Jody Ono is dedicated to helping people to characterize and express their leadership as a personal practice, an endeavor to which she has applied herself in policy, business, and academic spheres. At Hitotsubashi ICS, she teaches leadership development to MBA students and in executive education programs for Japanese and global companies; and co-leads the MBA program; and serves as the school's chief of staff. In addition to leadership development, Jody's interests include the intersection of leadership and sustainability; the role of corporations in leading global social and economic change; and human welfare and well-being in capitalism.

Jody serves as an Outside Director for Mabuchi Motor Co., Ltd., appointed in 2019 as the company's first female and first non-Japanese director. Additionally, she collaborates on leadership development projects with Global Perspectives KK, Japan.

Earlier, based at SITE - Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden, Jody worked with international teams on talent development in emerging economies, including in the launch of new economic policy think tanks in Russia and central and eastern Europe. Subsequently, at the Bush School of Government, Texas A&M University, TX, USA, she developed the newly founded Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy. With the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library as counterpart, she coordinated executive policy and business leadership awards programs before joining the Center for Leadership Excellence, Texas A&M University, as an instructor.

Jody is a graduate of Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs (MPP '03), New York University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (MA '93), and American University's School of International Service (BA '89).