NCUSCR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director
- Partner ( Retired ), Sidley Austin
Aaron Nicholson joined the National Committee in July 2022 as a senior program officer. He focuses on the National Committee's Government Engagement programs, Subnational Initiatives, and Next Generation leadership programs. Mr. Nicholson first worked with the National Committee as an intern in the summer of 2012 before returning to join the staff more than a decade later.
Mr. Nicholson previously spent eight years at China Institute, where he was the acting director of programming. During his tenure, he headed a team that designed and executed a diverse slate of China-related public programs, led language-intensive student trips to Beijing, and helped develop the Institute's Next-Gen Leaders Circle.
Mr. Nicholson has a B.A. in East Asian studies from Johns Hopkins University. In his spare time, he is an avid reader of Chinese fiction in translation, and enjoys traveling as well as cooking at home in Brooklyn.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Operations Manager
- Senior Program Operations Manager at the National Committee
Alexander Guido is a senior program operations manager at the National Committee and is responsible for evaluating and refining programmatic and administrative processes for strategic initiatives, and oversees the Committee's CRM project planning and development. Mr. Guido first joined the Committee as an intern in 2013 before becoming a member of staff as a program and administrative assistant in 2015.
Mr. Guido graduated from Manhattan College in 2014 with a B.A. in international studies with a concentration in Asia. Throughout his collegiate career, Mr. Guido focused on security and economic issues in Northeast Asia, particularly China. In fall of 2012, he participated in American University's Chinese Global Economics and Trade program. During that time, he served as an intern at the United States International Trade Commission's Office of Investigations where he conducted research and analysis on active trade disputes between the United States and several Asian nations. Additionally, while at American University, he authored a research project on Sino-American trade relations. Mr. Guido then spent a semester at Beijing Language and Culture University where he was enrolled in an intensive Chinese language program. At Manhattan College, he was very involved with the school's award winning National Model United Nations team, having served as their head delegate for several years.
Job Titles:
- Chairman & CEO, Hills & Company, International Consultants / Senior Counselor, Albright Stonebridge Group / U.S. Trade Representative, 1989 - 1993
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hills & Company International Consultants
- Honorary Chair
Ambassador Carla A. Hills is chair and chief executive officer of Hills & Company International Consultants, which provides advice to international firms on investment, trade, and risk assessment issues abroad, particularly in emerging market economies.
Ambassador Hills served as United States Trade Representative from 1989 to 1993. As a member of President George H.W. Bush's cabinet, she was the president's principal advisor on international trade policy. She was also the nation's chief trade negotiator, representing American interests in multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations throughout the world. Ambassador Hills negotiated and concluded the North American Free Trade Agreement and also led the U.S. negotiations on the Uruguay Round of the World Trade Organization. During her tenure, the United States entered into a large number of trade and investment agreements with countries around the world.
Earlier, Ambassador Hills served in the cabinet of President Gerald R. Ford, as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (the third woman to hold a cabinet position). She also served as the assistant attorney general in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Before entering government, Ambassador Hills co-founded and was partner in what is now the Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP law firm. She also served as an adjunct professor at the University of California at Los Angeles Law School teaching antitrust law, and co-authored The Antitrust Adviser (McGraw-Hill, 1971). Her prior expertise in antitrust and federal civil matters informs her understanding of business.
Over the years, Ambassador Hills has served on a number of corporate boards, including AIG, AT&T, Chevron, Corning Glass Works, Gilead Sciences, IBM, Time Warner, Trust Company of the West, and United Airlines. She is currently on the international advisory board of J.P. Morgan Chase. She also serves in leadership positions with not-for-profit organizations. She is chair of the International Advisory Board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; co-chair of the Inter-American Dialogue; chair emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations (after serving as co-chair until July 2017); honorary director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics; and executive committee member of the Trilateral Commission.
Ambassador Hills graduated from Stanford University, attended Oxford University's St. Hilda's College, and obtained her law degree from the Yale Law School. She holds honorary degrees from a number of colleges and universities. In 2000, she was awarded the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor given by the Mexican government to a non-citizen.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Global Head of Public Policy & Head of US Government Affairs, Invesco
Job Titles:
- Director
- Co - Founder & Partner, Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Job Titles:
- Director
- President & CEO, Barbara Franklin Enterprises U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1992 - 1993
Job Titles:
- Director
- Managing Partner, MSA Capital
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate
- National Committee in 2020 As a Program Assistant
Bernice Xu joined the National Committee in 2020 as a program assistant. She provides support to various programs including the Public Intellectuals Program and Track II dialogues. Ms. Xu's background and experience as a Chinese American has inspired her interest and desire to shape U.S. foreign policy toward China. Starting from a young age, she has spent summers traveling throughout China and being immersed in Chinese language and culture. This led her to develop a natural interest in world history, American politics, and international affairs, the latter of which she studied as her major in college. Her undergraduate research centered on surveying the implications of China's political, economic, and military rise for U.S. foreign policy. She completed her thesis on China's evolving role in the Middle East, specifically examining the Arab-Israeli conflict and BRI.
Ms. Xu graduated summa cum laude from the George Washington University in 2019 with a B.A. in international affairs, where she concentrated in conflict resolution, East Asia, and the Middle East, and minored in statistics. She spent a year after graduation working for the director Paul Haenle at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing. She has also worked on Capitol Hill in the office of Congressman Steve Cohen and in political consulting in Washington, D.C. She grew up in New York, San Diego, and Memphis. In her spare time, she enjoys staying active, cooking, and exploring new places.
