 Early in his career, Kanak worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and served as the Washington representative for a river conservation organization.During the past decade, Kanak served as a director of the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S.-Japan Business Council, as a member of the Executive Committee of the U.S.-Korea Business Council, and a member of the Seoul International Business Advisory Council (SIBAC).He was President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan in 2002 and as its Chairman in 2003.