Program staff

Brenda Ingram, Senior Regional Manager
Brenda oversees programs in Sounthern Alberta and assists other managers across Canada and Washington. She started with Global Partners in 2002 and was also a host family for 6 years prior to that, hosting 15 Japanese students and 2 German students.  Recently she made trips to Japan and Australia and was able to visit some of the high schools there. 

Brenda used to work as an accountant and has a degree in Volunteer Management. She is married to a geologist, has 3 children and is very active. Brenda’s father was an Air Canada pilot so during her childhood she traveled often. Besides Calgary, Brenda has lived in Ottawa, Edmonton and Victoria. She still loves traveling and likes movies, theatre, festivals, camping, and skiing.

Dorothy Aoki, British Columbia Regional Manager
Dorothy grew up in the Vancouver area and attained a degree in Applied Science from Simon Fraser University. Her travels have taken her all over the Asia Pacific region, across Canada, and to the Western US States. Dorothy enjoys gardening, camping, and spending time with her dog, Sadie.

Yoko Shimosaka, Customer Services & Marketing Manager 
Yoko was born and raised in Nagano, Japan. She majored in Education at University and was an elementary school teacher for three years. Yoko also has experience as a journalist for NHK, a local paper in Vancouver, translation and international trading. Yoko completed an Advanced Interpreter Program at Simon Fraser University. She believes that her 12 years experience in Canada will help her support GPI’s clients and Japanese students.

George Kajiyama, Long Term Program Manager
My name is George (Ryoji) Kajiyama.  As the Long Term Program Manager for Global Partners, I will be supporting you with your academic programs, host family, host school, and program coordinator throughout your stay in order to give you the best experience possible. Learning English in a foreign country is a different experience for everybody.  I have also had the pleasure of learning English in Canada.  After graduating from University in Japan, I enrolled into a college in Vancouver and stayed with an English speaking family, much like what you will be doing.  From this I found that you must enjoy your stay in order to learn English successfully.  Even if you are not fluent and you cannot understand what people are saying, the most important thing is to try your best and enjoy the experience.  Have fun!