Job Titles:
- Senior Operations Manager
- National Committee As Operations Manager
Carly Biondi joined the National Committee as operations manager in January 2019. Prior to her work at the Committee, Carly worked as a program manager in the executive education department of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. In this role, she primarily worked with transnational NGOs to facilitate leadership development and organizational change.
Ms. Biondi received her M.A. in international studies and NGO Management from Concordia University and received a B.A. in international relations and anthropology from The State University of New York at Geneseo. Ms. Biondi conducted her master's thesis research and taught at the Qujing University in Yunnan, China, from 2014 to 2015. After the completion of her M.A., she worked as a program manager at the World Agroforestry Centre-East and Central Asia in Kunming, China from 2015 to 2017. Ms. Biondi has worked on a wide range of topics for several nonprofits in Asia, including: poverty and vulnerability to climate change, deforestation and agriculture in Shan and Chin States in Myanmar, land rights, and domestic violence in the Cambodian media.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director, John L. Thornton China Center Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, the Brookings Institution
Cindy Gao joined the National Committee in October 2022 as a senior program officer, primarily focusing on the Public Intellectuals Program and supporting Committee-wide public programs.
Ms. Gao's involvement as a board member and podcast co-host with NüVoices, a global editorial collective supporting the work of women and underrepresented voices in the China space, encouraged her to pivot mid-career into pursuing a graduate degree in Chinese studies at SOAS University of London. Her dissertation investigated Chinese media practices and alignment with competing models of journalism in Kenyan and Ugandan print media.
Prior to joining the Committee, Ms. Gao has worked in healthcare data science, computer science education, and other non-profit organizations. She has a BS in biomedical engineering from Columbia University. Her interests include documentary films, watching soccer, muay thai, slow tv, and gardening.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Executive Vice President, Global Public Policy & Government Affairs, Walmart Inc
Job Titles:
- Director
- Partner, Tikehau Capital
Job Titles:
- Director
- Partner, Rhodium Group
Job Titles:
- Director
- Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
Daya Martin joined the National Committee in April 1999 as the administrative assistant. Prior to joining the Committee, she taught English as a second language in New York City.
Ms. Martin earned a B.A. in East Asian studies with a focus on China from George Washington University. She spent her junior year studying Chinese at Fudan University in Shanghai. Following graduation, she moved to Taiwan to teach English and continue her Chinese language studies.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of National Intelligence, 2009 - 2010 Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, 1999 - 2002 Admiral, U.S. Navy ( Retired )
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice Chair
- Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc
- Chairman, Kissinger Associates
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger was sworn in on September 22, 1973, as the 56th Secretary of State, a position he held until January 20, 1977. He also served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from January 20, 1969, until November 3, 1975. In July 1983 he was appointed by President Reagan to chair the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America until it ceased operation in January 1985, and from 1984 to 1990 he served as a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. From 1986 to 1988 he was a member of the Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy of the National Security Council and Defense Department. He served as a member of the Defense Policy Board from 2001 to 2016.
At present, Dr. Kissinger is chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm. He is also a member of the International Council of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; a counselor to and trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; an honorary governor of the Foreign Policy Association; and an honor member of the International Olympic Committee. Among his other activities, Dr. Kissinger served as a member of the board of directors of ContiGroup Companies, Inc. from 1988 to 2014 and remains an advisor to the board, a position he also holds at American Express Company since 2005, after serving on the board from 1984. He is also a trustee emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a director emeritus of Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc.; and a director of the International Rescue Committee.
Among the awards Dr. Kissinger has received have been a Bronze Star from the U.S. Army in 1945; the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973; the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian award) in 1977; and the Medal of Liberty (given one time to ten foreign-born American leaders) in 1986.
Dr. Kissinger was born in Fuerth, Germany, came to the United States in 1938, and was naturalized a United States citizen in 1943. He served in the Army from February 1943 to July 1946. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1950 and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1952 and 1954.
From 1954 until 1969 he was a member of the faculty of Harvard University, in both the Department of Government and the Center for International Affairs. He was director of the Harvard International Seminar from 1952 to 1969.
Dr. Kissinger is the author of:
Job Titles:
- National Committee in 2022 As an Operations Associate
- Senior Operations Associate
Eleanor Thompson joined the National Committee in 2022 as an operations associate. Prior to joining the Committee, she worked as a legal analyst at Davis Polk & Wardwell in the structured products group. She spent the summer of 2019 studying Mandarin Chinese at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan through the State Department's Critical Language Scholarship. She also served as an intern for the Miller Center, researching executive branch policies specifically related to periods of economic turbulence throughout American history.
Ms. Thompson received her M.S. in commerce and B.A. in economics and English at the University of Virginia on an accelerated "3+1" track. Her interest in China began as a child when she lived in Beijing with her family and she has advanced proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, exploring New York City, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Event Communications Associate
- National Committee in 2022 As the Event Communications Coordinator
Elena Salzmann joined the National Committee in 2022 as the event communications coordinator. Prior to joining the National Committee, Ms. Salzmann completed Columbia University's five-year dual degree program in East Asian studies. She earned her B.A. from Barnard College and her M.A. from Columbia University.
Ms. Salzmann studied Chinese at Columbia University for five years and attended Middlebury College's Chinese School in 2019. During her academic career, she worked on The Columbia Journal of Asia and volunteered at the Columbia Peer Health Exchange. She also taught math and English to Morningside Heights middle schoolers as part of both Columbia Community Outreach and Breakthrough New York. In her spare time, Elena enjoys sharing bagels with friends, cooking, and hiking.
