CINGS membership

CINGS Applicant Requirements:

Between 21 and 40 years in age
Based anywhere in the U.S., China, or another country
Committed to making contributions and building bridges between the U.S. and China
Strong professional and academic backgrounds, with proven execution abilities
Changemakers dedicated to tangible action and impactful results

CINGS Member Expectations:

Serve an ambassadorial role, promoting CINGS’ mission, goals, and accomplishments to professional and personal networks, as well as building cultural bridges
Facilitate the creation of new connections and projects between China Institute, Serica, CINGS, and philanthropists
Be recommended by China Institute or Serica staff, or an existing member
Go through a rigorous application and interview process
Join at least 1 CINGS Committee

To apply to become a member of CINGS, please complete form here.
For membership questions, please contact: CINGSMembership@chinainstitute.org

CINGS Leadership

Brandon Lee

President

Brandon has over ten years in fashion retail and sports marketing in the U.S. and Asia. He leads a sports apparel brand and co-founded CINGS to strengthen China-U.S. relations. He enjoys tennis, cycling, golf, and skiing.

Jason Kingdon

Executive Vice President

Jason M. Kingdon, an analyst at Kingdon Capital Management and manager at his single-family office, actively contributes to organizations like Gold House and Spark Family Offices, focusing on advancing socioeconomic equity and impact.

Dichai (Andre) Shen

President, China Chapter

Dichai Shen (Andre) is the CEO of Bridge Beijing, focusing on global health equity and also represents CEPI in China, leveraging his extensive experience in strategic health communications.

Yvonne Liu

Head of Strategy and Engagement

Yvonne Liu, Managing Partner at SYZ Studios, promotes educational and artistic content across Greater China and the US. Previously at ByteDance and Warner Bros, she holds an MBA from Wharton and a BA from Columbia.

Anne Liang-Zhou

President Emeritus

Annie Liang-Zhou leads Liang Capital Partners and Universal Pacific Advisors, focusing on wealth management and sustainability. She holds degrees from Oxford and Columbia and advocates for climate action, cultural preservation and mindful living.

Yong Zhao

President Emeritus

Yong Zhao, CEO of Junzi Kitchen and Nice Day Chinese, studied at Peking University and Yale. He launched Nice Day Chinese during the pandemic and was named a Top Chinese American Youth in 2020.

Committee Chairs

David Chen

Membership Committee Co-Chair

David Y. Chen is a foreign policy expert focusing on East Asia and the MENA regions, affiliated with the Charhar Institute and the Asia Society Policy Institute. He is a Columbia University graduate and a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University.

Zihan Xie

Membership Committee Co-Chair

Zihan Xie, CEO of Vesta Food Lab and co-founder of Huobi Capital, graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Nick Noronha Rosenbaum

Giving Circle Committee Co-Chair

Nick manages impact strategy and measurement at CARE, a global nonprofit. He previously worked at Alibaba Group and holds an MBA from Harvard and a BA in Chinese Literature from Yale.

Joyce Wang

Giving Circle Committee Co-Chair

Joyce Wang is a technologist and grantmaker based in China. She is a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University and has studied Computer Science and Drama at Carnegie Mellon University.

Zixuan (Alex) Xiao

Development Committee Co-Chair

Zixuan “Alex” Xiao is a restructuring and special situations lawyer at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s New York office. Alex holds a B.A. in politics from Brandeis University and a J.D. from Duke Law School.

Ivy Yang

Communications Committee Chair

Ivy Yang, founder of Wavelet Strategy, provides PR consulting for Chinese companies internationally. She has worked with Alibaba, writes for FT Chinese, and produces a newsletter on China-U.S. communication. Ivy holds a BA from NYU and an MBA from Columbia.

Chamberlain Zhang

Programming Committee Co-Chair

Chamberlain Zhang, a Chinese artist, creates immersive environments with architecture, light, sound, and improvisation to play with human perception of time and space, offering unique experiences to each viewer.

website

Kenny Chen

Programming Committee Co-Chair

Kenny Chen is the Founding Partner of Turbo Net Zero, a pure-play sustainability consultancy company with presence in North America and APAC. He has a Bachelor degree from UCLA.

