President: Erika Bryant-Northcutt
Erika Bryant-Northcutt is a 2015 Graduate of The University of South Carolina from with a degree in Music. She most recently hails from the nonprofit world with a Master’s in Arts Non-Profit Management from the highly selective program at American University. She completed an extensive research project on fundraising and event planning for small nonprofit organizations.
She has been a social media and fundraising consultant for social organizations, rural theatres, as well as small businesses. She single-handedly managed an overseas tour to Greece for the American University Chamber Singers. She has studied at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, and her research has been published in their annual report. This is her second tour to Yokosuka, Japan. Previously, she was the OSAY event coordinator, Vice President, and President. She is the proud owner and co-host of a Top 100 History Podcast, The Pithy Chronicle LLC!
Vice President: Cherise Menard
I’m originally from Orange, CA where I met Phil, my husband of 27 years, in Kindergarten. We have been a Navy family for 19 years and moved to Yokosuka in December 2016. We have 3 children; 1 college graduate, 1 college Freshman, and 1 high school Sophomore. I have a Bachelors degree in Behavioral Science/Sociology and a Masters in Business Administration. I served on the OSAY board in 2017/2018 as membership co-chair and have been involved in several organizations on base. I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring Japan, cooking and baking, creating macrame, and cuddling on the couch with my dog, Raymond. I’m really looking forward to serving our spouse community.
Treasurer: Jasmine Biggness
I was born in Charleston, SC where I met my husband while he attended The Citadel. After graduation, he commissioned and moved to San Diego, CA. I met him there a year later, and a year after that, we were married. Our second duty station was Norfolk, VA, where I was very active in the Surface Officer Spouses (SOS) Norfolk organization. While in Norfolk, I served as treasurer for SOS for 2 years, and we had our first child before we moved to our third duty station. We welcomed our second child two years after our first, and I am a stay-at-home mother. This is move number five now, and we are very excited to be in Japan. A friend told me about OSAY, and I am very excited to join the ranks and help this awesome organization!
Secretary: Sherri Tobin
I am a 3rd generation Navy brat. I currently serve as chaos coordinator for five boys and one husband. You can find me reading or planning a trip, near or far, if I find any spare time.
Communications: Tess Poppert
Tess Poppert has always been a hopeless wanderer. Yokosuka is her 18th official address, 4 of which are courtesy of the US Navy, with Yokosuka being her first OCONUS address. She is happily married to her best friend of half her life, Reilly, and she’s been living that Military Spouse dream for the past five years. Currently, she is a stay-at-home mom to Liam (2) and a self-published author of a futuristic dystopian YA series on Amazon called the Lux Series.
Her background is working in Higher Ed Marketing, Event Planning, and as a Ballroom Dancing Instructor. Her hobbies include consuming copious amounts of literature, slowly but surely killing all of the herbs in her window sill garden, attempting to capture everyday magical moments via iPhone, and playing three instruments equally poorly. Her passion each duty station is for hosting events and bringing people together in her own home. Being a part of the OSAY Board seemed like the perfect way to continue to do that on a greater scale.
Website: Clarke Smal
Born and bred in South Africa. Sailed across several oceans, then to University. Briefly sailed for the South African Olympic sailing team as an alternate. Moved to the UK and joined the British Army; cause you get to sail AND blow stuff up. Met my wife whilst sailing at USNA and was lured across the pond by her. We have had a whirlwind of tours, including Bahrain and New Port. Before I knew it, I had two girls and were flying to Japan with a hope and a prayer.
Membership: Rachel Greenhouse
Hi! I’m Rachel Greenhouse. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and an avid sports fan! Baseball is my jam, and you can find me planning vacations around different stadiums, both here in Japan and in the States. I also grew up in the competitive dance world from elementary school to high school. I am a graduate from Purdue University with a Bachelors in Special Education and received a Masters in Special Education from Lesley University. I have taught in all different settings and age groups, ranging from 1st grade to junior college. I am a fierce advocate for Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness to honor my daughter, born sleeping, Taylor. I have one living daughter, Logan, who is 3 years old. I have been a Navy spouse since 2015 to my husband, Cole. I cannot wait for this year ahead and to see what’s in store for OSAY!
Events Manager: Ali Maruca
Alison (Ali) Maruca is a Navy wife to Nick of 10 years, mom of three kids, PAO in the Navy Reserve, and a staunch advocate for Navy families everywhere. She and her family have lived in Yokosuka since August 2022, but have been stationed here twice previously. When she isn’t working, drilling, or shuttling her kids to a plethora of activities, Ali enjoys writing, adventuring throughout Japan, and an having occasional date nights with her husband. She is looking forward to sharing her passion for Japan through future OSAY events and meeting more of the amazing spouses who are part of our incredible community.
Hikes/ Cultural Outings: Hillary Stickler
I was born and grew up in Orange County, California, so I am thrilled to be back near the ocean! My husband's platform took us to Oklahoma and Nebraska, so I haven't been this close to the water since flight school way back in 2007! My husband and I met while Midshipmen at the Naval Academy, and since then, I have been fortunate to have been stationed in one place long enough to attend and graduate nursing school and begin my career as a bedside oncology nurse. About eight years ago, I made the jump to healthcare IT to support and create charting tools for hospital staff, and I loved being able to blend my first degree (Electrical Engineering) with my nursing background. In November 2021, I had our first child, Carmen, and I was able to stay home with her while working since my position was moved remote during the Pandemic. This is my first time not working in my adult life, but I feel more exhausted than ever "just" being a SAHM with her! I love traveling, singing, going to the beach, and vegetable gardening. When we retire, my dream is to start a community garden to provide access to fresh, local food!
Game Nights: Kimberly Sheridan
Hey OSAY, I’m Kim Sheridan, and I’m looking forward to serving on the board this year! I’ve had a lot of unique and great experiences and met some awesome people through OSAY since moving to Japan and joining in July 2021. In a past life, I worked in the medical field, starting at the age of 15 as a receptionist in a doctor's office, followed by training, volunteering, and working as an EMT (emergency medical technician), Medical Assistant, and finally nursing school that I hope to finish one day!
My life and home are filled with my absolute favorite humans on the planet, my best friend and sole mate, Kyle, and our four beautiful and amazing kids, Nate 15, Nick 13, Valkyrie 3, and Astraea (RaeRae), who’s 1!! ….yes, two teenage boys and two toddler girls!! XD Some of my hobbies include lifting, running, hiking, volunteering, traveling, cooking, eating, lounging on the beach, listening to music, and drinking ChuHi!! **Bonus points if the last four are together!!
Looking forward to the year ahead and meeting you all!!
Cultural Events: Rebecca Van Den Meerendonk
Rebecca is originally from Wisconsin but moved to Southern California in 2013 to complete her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine (San Marcos). Her passion for pelvic floor physical therapy is focused on the pregnant and postpartum population.
Though she is not currently working in Yokosuka, she is keeping busy with learning Japanese, trying to stay fit, and adventuring throughout Japan with her husband and two young kids.
Rebecca is excited to give back to the OSAY group through the cultural events and hopes that everyone can appreciate learning more about Japanese culture.