NIHARIKA CHIBBER JOE

Deputy Executive Director, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission

Ms. Joe is the Deputy Executive Director of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC), an independent federal grantmaking agency, strengthening the U.S.-Japan Alliance through educational and cultural exchange.  She is a service-oriented public diplomacy professional focused on U.S.-Japan relations to support and sustain the United States’ strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. At JUSFC, she manages grant program activities in education, culture and public affairs; the U.S.-Japan Creative Artist Fellowship Program; budgetary and investment funds; and liaises with the governments of the United States and Japan.

Ms. Joe’s professional background spans non-profit, private and public sectors. Prior to joining government service, she served as General Manager North America at Tata Sons, managing corporate sustainability and branding for the North American operations of the then $100 billion Tata group. She monitored U.S.-India trade policy and supply chains, oversaw corporate grantmaking, and led public-private initiatives across 11 brands and 25,000+ employees in the United States and Canada. She also represented the interests of the Tata Trusts to government and multilateral institutions, specifically in public health, water and sanitation.

Earlier in her career Ms. Joe served as Director of Programs at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, administering the Foundation’s policy dialogues and projects on U.S.-Asia relations. She also served as the Associate Director of the flagship Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program, a Congressionally established U.S.-Japan professional exchange for federal employees.

Ms. Joe has been an active participant in international conferences and policy dialogues in the United States and Asia. She has also worked as a professional Japanese language translator and interpreter for several well-known corporate clients, including a large performing arts agency in Japan; and she has served on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) selection committee.

Ms. Joe is a published creative writer and prizewinning poet. She holds an M.A. in International Trade & Japan Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), an M.A. and B.A. (magna cum laude) in Japanese Language & Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, and a certificate in executive leadership from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She communicates in seven languages, including Japanese and English.