CINGS Members

Ally An

Ally An is a first-generation Chinese American and currently serves as Director of Business Development at FACT Capital, an emerging global equity hedge fund focused on the consumer, technology, and healthcare sectors across the U.S., China, and India. Previously, Ally was an Associate on Goldman Sachs’ Prime Brokerage team within the Global Markets division. Ally graduated *cum laude* from NYU Stern School of Business with a BSc in Business and Political Economy, and minors in Social and Public Policy, and Public Policy and Management.

Alex Chiu

Alexander Chiu is a New York City–born finance professional and NYU Stern graduate, where he earned a B.S. in Business and Political Economy *magna cum laude*. A Yenching Scholar, he completed a Master’s in Economics at Peking University and is currently an analyst in Goldman Sachs’ Private Equity Group, working on investments across technology, energy transition, and healthcare.

Annie Evans

Annie Evans, a Marketing Master’s student at NYU, is an accomplished strategist with expertise in brand management and cross-cultural marketing. As co-founder of a creative agency, she led campaigns for major brands like Comvita, focusing on diverse audiences. Her experience spans digital marketing, influencer strategies, and data-driven ROI optimization with organizations such as Zuru and Ronald McDonald House Charities. A former Miss New Zealand, Annie founded a mental health scholarship charity, showcasing her dedication to creating meaningful community impact.

Alle Hsu

Alexandra Hsu, an Orange County filmmaker with degrees in East Asian and Film Studies, completed her MFA at NYU Tisch. She’s directed five short films, produced ten, and is now developing her debut feature, “QUEENS,” slated for production in 2021-2022.

Angelo Saraceno

Angelo Saraceno is a software engineer and community builder passionate about using technology for social good, particularly to foster collaboration between the U.S. and China. His product leadership experience at Citrix, working closely with engineering teams in Nanjing, shaped his belief in communication and cross-cultural exchange as keys to solving global challenges. He co-founded MangoHacks, creating tech career pathways for over 1,200 students, and now leads revenue at Railway while co-hosting the NY Systems technical speaker series.

Amy Zhou

Bradley Wo

Bradley is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, and grew up with two sisters in a fifth-generation Chinese American family. He has been based in New York for the past 2.5 years, first earning his MBA at NYU Stern and now working as a consultant at Bain & Company. Previously, he spent three years in Singapore at Asia Philanthropy Circle, a nonprofit advising established philanthropists on strategic and collaborative giving. Bradley earned his undergraduate degree in sociology from Stanford University and later spent two years in Beijing, where he completed a master’s fellowship at the Yenching Academy of Peking University, writing his thesis on Chinese high-net-worth philanthropy.

Cathy Shi

Cathy Shi is a Director in EY-Parthenon’s Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy group, based in the New York office. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and a Master of Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cathy also serves on the board of her undergraduate alma mater.

Chen Li

Chen Li is the CEO and Founder of Rexpand, where he leverages AI to automate the referral search process. He previously worked at Goldman Sachs and holds a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Chi Zhao

Chi Zhao is the Founding Executive Director of the Philanthropists Circle of China and a Harvard Kennedy School graduate focused on global leadership and sustainability. Based in Boston, she works in climate philanthropy, strengthening U.S.–China collaboration across academic, business, and philanthropic sectors, and serves as a board member of a U.S.-listed company.

Christopher Ayoub

Christopher Ayoub is a recent Boston College graduate with a major in Economics and a minor in Chinese. Throughout high school and college, he participated in numerous clubs promoting Chinese culture and East Asian studies to those interested in learning about China and the Chinese language. He has studied Mandarin for 13 years, receiving tutoring from the head of the Chinese department at Columbia University.

Clare He

Clare leads investor relations and ESG investing at Genesis Capital, previously worked at Lunar Capital and Bon Juice, and started at Morgan Stanley. She holds a University of Michigan B.A. and is in a Harvard leadership program.

Crysti Chen

Crysti co-founded UniWill Ventures and Cloves Coffee, a 150+ coffee shop chain. She’s an alumna of UW Seattle, Columbia, UPenn, and Tsinghua, and has been recognized in Forbes and Hurun’s 30Under30 lists.

Colby Ye

Colby is Vice President at Novo Holdings and has worked in equity investments at Milestone Capital, Berkshire Partners, and Goldman Sachs. He holds an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Dartmouth.

