Maiko Behr

Founder & Executive Director

Maiko Behr has worked as a Japanese to English translator, curator, and consultant specializing in Japanese arts for over 20 years and is the owner of SaBi Tea Arts, where she teaches chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony) in the Omotesenke tradition and kōdō (Japanese incense ceremony) in the Senzan Goryū tradition. In the non-profit sector, Maiko has served locally on the board of directors of the Tomoe Arts Society for over ten years, and has worked and volunteered for various Japanese and Asian arts-related non-profit associations and museums in Canada and the US. 

Karah Foster

President, Board of Directors

Karah Foster is the Executive Director of the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre - a museum, garden and centre, in Burnaby, BC, dedicated to Japanese Canadian history, heritage and culture. She began formal study of Omotesenke tea tradition in 2015 and is a member of the Omotesenke Domonkai Northern California Region. 

Laurel Fais

Vice President / Secretary, Board of Directors

Laurel Fais first experienced Japanese arts and culture, including the Japanese tea ceremony, when she moved with her husband and three children to Kyoto, Japan, to work for twelve years as a research scientist at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute and in the research division of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation. She continued to study tea in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where she conducted research in the field of infant language acquisition at the University of British Columbia.  She is currently retired, and enjoys practicing tea as well as attempting to grow her own tea in North Carolina, USA.

Naoko Sembokuya

Treasurer, Board of Directors

Naoko Sembokuya grew up in Japan, the U.S., and Canada, and majored in art at university. After graduation, she worked as art director for a number of international companies and was involved in the creation of the brand concept for the North American matcha brand "DoMatcha," which was launched in 2005. Through this experience, she was first exposed to the wonderful world of Japanese tea. While continuing to provide marketing support for the brand, she began practicing Tamiya-ryū Iaijutsu, a designated intangible cultural asset of Japan, in 2006. She now holds a 5th dan instructor certification and teaches locally in Vancouver and at dōjōs throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. Naoko is passionate about learning about Japanese culture in a wide range of forms. In 2019, she began studying Omotesenke tea ceremony and enjoys being part of a community that appreciates Japanese spirit and cultural values.

Christina Cecconi

Program Coordinator / Visual Communications

Christina is a student of kōdō (Japanese incense ceremony) in the Senzan Goryū tradition as well as ikebana in the Sogetsu tradition.  She comes to Dōjin with a diverse background in both healthcare and the arts, first earning her bachelor of design at Emily Carr University before eventually becoming a licensed acupuncturist and Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine where she spent over a decade in clinical practice and patient care in Vancouver. The intersection of wellbeing and the arts is very much of interest to Christina and continues to influence her work.