Job Titles:
- Schwarzman Scholar Fellow
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Officer
- Senior Program Officer at the National Committee
Erica Quach is a senior program officer at the National Committee, where she focuses on a variety of programs, including the Professional Fellows Program (PFP), Anti-Racism Initiative, People-to-People Exchange, among others.
Prior to joining the National Committee team in 2018, Ms. Quach lived in Chongqing, China, for a year and a half. There, she worked at Musicool Music & Art, where she was responsible for developing and overseeing program/curriculum development, leading classes in both English and Mandarin Chinese, and assisting other music teachers in accurately translating class content.
Ms. Quach graduated from Hamilton College in 2016 with a B.A. in Chinese and government. While studying Chinese at Hamilton, she studied abroad for two semesters in Beijing, China, at Minzu University through an intensive Chinese language program, Associated Colleges in China (ACC).
In her free time, she enjoys caring for houseplants, crocheting new patterns, and hanging out with her family.
Job Titles:
- Director
- CEO & Chief Marketing Officer, Xcoal Energy & Resources
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Chairman & CEO, Chubb
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chubb Limited
Evan G. Greenberg is chairman and chief executive officer of Chubb Limited and Chubb Group. He was elected president and chief executive officer in May 2004 and chairman of the Board of Directors in May 2007.
Over the course of more than 40 years in the insurance industry, Mr. Greenberg has held various underwriting and management positions and gained significant insight in the global property, casualty and life insurance sectors. Prior to joining the company, then named ACE Limited, in 2001 as vice chairman, Mr. Greenberg spent 25 years at American International Group, where he served as president and chief operating officer from 1997 to 2000. Before that, he held a variety of senior management positions, including president and chief executive officer of AIU, AIG's Foreign General Insurance organization, and chief executive officer of AIG Far East, based in Japan.
Mr. Greenberg is vice chair of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and a director of the US-China Business Council. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Board of Directors of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and the Advisory Board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) in Beijing. Mr. Greenberg serves by presidential appointment on the United States Trade Representative's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an overseer of the International Rescue Committee.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Interim President, Bellevue College Governor of Washington, 1997 - 2005 U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 2009 - 2011 U.S. Ambassador to China, 2011 - 2014
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Chairman & CEO, THK Consulting Governor of New Jersey, 1982 - 1990
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of THK Consulting
- Trustee of the Board of Carnegie Corporation of New York
Governor Thomas H. Kean is chairman and chief executive officer of THK Consulting. On December 16, 2002, Governor Kean was named by President George W. Bush to head the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. The Commission's work culminated on July 22, 2004, with the release of the 9/11 Commission Report, which quickly became a national bestseller. Its recommendations resulted in the largest intelligence reform in the nation's history. Kean served as the chairman of the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, a nonprofit entity created with private funds to continue the Commission's work of guarding against future attacks.
Governor Kean served as the 48 th Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. As governor, he was rated among America's most effective state leaders by Newsweek magazine; noted for tax cuts that spurred 750,000 new jobs; a federally replicated welfare reform program; landmark environmental policies; and more than 30 education reforms. He delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Republican National Convention. He was re-elected for a second term by the largest margin in state history. While governor, he served on the President's Education Policy Advisory Committee and as chair of the Education Commission of the States and the National Governor's Association Task Force on Teaching. He remains one of the most popular governors in New Jersey's history.
Governor Kean served as president of Drew University from 1990 until 2005. During his 15-year tenure, he focused on shaping Drew into one of the nation's leading small liberal arts universities by stressing the primacy of teaching, the creative use of technology in the liberal arts, and the importance of international education. During Governor Kean's presidency, applications to Drew increased by more than 40%; the endowment nearly tripled; and more than $60 million was committed to construction of new buildings and renovation of older buildings, principally student residence halls.
Governor Kean served on several national committees and commissions. He headed the American delegation to the United Nations Conference on Youth in Thailand, served as vice chairman of the American delegation to the World Conference on Women in Beijing, and served as a member of President Clinton's Initiative on Race. He also served on the National Endowment for Democracy. He holds more than 30 honorary degrees and numerous awards from environmental and educational organizations.
Governor Kean currently serves as trustee of the board of Carnegie Corporation of New York. In addition, he has served on a number of corporate boards and is former chair of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, co-chair of JerseyCan, and co-chair with Congressman Lee Hamilton of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States. He is vice chairman of the Environmental Defense Fund. He serves on the board of the Seeing Eye and is the former chair of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest health philanthropy. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and American Academy of Art & Sciences.
He holds a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College and has served as a trustee of both institutions. Governor Kean is the author of The Politics of Inclusion, published by The Free Press, and is co-author of Without Precedent, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. He writes a regular column for The Star Ledger with former Governor Brendan Byrne and appears as a regular commentator on NJTV News. His wife is the former Deborah Bye of Wilmington, Delaware. The Keans have twin sons, Tom and Reed, and a daughter, Alexandra, and reside in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Job Titles:
- Director of Track II Programs at the National Committee
- Director, Track II Dialogues
Haini Guo is the director of Track II programs at the National Committee, which she joined in 2011. Ms. Guo is in charge of organizing NCUSCR's Track II Economic Dialogue, Track II Dialogue on the Rule of Law & Human Rights, Track II Dialogue on Maritime Issues & International Law, and Track II Dialogue on Healthcare. She also manages the Committee's NGO law issues for various programs.
