Michael L. Kluemper has been teaching Japanese language and visual arts since 1999. He served as a board member for the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers from 2001-08 and has been involved in long-term planning committees for the council as well as ACTFL (The American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages). Today, Kluemper is a College Board Consultant for the AP Japanese program and lives in Louisville, KY.

Lisa Berkson was introduced to Japan as a Rotary exchange student in high school. After earning her B.A. from Georgetown University, she returned to Kyoto for two years to study Japanese and teach English. Later, she worked actively with the Association of Indiana Teachers of Japanese. AITJ honored her by nominating her for Japanese language teacher of the year in 2007. She lives in Mesa, Arizona.