Cole Harper

Cole Harper is the Civic Engagement and Partnerships Manager on Minerva University's Tokyo City Team, where he builds the university's partnerships with Tokyo's companies, nonprofits, government bodies, and cultural institutions, and works directly with students as an advisor and coach throughout their Japan rotation. He has spent fifteen years in Japan across strategic communications, public affairs, and nonprofit leadership. Prior to joining Minerva, Harper was an Associate at Armitage International, the advisory firm founded by former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, counseling multinational clients on policy and regulatory risk across Japan and Southeast Asia. Before that he served as Head of Development and Business Services at TELL (Tokyo English Lifeline), Japan's leading international mental health organization, where he built the corporate sponsorship programs and campaign that took the TELL Lifeline toll-free nationwide and launched the organization's QPR suicide prevention training for Japan's international community. His earlier career spanned public affairs, crisis communications, and brand strategy at Kreab Worldwide, Vox Global Japan, Caesars Entertainment Japan, and Dentsu. Bilingual in English and Japanese, he holds a Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Management from the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation and a B.A. in Asian Studies from Vanderbilt University.