Ms. Guo received her J.D. degree from Yale Law School in 2004. While there, she served as an editor of the Yale Journal of International Law and the Yale Journal of Law and Humanities. From 2005 to 2010, she was an associate attorney at the international law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York, where her practice focused on general corporate law, including benefits and compensation matters, employment law, and related topics. She also represented pro bono clients in domestic violence and child custody cases. She is a member of the New York Bar.
Ms. Guo actively participated in and helped organize various legal exchange projects between the United States and China while working on a fellowship at New York University's U.S.-Asia Law Institute. Her publications include Bargaining in the Shadow of Community: Neighborly Dispute Resolution in Beijing Hutongs (co-authored with Bradley Klein), which won a Yale Law School academic prize. Her research interests include law and society, comparative law, international business transactions, and criminal justice.
I. Peter Wolff joined the board of directors of the National Committee on United States-China Relations in 1999, and co-founded the U.S.-China Young Leaders Forum two years later. In 2010, he began serving as secretary of the board, a position he continues to hold. Mr. Wolff serves on the boards of other organizations as well, including as Chair of the George Balanchine Foundation. He is a member of the Studio in a School Association's Advisory Council and the Council on Foreign Relations.
He is former senior vice president, international, for Time Warner. He joined Warner Communications in 1982 as executive director of the Warner Communications Foundation. In 1988 he became executive advisor to the chairman and CEO, and in 2002, senior vice president, international, and executive advisor, office of the chairman and chief executive officer.
He is currently a consultant to business and non-profit organizations. Mr. Wolff has an A.B. from Lafayette College and a J.D. from Cornell Law School.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Distinguished Fellow & Founding Director Emeritus, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, Wilson Center U.S. Ambassador, People 's Republic of China, 1991 - 1995 / Treasurer
Ambassador J. Stapleton (Stape) Roy is a Distinguished Scholar and Founding Director Emeritus of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Roy was born in China and spent much of his youth there during the upheavals of World War II and the communist revolution, where he watched the battle for Shanghai from the roof of the Shanghai American School. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service immediately after graduating from Princeton in 1956, retiring 45 years later with the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest in the service. In 1978 he participated in the secret negotiations that led to the establishment of U.S.-PRC diplomatic relations. During a career focused on East Asia and the Soviet Union, Ambassador Roy's ambassadorial assignments included Singapore, China, and Indonesia. His final post with the State Department was as Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research. On retirement he joined Kissinger Associates, Inc., a strategic consulting firm, before joining the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in September 2008 to head the newly created Kissinger Institute. In 2001 he received Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson Award for Distinguished Public Service.
Education:
B.A., History, Princeton University; post-graduate study of Mongolian language, history, and culture, University of Washington; U.S. Army Russian Institute, Garmisch-Partenkirchen; distinguished graduate, National War College
Jace White joined the National Committee in fall 2021 as a program officer, supporting the Professional Fellows Program and public events.
He is an experienced coordinator of international NGO programs and has served peacebuilding and development projects across the Indo-Pacific region. Most recently, he helped pioneer backchannel dialogue platforms among Chinese and South Asian stakeholders on the critical issues of regional water insecurity and environmental degradation.
Mr. White holds a master's degree in international politics and China studies from the Nanjing Center of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and has previously studied Mandarin in Suzhou and Shanghai, as well.
When not reading books on history, he also enjoys completing and designing crosswords, and pulling together hypothetical travel itineraries - all with ample coffee on hand.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Visiting Professor of International & Public Affairs, Columbia University / Partner, Lindsay Goldberg
The Honorable Jacob J. Lew is a managing partner at Lindsay Goldberg and a member of the faculty at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Lew was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 27, 2013 to serve as the 76th secretary of the Treasury. He served in that position until January 20, 2017. As secretary of the Treasury, he helped to shape policies that drove the longest economic recovery in American history and oversaw all aspects of international and domestic fiscal policy, including issues related to financial regulation, global sanctions regimes, tax policy, debt management, and trade.
Secretary Lew previously served as White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama and director of the Office of Management and Budget in both the Obama and Clinton Administrations. Before returning to OMB in 2010, Secretary Lew first joined the Obama Administration as deputy secretary of state for management and resources.
Earlier in his career, Secretary Lew served as principal domestic policy advisor to House Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., and held a variety of private sector and nonprofit roles. He currently serves on the board of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Academy of Social Insurance, and of the bar in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Professor of Asian Studies and Politics and International Affairs, Furman University
Jan Berris has been with the National Committee on United States-China Relations since 1971 - beginning as program associate, moving on to program director, and then vice president. She is responsible for overseeing all program activities of the Committee. This includes being actively involved in preparation and operations for the visits to the United States of hundreds of Chinese delegations (including the 1972 Chinese Ping Pong Team, the first PRC group to come to this country), and sending hundreds of American delegations to China (she has traveled to China over 165 times since 1973, with people and groups as diverse as a tennis team and a Supreme Court Justice). It also includes developing such ongoing flagship programs as the Public Intellectuals Program, U.S. Foreign Policy Colloquium, Young Leaders Forum, and the Committee's Track II projects. At the request of the State Department, she coordinated Chinese press activities during Premier Deng Xiaoping's February 1979 visit to the United States, and has been the lead for the Committee's hosting of major welcoming events for all of the senior-most Chinese leaders.
Prior to her work at the Committee, Ms. Berris was a foreign service officer - stationed at the American Consulate in Hong Kong and in Washington, D.C. She held many part time jobs before joining the Foreign Service, among them assistant to Professor Richard H. Solomon, during which time she helped research his book Mao's Revolution and the Chinese Political Culture.
