A native of Japan, Noriko has lived around the United States, the Pacific, and Asia with her husband, Matthew J. Wilson, president of The University of Akron.

A pianist herself, Noriko has immersed all of her children in classical music training including piano, violin and voice. In particular, Noriko has been instrumental in the piano training of her youngest son, James, as he has competed internationally, won numerous awards, participated in various piano festivals, and performed three times at Carnegie Hall, at the Kennedy Center, the Merklin Center, as well as venues in Paris and Italy.

While devoting significant time to her family and son’s musical pursuits, she has also taught Japanese in the Head Start program at the University of Utah, worked as an English-Japanese translator, served in various leadership roles for her church, and worked as a Bible study teacher for University of Wyoming students and high school students in Ohio. Noriko is actively engaged in The University of Akron and local communities.

After helping James battle through a rare-form of pediatric cancer at Akron Children’s Hospital from 2014-15, Noriko finds time to regularly volunteer for pediatric cancer awareness events. Noriko studied at the University of Utah. Noriko and Matt are the proud parents of four children and two grandchildren.

Noriko joins fellow new Trustees Tracy Dowe, a vice president and relationship manager with Wells Fargo Commercial Banking, Quinnie Lane, a senior customer marketing and national identification representative with Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Charles Myricks Jr., a composer and chief operating and development officer of the National Association of the Church of God, and Renée Pipitone, a retired educator.