I found love for the game of volleyball as a player in a middle school intramural program soon after I immigrated from Japan in 1986 where a teacher taught some fundamental skills and rules. I did not speak or understand a word of English at the time, but I quickly fell in love with the sport because volleyball did not need language to learn, play and make friends. I spent many years watching better players, analyzing and applying to myself to learn new skills. I started to play competitively in my late 20s through tournaments hosted by USAV and other organizations that host tournaments, traveling with friends to play in Vancouver, BC, Seattle, Portland, California, and Las Vegas.

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As my career as a software engineer developed, I realized that I could apply so many life lessons I learned from playing volleyball. As I started my coaching career in 2001, I soon realized that I could pass on my life lessons to young players using volleyball as a platform. I also believe in, "to coach is to learn twice" and I am extremely excited to take the journeys with players every year! Since the beginning of my coaching career, I have had the honor of coaching (aka - learning together) various ages and skill levels, from U12-U18s in club volleyball and middle schools and high school. My coaching philosophy is to build a better person first, better teammates second and better skilled volleyball players third.

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I have a daughter and a son, both in their 20s, two cats and grand-daughter named Junie. In my spare time, you’ll find me with my family or playing golf and volleyball.