Ms. Berris has a B.A. in Chinese studies (University of Michigan, June 1966) and an M.A. in Japanese studies (University of Michigan, June 1967). She speaks Chinese, Hebrew, and Spanish - in descending levels of fluency.
Ms. Berris has written articles for various publications and contributed chapters to several books on China.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate
- National Committee As a Program Assistant
Jason Togut joined the National Committee as a program assistant in July 2020. He provides support to various programs and Track II dialogues. Previously, Mr. Togut worked as a research assistant at the Naval War College and at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. At the Naval War College he researched Hong Kong's political trajectory, and at the Watson Institute he studied the dynamic China-Israel relationship. He spent the summer of 2019 interning at the U.S. Consulate General Shanghai, and the summer of 2018 studying Chinese at National Taiwan University and interning at Geber Brand Consulting.
Mr. Togut graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University in May 2020, earning a B.A in international relations and East Asian studies. He has professional proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. In his free time he enjoys running in Central Park and playing basketball.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Global Head of Corporate Banking, Citigroup
Job Titles:
- Director
- Founding Partner, AME Cloud Ventures Co - Founder & Former CEO, Yahoo!
Job Titles:
- Director, Leadership Programs
Jessica "Jess" Bissett works on the Committee's congressional engagement and manages its subnational initiatives. She previously ran many of the Committee's Next Generation Leadership programs, including its Schwarzman Scholars Partnership, Young China Professionals program, and Diplomat Orientation Program.
Ms. Bissett received her master's in global affairs from New York University (2011). Prior to beginning graduate studies, she attended Middlebury College's Chinese Language School as a recipient of the Kathryn Davis Fellowship for Peace. She studied Chinese language and history as a part of her double major in international relations and East Asian studies at Bucknell University. She graduated summa cum laude and received the Bucknell Prize for Women and the Bucknell Prize in East Asian Studies (2005).
Job Titles:
- Communications Associate
- Assistant at the National Committee
Jincheng Zhang is a communications assistant at the National Committee. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Master's degree in communications (digital media) and a Bachelor's degree in communications (journalism), minoring in international relations.
Prior to joining the National Committee in 2022, Ms. Zhang completed a 6-month internship with the United Nations Secretariat, as a public information intern at the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance. She also gained various communication and media experience from working for non-profit organizations and private sectors during her college years.
As a creative individual with a strong passion for visual storytelling and content creation, Ms. Zhang loves using her camera lens to share stories and her voice to influence people. In her free time, she is also a social media blogger on RedBook, amateur piano and guitar player, and dog lover.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures & Comparative Literature, Yale University
Job Titles:
- Director
- Executive Chairman & CEO, BlackBerry
Job Titles:
- Director
- EVP & Chief Strategy, Growth & Data Officer, PayPal
Job Titles:
- Deputy Vice President, Programs
Jonathan Lowet joined the National Committee in 2004, rising to become its deputy vice president of programs in 2019. During his nearly 20-year tenure, he has focused on rebuilding its Congressional and subnational government engagement efforts, including leading Congressional staff delegations to China and programming a variety of Capitol Hill briefings; boosting its next-generation leadership programs, including its "40-Under-40"-style Young Leaders Forum; launching its weekly China & the Hill newsletter, and more.
From 2016 to 2022, Mr. Lowet also served as a trustee for the Yale-China Association, a 120-year-old U.S. nonprofit organization that bridges American and Chinese cultures by creating lasting, transformative partnerships and experiences in education, health, and the arts. It was Yale-China that first sent him to Beijing and Wuhan to teach in 1988-90, launching his China career.
Before joining the National Committee, Mr. Lowet worked in new media and communications, with experience both at major media companies and media start-ups, and as a healthcare management research consultant. He received a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University and an international affairs master's degree, focused on China and international communications, from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Officer
- National Committee in 2021 As a Senior Program Officer
Joseph (Jody) Segar joined the National Committee in 2021 as a senior program officer. He works primarily on the Professional Fellows Program, as well as public events.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2015 - 2019 General, Marine Corps ( Retired )
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
- National Committee As Director of Communications
Joseph Weed joined the National Committee as director of communications in March 2008. He is responsible for the National Committee's external communications and public relations, including media relations; press management for public programs and large events; writing, editing, and graphic design of publications and special projects; and new media initiatives, including online video, podcast, document, and photo collections.