Daniel Luo

Dr. Daniel Luo is Assistant Director at Duke Capital Partners, Duke University’s early-stage investment arm, where he leads biotech and life science deals. He holds a PhD in toxicology focused on Parkinson’s disease and completed postdoctoral training in oncology at Duke University Medical Center. Daniel previously worked as a biotech entrepreneur, consultant at Alacrita, and investment analyst at Amzak Health, gaining experience across drug discovery and venture investing in oncology, neurology, and rare diseases.

Daniel Tam-Claiborne

Daniel Tam-Claiborne leads The Serica Initiative, promoting Asian American inclusion and U.S.-China relations. Fluent in Mandarin, he organizes social justice programs and holds degrees from Oberlin and Yale. He resides in Seattle.

Darren Chen

Darren is a private equity investor at American Industrial Partners. He spent time growing up between Shanghai and the US.

Dash Enkhbayar

Born and raised in Mongolia, with lived experience in China, Russia, and the U.S., she graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and worked in investment banking at HSBC and Credit Suisse in New York. She later earned a dual MBA from MIT Sloan and MPA from Harvard Kennedy School and returned to NYC in 2024 to pursue opportunities in venture capital, entrepreneurship, and finance focused on Asia–U.S. connections.

Ella Li

Ella Li manages a New York based real estate family office. She holds degrees in Real Estate Finance from NYU, Interior Design from Parsons and Business from The University of Manchester. Passionate about cultural diversity and fluent in both Mandarin and English.

Fiona Lei Jin

Fiona Lei Jin graduated from Columbia University with a graduate degree and she’s currently working in the field of industrial carbon neutrality at TCL Group, where her position is Energy Transition Consultant Manager. She focuses on energy-green transformation and environmentally friendly activities.

Gina Chen

Gina Chen is the founder and CEO of One Ally, a mission-driven, woman-owned legal and business advisory firm. With over $10 billion in transaction experience, she has advised Fortune 10 companies, startups, and women- and minority-founded funds on M&A and strategic matters. A former Fulbright Research Scholar, Gina holds a J.D. from Northwestern University and a B.A. from Yale University, and is deeply committed to advancing women- and minority-owned businesses.

Grace Chen

Siqing Grace Chen is an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York, focusing on energy and infrastructure. She also enjoys swimming, operas, and art museums.

Grace Zhang

Grace Zhang leads urban revitalization in Zhoushan, China, through higherclub and promotes sustainable ocean initiatives globally.

Graham Miao

Graham invests with tech, cultural, and climate themes primarily across Asia and the US. He is a Columbia and Andover grad who has lived in New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Greg Grigorian

Greg Grigorian is a creative professional with over a decade of international experience in journalism, PR, marketing, and business development, focused on connecting China with global markets. He led North America brand and communications at POP MART and in 2024 co-founded play/GROUND, a bilingual youth culture publication advancing POP MART’s global pop culture presence

Han Liu

Han, Co-Founder and CTO of Ascendex, directs product and technology for the global cryptocurrency platform. He previously worked at Blackrock and AQR, holds a BS in Computer Science from CMU and is a private pilot and ski enthusiast.

Héloïse Garry

Héloïse Garry, with degrees from Columbia, Sciences Po, and Sorbonne, is a Yenching Scholar at Peking University researching the independent Chinese film industry.

Irene Ailin Wang

Irene Ailin Wang, an artist, activist and founder of the Wave Foundation, supports gender equality through arts. She has studied at Columbia University and Yale University and initiated the first New York Women Art Week.

Isabel Robbins

Isabel Robbins is in her final year of Columbia University’s accelerated 4+1 program, completing a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on epidemiology. She has a long-standing commitment to community service, particularly within Asian communities, and aspires to attend medical school to provide empathetic, high-quality care to minority populations. Her experience spans hospital settings, teaching assistance, and laboratory research.

Jason Zhang

Jason facilitate the East and West dialogue through Capital Market, Investment and Trade. Invested over 100 HK & US public companies and grew them into global leading players. A Columbia University undergraduate alum with passion in Equality, Rights and East & West enrichment.

Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang has over 10 years of experience in the finance industry and holds a degree from NYU Stern. Her career spans Big Four accounting, Internal Audit at Goldman Sachs, and Sales and Trading at the Bank of China. Working within global institutions closely connected to international relations, she values building strong relationships across industry peers and sectors and is eager to join a professional network to share knowledge and learn from others.

Jiayao Zhang

Yolanda (Jiayao) trades FX derivatives at BNP Paribas and is vice chair of the CFANY Young Leaders Group. She holds a BA from NYU and is interested in ESG, history, and astronomy.

Jiayi Wang

Jiayi Wang, a Computer Science PhD candidate at Northwestern University, is involved in diverse projects in healthcare, education, real estate, and hospitality in China and the US. She’s also a co-founder and Deputy Secretary-General of the Asian American Hospitality Alliance.

Jodi Tang

Jodi Tang is an award-winning creative director specializing in conceptual design, digital innovation, and immersive brand experiences. She is the founder of 5050Collective, an Asian-founded, women-led global creative collective based in Singapore, New York, and Paris. A RISD graduate with a background in graphic design and computer science at Brown, Jodi has held roles at Harvard CAMLab, VaynerMedia APAC, and Ogilvy Singapore, earned top industry awards, and continues to champion collaborative, cross-cultural creative innovation

Karl Samsen

Karl Samsen, a venture partner and investment manager focused on decentralized finance and ESG materials. He is involved with Proof Capital, Curvance, Bayberry Capital, and Current Media Productions. He is also passionate about art and philanthropy.

Kevin Li

Kevin Zongzhe Li, a Harvard master’s candidate in Public Policy, specializes in climate finance and energy geopolitics, with prior roles at Deloitte and the UN, and co-founded the US-China Climate Forum.

Laura Chen

Financial Advisor with 15 years of experience. I manage investments for 100 households in US, China, and Canada. Passionate about helping empower women and minorities in their wealth journey. Johns Hopkins MBA and Dickinson College undergraduate in Economics. Sustainer and volunteer with the New York Junior League to help 500 homeless youths recover. Member of the Economic Club of New York. Fluent in Mandarin and enjoy Chinese food, especially Sichuan cuisine from my family. Fitness enthusiast. Hobbies include skiing, running, swimming, and sailing.

Lily Zhou

Lily is the founder of Life Story Club, a nonprofit addressing loneliness among older adults through life storytelling. She also co-founded Zapleap, LLC, a family office focused on aging and quality of life. Lily holds a Master’s in Public Affairs from Columbia University and previously worked at Commonbond, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the OECD.

Livia Liu

Livia Hui LIU, a journalist and teacher in Hong Kong, focuses on China-US relations and is creating a project about overseas Chinese culture. She has worked with major networks like CGTN, NBC, and AFP.

Louisa Qiu

Louisa Qiu is an equity research associate at AllianceBernstein in New York, focusing on biotechnology and life sciences tools. She holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School and B.S. in Nursing from Penn Nursing.

Lucas Sin

Lucas Sin started cooking at 16 in Hong Kong and founded Junzi Kitchen and Nice Day Chinese to modernize Chinese cuisine in the U.S. Now based in Shanghai and Hong Kong, he’s a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree.

Ma Ning

Ma Ning is the founding partner of MARS Studio, an internationally recognized architecture and interior design firm based in New York with a branch in Beijing. A University of Pennsylvania graduate and associate AIA member, he previously worked at MAD Architects and Bjarke Ingels Group, contributing to major global projects. Under his leadership, MARS has earned widespread media recognition and top honors, including multiple Architizer A+Awards, AD China AD100 Designer of the Year, Forbes Returned Elite, and International Best Firm at the A+Awards

Michael Koldayev

Michael V. Koldayev is an entrepreneur and Columbia University graduate with experience in UN sustainable development, international trade, real estate consulting, and digital distribution. He represents a major Chinese supply chain company, facilitating global trade and partnerships, and is the founder of ARBITRcars, an innovative car-buying platform connecting exclusive auctions with everyday buyers

Momo Hu

Shu Hu is a senior tech public relations professional who works on tech leadership, and influence building and supervises key communication projects of both tech giants and AI startups in mainland China. Her recent interest lies at the intersection of gender, technology and social equity. She is now completing a master's program at Duke University focused on responsible tech and China social studies and she graduated from Tsinghua University with a bachelor's degree in English in 2011.

