WASHINGTON, DC (June 2025) – Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA), a Washington-based think tank focused on U.S.-Japan relations, will bring a delegation of U.S. research fellows on community resilience and disaster risk reduction (DRR) to Japan.
Purpose
The mission of the American research fellows is to work with their Japanese expert counterparts to come away with new perspectives and insights on how the U.S. and Japan can best prepare for and respond to disasters through building resilient communities.
Description
The delegation will begin its research in Tokyo, engaging directly with leading government agencies, experts, and organizations at the forefront of disaster response and community resilience. The delegation’s path then leads to the Noto Peninsula, a region still grappling with the aftermath of the devastating 2024 earthquake and the torrential rains that struck later that year. Here, the delegation will talk with the unsung heroes whose ingenuity and determination are driving recovery and breathing new life into Noto – such as farmers tending to revive fields, artisans restoring lost crafts, chefs reinvigorating the local food scene, youth shaping the future, and shop owners reopening their doors.
“By immersing in these communities, the delegation aims not only to learn from Japan’s formal disaster resilience systems, but also to glean lessons from the powerful, often untold stories of local courage, collaboration, and renewal that can provide concrete insights to strengthen resiliency for communities across the U.S. and Japan” said Ms. Shanti Shoji, Director of Programs at Sasakawa USA.
The delegation features Dr. Regardt Ferreira, Director of the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy at Tulane University, whose global expertise in social vulnerabilities and disaster resilience spans five continents, and Mr. Corey Eide, Practice Leader for State and Local Government and Nonprofit Advisory at BDO USA, who brings an extensive background forging partnerships across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Together with their Japanese expert counterparts, Dr. Miwako Kitamura and Ms. Yumiko Mori, senior fellows at Sasakawa USA, they will form a strong foundation for continued collaboration in applying lessons from past disasters to strengthen communities and promote better resiliency in the U.S. and Japan.
Following the completion of the trip, the research fellows will produce a joint analysis with takeaways and actionable recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in the U.S. and Japan, aiming to provide a new perspective on whole community resilience.
Research Fellows
Mr. Corey Eide
Practice Leader, State and Local Government and Nonprofit Advisory, BDO USA; Senior Fellow, Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA), Tulane University School of Social Work
As a Practice Leader at BDO, Corey serves government and nonprofit clients who are addressing some of the most important issues facing our local and global community. Corey supports clients by facilitating strategic growth considerations, initiating sustainability journeys, and enabling Federal funding compliance.
Prior to joining BDO, Corey served as the Senior Director of Capability Development for Team Rubicon. In this role, Corey oversaw the design and development of new services, client experience, learning and development, and impact evaluation. Prior to joining Team Rubicon, Corey spent over a decade with the American Red Cross where he focused on modernizing its disaster recovery program including the redesign of its cash transfer, case management, and community grants services.
At Tulane University, Corey has developed and taught courses at the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy and the Payson Graduate Program in Global Development. Most recently, this includes the development and facilitation of Disaster Operations and Policy, Leadership in Disaster, and Summer Institutes which provide students immersive experiences navigating emerging issues.
International experience includes volunteer service in Haiti, research in Chile, and coursework completed in Thailand, Panama, and India. Corey has a Masters of Science in International Development from Tulane.
Dr. Regardt Ferreira
Director, Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA), Tulane University School of Social Work; Executive Director, Consortium for Emergent Disaster Resilience; Associate Professor, Tulane University School of Social Work
Dr. Regardt (Reggie) Ferreira, PhD, is Director of Tulane University’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy and Executive Director of the Consortium for Emergent Disaster Resilience. He is also a full professor (tenured) of social work at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. Ferreira earned his BSW and master’s degree in Disaster Risk Management (cum laude) from the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and his Ph.D. in Social Work (Dean citation) from the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. Since joining Tulane University’s faculty in 2013, his responsibilities have spanned administration, research, program development, and teaching. Dr. Ferreira is the Chief Editor of the American Psychological Association’s Traumatology journal, which has an impact factor of 3.2 and focuses on resilience practices among traumatized populations. He has been an active member of several national advisory committees, including those for the National Academies of Science, FEMA, Global Resilience Partnership, and the American Red Cross.
Dr. Ferreira’s primary research interests lie in the areas of disaster resilience, climate change, and behavioral health, with field work extending across Europe, Africa, North America, the Caribbean, and South Asia. Over the past two decades, he has led initiatives totaling over $44 million in federal and foundation funding, contributing to significant advancements in disaster risk reduction and resilience. His scholarly output includes over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and abstracts addressing resilience, climate change, equity, and trauma.
Dr. Miwako Kitamura
Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Startup Incubation Center, Tohoku University
Dr. Kitamura is a specially appointed associate professor at Tohoku University’s Startup Incubation Center. and played a key role in orchestrating immersive field visits to Tohoku and Noto during the Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) on Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction through Women, Peace and Security in July 2024. These experiences provided delegates with unparalleled access to community leaders at the forefront of recovery efforts in the regions impacted by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Sasakawa USA is grateful for her continued work to support vulnerable communities in Japan’s disaster-stricken areas.
Her career was profoundly shaped by her volunteer experience during the Great East Japan Earthquake. This pivotal event led her to transition from professional photography to academia, where she now works on critical issues related to social infrastructures in disasters.
Her research centers on gender issues, disability, and socially vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on gender and disaster management. Dr. Kitamura’s work emphasizes community-driven approaches and women’s empowerment in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Drawing from personal experiences with health challenges and eldercare, she has become a passionate advocate for those facing difficult circumstances, as well as those caring for their families.
Dr. Kitamura also serves as the deputy director of the Centre for Gender and Disaster Research at Tohoku University’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS). This center is a collaborative effort between University College London (UCL) and IRIDeS, focusing on gender and disaster research.
Ms. Yumiko Mori
Founder and Chairwoman of the Board, Comachiplus
Ms. Yumiko Mori is the founder and chairwoman of the board at Comachiplus, a specified non-profit organization she established in February 2012. With a career spanning over a decade, she previously worked at Toyota Motor Company from 2004 to 2012 in the Overseas Sales Department China Division and Overseas Research Department. She also serves as a board member for the Board of Education in the City of Yokohama since 2018, and a committee member for the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Human Resource Development Program of a Multi-Layered Support System” since May 2024. Ms. Mori has been appointed senior fellow (non-resident) following her engagements with the 2024 Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) in July and the U.S.-Japan Regional Alliance Series event on “Equitable Resilience and Social Vulnerability” at Tulane University in November. Sasakawa USA thanks her for sharing her expertise on integrating women, children, and individuals with disabilities into her community of Totsuka through various impactful initiatives.
Under her leadership at Comachiplus, Ms. Mori leads a team of 40 staff members and over 300 volunteers. She has pioneered several initiatives, including a collaborative and innovative café model supporting isolated child-rearing in Japan, and a training program that has inspired over 100 people to open their own community cafés. Her notable works include the creation of a Japan-first project to send birthday gift boxes from the community, in collaboration with Yamato Transport. About 8,000 gift boxes have been sent in the past eight years to families of new-born children in four regions of Japan. From this project, Japan’s first ever diaper vending machines were born, with over 300 machines now in Japan. Her efforts have earned numerous awards, including the Semi-Grand Prix in the Japan Regional Revitalization Award and the Excellence Award in the 7th Wellbeing Award by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.
Ms. Mori holds a bachelor’s of public policy management from Keio University, where she represented Japan in the Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative. Her leadership has been recognized through fellowships and awards, such as the Champion of Change Japan Award in 2019 and fellowships with the Japan Women Leadership Initiative Program and Salzburg Global Seminar.