Previously, Mr. Weed worked in nonprofit communications directing public relations for a regional provider of housing and services for the homeless in Connecticut during a period of organizational expansion and the inauguration of an innovative $10 million national-model housing facility for chronic homeless, and for an educational nonprofit during the development and launch of a series of programs in the United States and Europe. His prior experience included operating a business consultancy focused on developing markets in Eastern Europe and writing for newspapers and a public relations trade publication.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chairman & CEO, Sornay, LLC
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Chairman and Co - Founder, N4XT Experiences Inc
Keith Abell co-founded LevelN4XT LLC, a collaborative workspace company, in 2020 and, in 2010, co-founded Sungate Properties, LLC, a real estate company which led pioneering investments in trophy U.S. office properties, including the iconic GM Building in New York, in partnership with private Chinese investors. Prior to that, Mr. Abell was a co-founder of, and served in a variety of senior management roles at, GSC Group (and its predecessor, Greenwich Street Capital Partners, LP), an alternative asset manager. Previously, he was a managing director at Blackstone until 1994 where he, among other things, founded the firm's first Hong Kong office. Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Abell served as a vice president at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he worked in the global finance, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions departments. He formerly was a principal of an independent film production company which produced numerous award-winning films, including Academy Award winner Slingblade, Academy Award nominee You Can Count on Me, Cannes winner Henry Fool, and many others. In addition to serving as treasurer and as a director of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Mr. Abell serves on the board of directors of E2 Open Parent Holdings Inc. and CC Neuberger Principal Holdings III. Mr. Abell has previously served as a director of numerous public and private companies and non-profit organizations. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School, an M.A. in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in semiotics from Brown University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- President & CEO, Ken Miller Capital
Senior Fellow Emeritus, Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution; Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Asia, National Security Council, 1998-2000
Job Titles:
- Director
- Emergency Physician & Visiting Professor of Health Policy and Management, George Washington University 's School of Public Health Nonresident Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chairman and Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science & Director, MIT Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Job Titles:
- Deputy Vice President, Programs
- Director of the U.S
Margot E. Landman joined the National Committee in June 2002 as director of the U.S.-China Teachers Exchange Program (TEP). As senior director for education programs from 2003 until early 2019, she continued running TEP until the end of its 18-year run in 2014. She now oversees a variety of programs at the Committee, including the Professional Fellows Program, public events, and Track II Dialogues.
For more than six years prior to her move to the Committee, she directed the Teachers Exchange Program from the American Council of Learned Societies. She was previously assistant director of the East Asian Institute at Columbia University, associate director of the East Asian Legal Studies Program at Harvard University, and program coordinator for the Committee on Legal Education Exchange with China, based at Columbia Law School.
Ms. Landman was among the first Americans invited to teach in China after diplomatic recognition; she stayed on in China for a third year to continue her Chinese language study and to work at the newly established CBS News bureau in Beijing. Upon her return to the United States, she began working in educational and arts exchange between the U.S. and China. She received her B.A. in Chinese language and history from Brown University and her master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Senior Managing Director, Head of International and of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock
Job Titles:
- Director
- Lowenstein Professor of Democracy, Democratization, and Human Rights, Department of Political Science & Director of the International Institute, University of Michigan
Meredithe Mastrella joined the National Committee in 2013. She serves as vice president of administration, overseeing the Committee's financial, administrative, and human resource departments. In addition, as assistant secretary and assistant treasurer to the board of directors, she is responsible for governance-related matters including board and member relations.
Previous positions include associate partner at an award-winning architecture firm and various positions in the arts. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute and a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Independent Chair of the Board of Directors of Mastercard
Independent Chair of the Board of Directors of Mastercard; Dean Emerita & Professor of Practice, International Economic Law & International Affairs, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Job Titles:
- National Committee As Communications and Research Associate
- Senior Communications and Research Associate
Michael Collins joined the National Committee as communications and research associate in 2021. Prior to working at the National Committee, he was as a research associate for Elizabeth C. Economy and Jerome Cohen at the Council on Foreign Relations. In this role, he researched China's global governance initiatives, with particular focus on the Belt and Road Initiative.
Mr. Collins studied Chinese language and culture at Washington University in St. Louis where he graduated with high honors and distinction. After graduation, he moved to Beijing where he completed a M.A. in Chinese studies at Peking University's Yenching Academy, concentrating in modern history.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Professor for China and Asia - Pacific Studies, Cornell University
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chairman & CEO, Fulgent Genetics
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Chairman
- Executive Vice Chair
- Chairman & CEO, C.V. Starr & Co
Mr. Maurice R. Greenberg is chairman and CEO of C.V. Starr & Co., Inc.
Mr. Greenberg retired as chairman and CEO of American International Group (AIG) in March 2005. AIG was created by C.V. Starr & Co., Inc. Under his leadership, AIG became the largest insurance and financial services company in the world.
He serves on the President's Council on International Activities of Yale University and is honorary vice chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the past chairman and director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is active on the boards of many other civic and charitable organizations working in the United States and Asia.
In 1990, Mr. Greenberg was appointed by Mr. Zhu Rongji, then mayor of Shanghai, to be the first chairman of the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the mayor of Shanghai. In 1994, Mr. Greenberg was appointed senior economic advisor to the Beijing Municipal Government. He was awarded "Honorary Citizen of Shanghai" in 1997. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management, the International Advisory Council of the China Development Research Foundation, and the China Development Bank.
On June 6, 2014, at the 70th Anniversary celebration of D-Day at the Statue of Liberty in New York, Mr. Greenberg was awarded the French Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur for his service during World War II. He is also the recipient of The Bronze Star Medal from the United States.
In addition, on November 9, 2015, Mr. Greenberg received the insignia of Commandeur de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur recognizing his leadership and contributions as chairman of AIG.
Mr. Greenberg received his pre-law certificate from the University of Miami and an LL.B from New York Law School in 1950 and has been granted honorary degrees from a number of universities.
Mr. Greenberg is married and has four children.
Job Titles:
- Director
- President, Museum of Chinese in America
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Member of the Council
Nicholas R. Lardy is the Anthony M. Solomon Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He joined the Institute in March 2003 from The Brookings Institution, where he was a senior fellow from 1995 until 2003. Before Brookings, he served at the University of Washington, where he was the director of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies from 1991 to 1995. From 1997 through the spring of 2000, he was also the Frederick Frank Adjunct Professor of International Trade and Finance at the Yale University School of Management. He is an expert on the Chinese economy.
