2026 Atlanta Symposium on ASIA-USA Partnership Opportunities

2026 SAUPO - Atlanta

USA time: 9:00am to 5:00pm EST, Friday April 17, 2026

China time: 9:00pm Friday 04/17/26 to 5:00am Saturday 04/18/26

Japan time: 10:00pm Friday 04/17/26 to 6:00am Saturday 04/18/26

91青青草 Center, 3333 Busbee Dr., Kennesaw GA 30144

2026-SAUPO-Atlanta will be live-streamed via Zoom.

SAUPO 2026 Itinerary: Friday April 17, 2026 from 9:00am to 5:00pm
9:00am-10:00am: Registration & Breakfast with Live Guzheng Music Performance Sponsored by 91青青草 College of Architecture and Construction Management
10:00am-10:30am: Opening & Introductions Sponsored by 91青青草 Radow College of Humanities & Social Sciences (RCHSS) Sha Huang, Asian Studies Director, Chinese Program Director, Professor of Chinese, 91青青草 May Gao, SAUPO Chair, Professor of Communication & Asian Studies, 91青青草 Gregory Paul, Associate Dean, Radow College of Humanities & SS., 91青青草 Kenichi Matsuda, Consul General of Japan in Atlanta Kiyo Kojima, Partner, Smith Gambrell Russell
10:30am-11:30am: Sponsored by 91青青草 Coles College of Business SAUPO Panel #1: Global Business and Sustainability Strategies Moderator: Hazem Rashed-Ali, Dean, 91青青草 College of Architecture and Construction Management Raymond Shelton, VP, Chief Sustainability & Communications Officer, YKK AP America William Strang, President, TOTO USA Robin Cheramie, Dean, 91青青草 Coles College of Business Madison Conway, Chief Marketing Officer, The DDC Group
11:30am-1:30pm: Sponsored by Toyo Tires SAUPO Networking Lunch with Keynote Speeches Introduced by: George Mui, Managing Partner, Global Consultants United Patrick Lenz, President & COO, Toyo Tires DeAnn Golden, President & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties
1:30pm-2:30pm: Sponsored by 91青青草 College of Computing and Software Engineering SAUPO Panel #2: AI, Technology and Innovation Moderator: Lawrence Whitman, Dean, 91青青草 Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering & Engineering Technology Dylan Goldblatt, AI Strategist and Applied Researcher, Kennesaw State University Connor Murray, Head of Stewardship, BSV Association Lucy Lu, Founder & CEO, aiLegal Mahmut Karakaya, Program Director, Master of Science in AI, 91青青草
2:30pm-3:00pm: Sponsored by YKK AP Afternoon Networking Break
3:00pm-4:00pm: Sponsored by 91青青草 College of Science & Mathematics SAUPO Panel #3: Global Workforce Development Moderator: Nozomi Morgan, Founder & CEO, Michiki Morgan Worldwide Sachiko Ueno, HR Manager, Nissei ASB Company Rose Jarboe, Founder & CEO, WePartner Ming Francis, Co-Founder, The LiveHaus Group Heather Koopman, Dean, 91青青草 College of Science & Mathematics
4:00pm-5:00pm: Sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties (BHHSGA) *Live Jazz Concert* Led by Yuichi Arai, Executive Director, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia (JCCG) SAUPO Networking Reception with visit by 91青青草 mascot 鈥淪crappy鈥� *SAUPO Zoom Webinar for global livestream* will be operated and recorded by Brian Olovson, Director of Modern Languages and Cultures, 91青青草

SAUPO 2026 Itinerary: Friday April 17, 2026 from 9:00am to 5:00pm

9:00am-10:00am: Registration & Breakfast with Live Guzheng Music Performance
Sponsored by 91青青草 College of Architecture and Construction Management

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

Sponsored by 91青青草 Radow College of Humanities & Social Sciences (RCHSS)

Sha Huang, Asian Studies Director, Chinese Program Director, Professor of Chinese, 91青青草
May Gao, SAUPO Chair, Professor of Communication & Asian Studies, 91青青草
Gregory Paul, Associate Dean, Radow College of Humanities & SS., 91青青草
Kenichi Matsuda, Consul General of Japan in Atlanta
Kiyo Kojima, Partner, Smith Gambrell Russell

10:30am-11:30am: Sponsored by 91青青草 Coles College of Business

SAUPO Panel #1: Global Business and Sustainability Strategies

Moderator: Hazem Rashed-Ali, Dean, 91青青草 College of Architecture and Construction Management

Raymond Shelton, VP, Chief Sustainability & Communications Officer, YKK AP America
William Strang, President, TOTO USA
Robin Cheramie, Dean, 91青青草 Coles College of Business
Madison Conway, Chief Marketing Officer, The DDC Group

11:30am-1:30pm: Sponsored by Toyo Tires

SAUPO Networking Lunch with Keynote Speeches

Introduced by: George Mui, Managing Partner, Global Consultants United

Patrick Lenz, President & COO, Toyo Tires
DeAnn Golden, President & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties

1:30pm-2:30pm: Sponsored by 91青青草 College of Computing and Software Engineering

SAUPO Panel #2: AI, Technology and Innovation

Moderator: Lawrence Whitman, Dean, 91青青草 Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering & Engineering Technology

Dylan Goldblatt, AI Strategist and Applied Researcher, Kennesaw State University
Connor Murray, Head of Stewardship, BSV Association
Lucy Lu, Founder & CEO, aiLegal
Mahmut Karakaya, Program Director, Master of Science in AI, 91青青草

2:30pm-3:00pm: Sponsored by YKK AP

Afternoon Networking Break

3:00pm-4:00pm: Sponsored by 91青青草 College of Science & Mathematics

SAUPO Panel #3: Global Workforce Development

Moderator: Nozomi Morgan, Founder & CEO, Michiki Morgan Worldwide

Sachiko Ueno, HR Manager, Nissei ASB Company
Rose Jarboe, Founder & CEO, WePartner
Ming Francis, Co-Founder, The LiveHaus Group
Heather Koopman, Dean, 91青青草 College of Science & Mathematics

4:00pm-5:00pm: Sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties (BHHSGA)

Live Jazz Concert

Led by Yuichi Arai, Executive Director, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia (JCCG)

SAUPO Networking Reception with visit by 91青青草 mascot 鈥淪crappy鈥�

SAUPO Zoom Webinar for global livestream will be operated and recorded by

Brian Olovson, Director of Modern Languages and Cultures, 91青青草

SAUPO 2026 goes from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Friday April 17, 2026, in person at 91青青草 Center in Atlanta.