Sarah has worked at the DRC since 2003, with increasing responsibility in the areas of economic development, technology and healthcare industry programming, and international business recruitment. She led the Chamber’s efforts to recruit major corporate headquarters to the Dallas Region, including Toyota Motor North America, Hilti North America, ACTIVE Network, Omnitracs, and Kubota Tractor. In addition, she played a key role in recruiting operations for Panasonic, Louis Vuitton, Hexaware Technologies, Liberty Mutual, Kohl’s, and other well-known organizations to the region. Sarah has also co-organized a multitude of successful missions abroad garnering media attention, business-to-business connections for DRC members, speaking opportunities for regional political leaders, and economic development announcements including BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products), Cinépolis and Telnorm establishing U.S. headquarters in the Dallas Region.

In 2015, Sarah and the economic development team were recognized by CoreNet for their role in the Toyota Motor North America headquarters project. In 2018, Sarah received the Alain Bellet Award from the French American Chamber of Commerce for deepening the business ties between the Dallas Region and France.

Josh Mayfield is Managing Director in the Office of the President for ORIX Corporation USA where he is responsible for cultivating stakeholder relationships with high net worth investors, family offices and debt capital providers. Previously, Mr. Mayfield established ORIX Energy Capital where he was responsible for management of a team of experienced oil and gas investment professionals focused on providing senior, unitranche, and equity capital to the North American oil and gas sector. Prior to that, Mr. Mayfield established the ORIX Alternative Investments Group for ORIX Corporation USA, where he was responsible for the sourcing, diligence, and management of ORIX’s hedge funds, private equity funds and other partnership-related investments.

He joined ORIX in 2000 and has held a variety of positions in real estate workout, CMBS surveillance and underwriting, credit risk management, corporate M&A and loan portfolio management. In addition, Mr. Mayfield currently serves as a board member and President of the ORIX Foundation, a board member of the Men’s Advocacy Group for New Friends New Life, a board member of On the Road Lending, and a member of the Texas Tech Rawls College of Business Advisory Council.

Mr. Mayfield earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Texas Tech University and a Master of Science in Real Estate from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Julia Wada is Group Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Strategic Innovation, Operational Excellence & Enterprise Program Management at Toyota Financial Services (TFS).  She is responsible for strategy development, strategic research & insights and future business innovation.  As part of the One Toyota initiative, she oversaw the transition of TFS’ headquarters move to Plano. Wada serves on the Management Committee and reports to Mark Templin, President and CEO.

Wada joined Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) in 1991 as part of the Graduate Management Associate program.  At both TMS and TFS, she has served the company in various management and leadership roles, product planning, pricing, sales planning, National Strategic Planning Manager; Corporate Manager, TFS Strategy and eBusiness; Vice President, Human Resources and Real Estate; and Group Vice President, Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion & Business Technology Solutions.

Prior to her Toyota career, Wada worked as a program manager and engineer for Lockheed Missiles & Space Corporation.  Wada earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and her Master of Science degree in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Wada serves on the board of directors for the Japan America Society of Dallas Fort Worth, the Dallas Holocaust Museum Center for Education & Tolerance and the Toyota Foundation.

Dr. Hiroki Takeuchi
Associate Professor, Tower Center for Political Studies, SMU
Director, Sun & Star Japan and East Asia Program

Dr. Takeuchi’s research and teaching interests include Chinese and Japanese politics, comparative political economy of authoritarian regimes, and international relations of East Asian, as well as applying game theory to political science. He has published articles in numerous professional journals and is the author of Rural Tax Reforms in Contemporary China: Revenue, Resistance, and Authoritarian Rule (Cambridge University Press, 2014). Dr. Takeuchi received his Ph.D. in political science from UCLA, his M.A. in Asian studies from University of California at Berkeley, and his B.A. in economics from Keio University in Japan.