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.

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) and Our World Today (Nan'undo). His current research is on the rating of listening materials.

Treasurer

Marcus Grandon  

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 Chair

John Carle

Role
The main task of the Program Chair is to organise 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.

John Carle
John Carle teaches at several universities in the Kansai area, including Kinki University and Kansai University. He owns a language school, Oak Hills English school, in Nara, Japan. He also runs and operates an independent publishing house, Oak Hills Press. His main interests are creating online and printed materials for university educators and students. John’s first textbook, The English Gym, written under the pen name, Jon Charles, is designed for 1st-year non-English majors at Japanese universities. The textbook has been used at over a dozen schools. John is currently working on The English Gym 2. A Guide to Independent Publishing for EFL in Japan is a website that John designed to help guide other educators through process of self-publication.

Publication Chair

Joel Neff

Role
The Publication Chair oversees the production of our publication, Between the Keys, which is published three times a year.

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.

Membership Chair

Forrest Nelson

Role
The Membership Chair keeps our membership lists up to date, and keeps the members informed of the happenings of the SIG.

Forrest Nelson
I was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA in 1965. My father was a football coach and my mother was a math teacher. We moved to Laurel, Mississippi when I was 3 which is where I lived until I moved away from home. In 1986-1990, I traveled as a professional musician until I returned to college in 1990. In 1992, I graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a BA in Cultural Anthropology. In 1993, my first daughter was born. A year later, I was back in school getting my masters in teaching English as a second language. In 1995 I graduated and moved back to Japan. A year later, my son, Forrest Jr was born. These days, I spend my free time working on my computer, or composing or performing music.

Member-at-Large

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.

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. 

Robert Olson

Photo and bio coming soon!

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.