Peter M. Skaer,
Board of Directors – Director General / Board of Trustees
Greetings—I’m Peter M. Skaer, originally from San Francisco California. After getting my PhD from the University of Washington, I joined the US State Department Foreign Service, first in WA DC, and then later as a US Diplomat/Director of the US Foreign Service Institute in Yokohama. I then ventured south to Hiroshima, where I have been teaching at Hiroshima University for the past 25 years. During that time, I have lived close to Hiroshima International School, which my daughter attended several years ago. In the past, I have served on both the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Directors, and at one time was the Director of the BOD. I am working to contribute in any way I can to help sustain and develop HIS, hoping to provide useful and fruitful opportunities for coming generations of children from the international community.
Ryoma Matsumoto
Board of Directors
Ryoma Matsumoto was born in Hiroshima and attended the Independent Waldorf Steiner School both in Tokyo and then in the West Midlands, England. After obtaining a BA from Sophia University, he continued his studies in Paris, France and Abu Dhabi, UAE, where he received an MA in International Business and Languages from the Paris-Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi. Since returning to Hiroshima he has been running a business, managing a commercial port and a regional energy hub. He is an acting board member of the Takehara Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Tourism Cooperation Committee for Hiroshima Prefecture. He is also a part-time lecturer of languages and business marketing management at Hiroshima University and the Paris-Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi. Ryoma thoroughly enjoys working with other members of the community and looks forward to continuing this work, eager to contribute, drawing from his international experience both in education and in business.
Guy Hird
Board of Directors – Treasurer
Guy Hird was born, and lived his formative years, in Birmingham, UK. After obtaining a BSc in Electronics Engineering from the University of Durham, he joined Ford Motor Company. First serving in several engineering positions in Essex, near London he came to Japan in 1998 for a foreign service assignment, returning to the UK in 2001 with his Japanese wife. They returned to Hiroshima in 2007 living here since with their three children. Guy is currently an Engineering Manager for electronic products at Visteon Japan (a car parts supplier), and enjoys the surprises, and challenges of living in Japan. Before moving to the Board of Directors as Secretary in 2017, Guy was a member of the Board of Trustees and Secretary from 2012.
Chiaki Kataoka
Board of Directors
Chiaki Kataoka was born and raised in Hiroshima. She studied “Methodology” of “Teaching English as a Foreign Language” at UC Santa Barbara. After returning to Japan, she first worked at Ford Motor Company. Later in her career, she experienced several functions in her companies such as Marketing PR, Human Resource, Project Management, etc. She experienced Director positions in two European companies.
Today Chiaki works as a consultant in change management in human resource and organizational development projects, facilitating workshops and coaching & training of the executives and the managers of her client companies to support their realization of their strategic targets. She enjoys working in the multi-national environment bridging people from different part of the world. At HIS, she would enjoy developing solutions with the BoD members, which would help create new global leadership grown-ups coming from HIS.
Ron Klein
Board of Directors
Dr. Ronald D. Klein was Professor of English at Hiroshima Jogakuin University and Graduate School for 25 years. His specialization was Asian English Literature and U.S.-Japan cross-cultural studies.
He has been practicing Zen Buddhism since coming to Japan 30 years ago and enjoys hiking and traveling. He is supporting St. Xavier’s School, an orphanage in northern India.
He has served HIS on the Board of Directors, Board of Trustees and as an Auditor.
Yaeko Watase
Board of Directors
Ms. Yaeko Watase is an administration action manager at Hiroshima Bunkyo University, where she deals with students and teachers both domestic and international. She is quite active in issues related to international study, and is the Vice-Chairman of the International Exchange Committee at Bunkyo. She began her career working for the Sanyo Coca-Cola Bottling Co., where she worked on both Japan and overseas issues, and later served as interpreter for the Coca-Cola West Co.’s hockey team. She has many diverse interests, such as traveling, sports and international exchange.
Minoru Suyama
Auditor