Dr. Lardy's most recent books are The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China? (2019), Markets over Mao: The Rise of Private Business in China (2014), Sustaining China's Economic Growth After the Global Financial Crisis (2012), The Future of China's Exchange Rate Policy (2009), and China's Rise: Challenges and Opportunities (2008). In 2006, he contributed chapters on China's domestic economy and China in the world economy to China: The Balance Sheet (Public Affairs, 2006). In 2004, he co-authored Prospects for a US-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement with Daniel Rosen. His previous book, Integrating China into the Global Economy, published in January 2002, explores whether reforms of China's economy and its foreign trade and exchange rate systems following China's WTO entry will integrate it much more deeply into the world economy. In September 1998, he published China's Unfinished Economic Revolution, a study that evaluates the reform of China's banking system and measures the economic consequences of deferring reform in the state-owned sector. Some of his other publications include: Debating China's Exchange Rate Policy (2008); China: Toward a Consumption-Driven Growth Path (Peterson Institute for International Economics Policy Brief 06-6, October 2006); China's Role in the Revived Bretton Woods System: A Case of Mistaken Identity with Morris Goldstein (Peterson Institute for International Economics Working Paper 05-2, March 2005); What Kind of Landing for the Chinese Economy? with Morris Goldstein (Policy Brief 04-7, 2004); "China and the Asian Contagion," Foreign Affairs 77, no. 4 (July/August 1998); "The Role of Foreign Trade and Investment in China's Economic Transformation," China Quarterly, no. 144 (December 1995); China in the World Economy (1994); "Chinese Foreign Trade," China Quarterly, no. 131 (September 1992); Foreign Trade and Economic Reform in China, 1978-1990 (Cambridge University Press, 1992, paperback, 1993); Agriculture in China's Modern Economic Development (Cambridge University Press, 1983); and Economic Growth and Distribution in China (Cambridge University Press, 1978).
Dr. Lardy is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the editorial boards of Asia Policy and the China Review.
He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1968 and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1975, both in economics.
Nitai Deitel joined the National Committee in January 2020 as a senior program officer. He focuses on the Committee's Next Generation leadership programs such as the Student Leaders Exchange to China, U.S. Foreign Policy Colloquium, Young China Professionals, and Internship Program, as well the Committee's subnational initiatives including CHINA Town Hall, among other programs.
Mr. Deitel's passion for China began at the University of Puget Sound where he studied international relations and Chinese, continuing on to intensive language study at Tunghai University and Beijing Foreign Studies University. He spent the majority of the past decade in China, first at IES Beijing helping American college students adapt and thrive during their study-abroad experience, then moving on to work at The Hutong, Beijing's premier cultural education center. During his tenure there, he spearheaded the organization's growth into one of the top educational travel providers in the region.
In his spare time, Mr. Deitel is an avid ultimate Frisbee player, with experience both representing and coaching the Chinese Men's National Ultimate Frisbee Team at international competitions.
Oisín Heneghan joined the National Committee's development team in July 2021. He oversees major events, donor relations, and corporate membership. His interest in development originated with the Lincoln Park Conservancy, where he managed their donors and related events in the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool. Previously, Mr. Heneghan worked to support student affairs at Carnegie Mellon University.
Mr. Heneghan graduated from DePaul University in 2019 with a M.S. in economics and policy analysis, where he focused on environmental and public economics. In his spare time he enjoys producing films, comedic writing, and running.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chairman, Carnegie China Center for Global Policy Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia Affairs, National Security Council, 2007 - 2009
Job Titles:
- Director
- CEO, Citadel Securities / Chair Emeritus
Job Titles:
- Director
- Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs, TSMC
Job Titles:
- Communications and Production Associate
- Senior Communications and Production Associate
Prayuj Pushkarna is a communications and production associate at the National Committee, where he is responsible for video and audio production of digital media.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Founder, CIO Mentor, and Member of the Bridgewater Board
Job Titles:
- Director
- President & CEO, Tishman Speyer
Job Titles:
- Director
- CEO, Perfect World Co., Ltd
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, Wilson Center
Job Titles:
- Digital Communications Associate
Savannah Billman joined the National Committee as a Digital Communications Associate in 2023.
Before joining the National Committee, she worked in communications, content creation, and marketing as a Fellow at Digital Asia Hub, an Asia-based think tank covering internet and society in Asia, and as Content Manager for China Admissions, a Beijing-based ed-tech startup marketing top Chinese universities to international students.
Savannah graduated in 2021 with a MA in China Studies from the Yenching Academy of Peking University, where she researched the evolution of policy in Gansu province during the Republican period, and served as Director of Public Relations for the Yenching Global Symposium. She graduated from NYU Shanghai in 2019 with a BA in Global China Studies and Chinese language, where she researched the mythology of the Silk Road dating back to the Han dynasty. During her six years living between Shanghai and Beijing, she was an active organizer of multiple student-let initiatives promoting better understanding of China.
Inspired by her experience living in and studying China, Savannah has written for multiple news organizations such as The Jamestown Foundation's China Brief, The World of Chinese, TechNode, SupChina, and Sixth Tone. When she's not writing copy about China, Savannah enjoys running and art museums.
Job Titles:
- Fellow at the National Committee
Eleni Ayala is a Schwarzman Scholars fellow at the National Committee, representing the 6th Schwarzman Scholars cohort. She holds a master's degree in global affairs from Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, a master's degree in public policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and a B.A. in international relations from the Tec de Monterrey (ITESM) campus Santa Fe in Mexico.
