2025 SAUPO

The 2025 SAUPO conference, held on April 12 at the KSU Center in Kennesaw, provided a full day of live-streamed and in-person events, featuring key discussions on sustainability, technology, and business trends across the USA and Asia. Attendees enjoyed live performances, networking sessions, and panels moderated by esteemed KSU leaders, as well as keynote speeches from distinguished officials, including the U.S. Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

This year's conference continued to foster valuable international connections, offering attendees insights into strategic developments in global partnerships and investment.

  • SAUPO Day: 9:00am to 5:30pm, Friday May 16, 2025, saupo.kennesaw.edu

    Banquet Room, 25th Floor

    Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Shiodome皇家花园酒店日本东京汐留

    1 Chome-6-3 Higashishinbashi, Minato City, Tokyo 105-8333 JAPAN

    Premier English Only Event

    SAUPO 2025 Itinerary: Friday May 16, 2025 from 9:00am to 5:30pm

    9:00am-10:00am: Registration & Networking, with live Shamisen performance

    Sponsored by KSU Wellstar College of Health and Human Services

    10:00am-10:30am: Opening & Introductions

    Sponsored by KSU Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS)

    • Sha Huang, Asian Studies Director, Associate Professor of Chinese, KSU (confirmed)
    • May Gao, SAUPO Chair, Professor of Communication & Asian Studies, KSU (confirmed)
    • DeAnn Golden, President & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties (invited)
    • Jin Bo, President, Huzhou College China (invited)
    • Yuumi Mochizuki, Investment and Trade Manager, State of Georgia – Japan (tentative)

    10:30am-11:30am: Sponsored by KSU College of Architecture and Construction Management, KSU College of Computing & Software Engineering, and KSU’s MS in Healthcare Management and Informatics

    SAUPO Panel #1: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Infrastructure and Healthcare

    Moderator: Doug Moodie, Professor of Management, Kennesaw State University (confirmed)

    • John Brown, Vice President of Operations, Shimizu North America (tentative)
    • Sweta Sneha, Executive Director, MS in Healthcare Management & Informatics, KSU (confirmed)
    • Brian Moore, Chair of the Department of Construction Management, KSU (confirmed)
    • Patrick Lenz, President & CEO, Toyo Tires (invited) 

    11:30am-2:00pm: Sponsored by Shimizu North America

    SAUPO Networking Buffet Lunch with Keynote Speeches

    • Honorable Ambassador Matt Murray,S. Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State (confirmed)
    • Victor Osumi, President-Japan, Delta Air Lines; President, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (confirmed)
    • President, Shimizu Corporation, Tokyo Japan (invited)

     2:00pm-3:00pm: Sponsored by KSU Office of Vice President for Research and

    KSU Coles College of Business

    SAUPO Panel #2: Global Workforce Development

    Moderator: Karin Scarpinato, Vice President for Research, Kennesaw State University (confirmed)

    • Alex Gregory, former President & CEO, YKK Corporation of America (confirmed)
    • Toru Ichikawa, General Manager, Global Engagement & Partnership Division, Kanda University of International Studies (confirmed)
    • Shinji Matsuda, Manager, International Affairs Division, Chukyo University (confirmed)
    • Kazuhiro Chikayama, Associate Prof. of English Education, J. F. Oberlin University

    3:00pm-3:30pm: Sponsored by YKK Corporation of America

    SAUPO Afternoon Break

    3:30pm-4:30pm: Sponsored by KSU Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

    SAUPO Panel #3: Building ASIA-USA Partnerships

    Moderator: George Mui, Managing Partner, Global Consultants United (confirmed)

    • Evan Felsing, Economic Minister Counselor, U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan (confirmed)
    • Kiyo Kojima, Partner, Smith Gambrell Russell; Chairman, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia (confirmed)
    • Hiroshi Sekiya, President, Maintech, Japan (confirmed)
    • Asahi Iwasawa, CEO, HATSU Japan (confirmed)

    4:30pm-5:30pm: Sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties  

    SAUPO Networking

    SAUPO Zoom Webinar for global livestream will be operated and recorded by Sanjeev Adhikari, Graduate Coordinator of Construction Management, KSU

    https://tinyurl.com/5n77bw29

 

SAUPO 2025 Magazine