Who We Are

Our Mission

pink cherry blossom with blue sky background

JB Line was established on October 26, 2010, to support the resolution of life issues for the Japanese and Japanese American in New England, a community said to number over 20,000 people. JB Line is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization eligible for tax deductions.

Our Mission

Our mission is to support people primarily in, but not limited to, the Japanese community in New England in solving problems they face in their daily lives by providing consultation, sharing needed information, offering direct support services, or connecting them with other social resources.

JB Line’s Basic Policy for Achieving Our Mission

To give clients the most updated and accurate information possible
To protect client privacy (anonymity) and confidentiality
To protect client equality and non-discrimination rights
To respect the autonomy and free will of the client
To build a strong team of competent staff members and volunteers

Meet the Team

Co-Executive Directors

Executive Director

Martha Hadeler
Crane Lake Capital, Inc.

Ms. Hadeler is the owner of Crane Lake Capital, Inc., a consulting and personal investment company. She was a co-founder and partner for 10 years at CypressTree Investment Management, a CLO and loan investment management company. Earlier in her career she was Managing Director in charge of Global loan distribution at Citicorp as well as Head of the Tokyo office for Drexel Burnham Lambert. Ms. Hadeler is a graduate of Brown University (BA) and Columbia University (MBA).

Executive Director

Yoshie Oyagi Gordon

She has a long career in psychiatric social work as well as in international business in America and Japan. Her last employment was at Boston Higashi School as a fundraiser, and retired from the school in 2021. Since then, she joined the Board of JB Line in March 2022. Ms. Gordon is a graduate of State University of Buffalo New York (BA) , Simmons School of Social Work (MSW) and Duke University Fuqua School of Business (MBA).

Board

Board

Dr. Megumi Inoue, PhD, MSW, RN
Professor, George Mason University

Dr. Inoue is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at George Mason University. Her research focuses on health and aging, and she is particularly interested in advance care planning and patients’ autonomy in health care settings.

Dr. Inoue brings her extensive clinical experience as a social worker and a registered nurse to her understanding of these research areas.

Board

Christine Pilcavage
MIT Japan Program

Christine is the Managing Director of MIT-Japan Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and manages programs that enables MIT community to experience Japan. She has also volunteered with Tokyo English Life Line and Japan HIV Center as a telephone counselor while living in Japan. Ms. Pilcavage is a graduate of UC San Diego (BA in Psychology and Economics) and Columbia University (Master of Public Health and Master in International Affairs).

Board

Dr. Amano Takashi
Associate Professor, Department of Social Work at Rutgers University- Newark.

Dr. Takashi Amano is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work at Rutgers University–Newark. His expertise is in gerontology, social work, and health services research, with a particular focus on dementia care, social and productive engagement in later life, and community-based support for older adults and families.

One of his current research projects involves community-engaged initiatives with Japanese-speaking communities in the New York–New Jersey area to promote intergenerational connection, productive aging, and community development.

Finance and Administrative

Treasurer

Eriko Sato, CPA

Ms. Sato earned B.S in Accounting from University of Southern California, worked for one of the Big 4 accounting firms from 2006 to 2010 and a local accounting firm in the Los Angeles area from 2010 to 2014. She relocated to Boston in 2015 and currently works as a financial reporting analyst for a Boston based science company. Ms. Sato has served as Treasurer for JB Line since 2016. She is a licensed CPA from California.

Clerk /Administrator

Midori Tatsuta, Adm

Ms. Tatsuta joined the JB Line team in 2012. She earned her Bachelor degree in Pharmaceutical Science from Kyushu University and her pharmacist license in Japan. Before moving to the U.S. in 1995, she worked for a pharmacy and a hospital as the pharmacy manager. While raising two children, she served on the PTA Board and the steering committee in the Japanese Language School of Boston.