Prior to joining the National Committee in 2022, Ms. Ayala started her career as a political advisor for the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Mexico, before becoming a civil servant for the Mexican Federal Government, serving as deputy director of business sector engagement for the Ministry of Public Administration, and as an advisor to the Minister of Tourism. She has also been a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank and for UNHCR Malaysia, specializing in gender and diversity mainstreaming, as well as the inclusion of Rohingya child refugees. Most recently, Ms. Ayala served as team lead of the COVID-19 Global Policy Simulator, a simulator powered by machine learning and closed-form quantitative modeling funded by the National University of Singapore. Her interests lie at the intersection of technology, diplomacy, and human rights.
In her free time, she is an avid salsa dancer, amateur rock climber, and prolific traveler.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of the National Committee
Steve Orlins has been president of the National Committee since 2005. Prior to that, he was the managing director of Carlyle Asia and the chairman of the board of Taiwan Broadband Communications, one of Taiwan's largest cable television and high speed internet providers. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Orlins was a senior advisor to AEA Investors Inc., a New York based leveraged buyout firm, with responsibility for AEA's business activities throughout Asia.
From 1983 to 1991, Mr. Orlins was with the investment banking firm of Lehman Brothers where he was a managing director from 1985 to 1991. From 1987 to 1990, he served as president of Lehman Brothers Asia. Based in Hong Kong, he supervised over 150 professionals with offices in Hong Kong, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, Mr. Orlins practiced law with Coudert Brothers and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing.
From 1976 to 1979, Mr. Orlins served in the Office of the Legal Advisor of the United States Department of State, first in the Office of the Assistant Legal Advisor for Political-Military Affairs and then for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. While in that office, he was a member of the legal team that helped establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
Mr. Orlins is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College and earned his law degree at Harvard Law School. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
In 1992, Mr. Orlins was the Democratic nominee for the United States Congress in New York's Third Congressional District.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Senior Fellow, Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2017 - 2018
Job Titles:
- Director
- U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Job Titles:
- Director of External Relations
Wei Xia joined the National Committee in May 2015. As director of external relations, she is responsible for establishing and maintaining contacts with the government, business, and academic communities, as well as communicating with the Committee's board of directors and individual members. In addition, she manages the president's internal and external communications, coordinates media appearances, and works with various external delegations. She also serves as the main liaison with the Chinese diplomats and works closely with the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C., the Consulate in New York, as well as the Permanent Mission of China to the UN.
Ms. Xia's prior experience includes private equity financial operations at D. E. Shaw, a premier NY-based hedge fund, assurance and advisory services at Ernst & Young, as well as research and fundraising projects at a number of nonprofit organizations.
Ms. Xia received her Bachelor of Law in international affairs from Peking University, Master in Public Administration from The University of Toledo, and MBA from Northeastern University. In her spare time, she enjoys healthy living, listening to music, playing classical piano, and skiing.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chairman and CEO, General Atlantic
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Vice Chair
- Director of the Private Export Funding Corporation
- President and CEO of William R. Rhodes Global Advisors
William R. Rhodes is president and CEO of William R. Rhodes Global Advisors, LLC. He is also a retired senior vice chairman and senior international officer of Citigroup and Citibank.
Mr. Rhodes gained a reputation for international financial diplomacy in the 1980s as a result of his leadership in helping manage the external-debt crises that involved developing nations and their creditors worldwide. During that period and in the 1990s, he headed the advisory committees of international banks that negotiated debt-restructuring agreements for Argentina, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. In 1998, when the Republic of Korea experienced liquidity problems, he chaired the international bank group that negotiated the extension of short-term debt of the Korean banking system. In early 1999, at the request of the government of Brazil, he acted as worldwide coordinator to help implement the maintenance of trade and interbank lines by foreign commercial banks to Brazil. He has since served as a trusted advisor to governments, financial officials, and corporations worldwide.
Mr. Rhodes is a director of the Private Export Funding Corporation; a senior advisor to the global management firm Oliver Wyman; chairman emeritus of the U.S.-Korea Business Council; a director of the Korea Society; a member of the Advisory Board of the Museum of American Finance; a senior economic advisor to the Dalian Government in China; a member of the International Policy Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and a member of the board at the Foreign Policy Association. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Group of Thirty, and the Advisory Council of the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce. He is the first vice chairman emeritus of the Institute of International Finance and chairman emeritus of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas. He previously served as chairman of the New York Blood Center, the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade, and the Hong Kong-United States Business Council.
Mr. Rhodes is a governor and life trustee of The New York-Presbyterian Hospital; a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Business Committee and Chairman's Committee; and chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the Northfield Mount Hermon School.
He has received decorations and honors from various governments and institutions, including an honorary doctorate in humane letters from his alma mater Brown University, where he established the William R. Rhodes Center for International Economics and Finance; Officer and Chevalier of France's Legion of Honor; decorations from Poland, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Jamaica; and multiple awards from not-for-profit organizations such as the Africa-America Institute, Arab Bankers Association of North America, the America-Israel Friendship League, and Sciences Po Foundation, Pro Mujer, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boy Scouts Award in recognition of his contributions to international banking and finance.
Mr. Rhodes recently authored the book Banker to the World: Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Global Finance. The book is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, and a separate edition published by Tata in India and the subcontinent.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Senior Vice President, the Walt Disney Company, Greater China
Job Titles:
- National Committee As a Program Operations Assistant
- Senior Program Operations Associate
Zachary Zublionis joined the National Committee as a program operations assistant in 2021. Mr. Zublionis works closely with the program operations manager to ensure effective program implementation for key initiatives. Prior to joining the Committee, he worked as an associate for the Wildlife Conservation Society coordinating departmental operations and providing technical support.