Moshe Itzhakov

Moshe Itzhakov is a Partner at Weinreb Ventures, known for strategic roles in real estate and at Accenture. He’s also active in nonprofit leadership with the Milken Institute and China Institute.

MuHan Li

MuHan Li is the founder of Eden, an AI social company based in NYC, and the co-founder of UFriend Media, a media and advertising firm based in Singapore. He reads philosophy and political science at Columbia University as a Saltzman Scholar.

Muxi Gao

Muxi Gao is a designer, curator, and creative director in Beijing. She founded Company Per Form, a creative agency, and led city branding initiatives. Gao holds degrees from Tsinghua University and Yale School of Art.

Nan Meng

Nan (Pablo) Meng, 31, chairs Hengxin-Shambala Cultural Co., shifting from CGI production to VR/AR and the metaverse, and supports his family’s vegetarian restaurant to promote dietary impact on climate change.

Nicky Chang

Nicky Chang is the founder of Meanwhile, a design-venture studio in New York and Tokyo, co-founder of Architectural Practice Talks for AAPI designers, and guest critic at Parsons School of Design.

NiNi Dongnier

A New York based artist, integrates choreography and painting to explore body metaphysics. She also contributes to Movement Lab – a lab for the investigation of movement, performance and technology resides in Barnard College, Columbia University.

Qi Rosa Zhang

Currently, a Marketing and PR professional within her own company. Working with many Asian Americans, especially Chinese Americans, clients across different industries, including Fashion, lifestyle, food and beverage, and hospitality.

Seamon Chan

Seamon Chan leads Palm Drive Capital with investments in over 160 global tech startups. He has a background at Insight Partners and studied at Stanford, Harvard, and Tsinghua University.

Shally Liu

Shally holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Peking University and a Master’s in Financial Mathematics from the University of Chicago. She began her career at PIMCO, rising to Vice President and Quantitative Research Analyst, with over five years of multi-asset investment experience across U.S. and European markets. She currently works at a proprietary trading startup in Shanghai, specializing in high-frequency ETF options trading, with a focus on quantitative strategy development and portfolio management.

Sharon Wu

Sharon Wu, a 2023 film studies graduate from Barnard College, now works in the PR department of Sun Seven Stars Investment Group Limited, where she organizes events and GALA dinners focused on arts and culture.

Shuang Liang

Shuang from Guangzhou champions sustainability and cultural integration, supporting Asian American initiatives, investing in tech, and promoting international arts exchanges, driven by her passion for humanism.

Sirui Hua

Sirui Hua is the Head of Audience & Analytics at NowThis, where he combines data expertise with digital storytelling to create cross-cultural impact. He's also a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS).

Summer Liu

Summer is an architect based in Brooklyn, working on projects of diverse scales and typologies, from cultural to ephemeral. Raised in Hainan, China, she moved abroad at 14 and has lived overseas since. She is drawn to design and good food for their ability to bring like-minded people together and values the meaningful experiences they create, as well as the unexpected ways time shapes the world around us.

Symington Smith

Symington “Sai” Smith is Vice President and Head of North America at NewLink, China’s largest energy tech company. His career spans Ogilvy, the U.K. Cabinet Office, Baker McKenzie, and executive roles in NASDAQ-listed firms, alongside global recognition for leadership and innovation. He is a member of the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations and was educated at Peking University, Tsinghua University, King’s College London, and Yale.

Tianyi Zhao

Tianyi (Amy) Zhao manages finance and partnerships at the UNITAR office in New York and co-founded The Spark Podcast, which shares stories that bridge cultures and foster connections.

Tom Ni

Tom Ni is a legislative assistant for the Anne Arundel County Government. He holds a bachelor's degree from St. John's College - Annapolis, where he studied the Great Books curriculum.

Walter Wang Jr.

Walter Wang Jr., previously with HTC and TSM in esports, now leads sales at JM Eagle and family philanthropic initiatives, focusing on AAPI representation and East-West relations.

Walter Yu

Walter Yu is an American-born Chinese raised in the Bay Area, fluent in Mandarin and English. He has a consulting background at PwC and Bain and currently serves as a Senior Manager in Corporate Strategy at Splunk, with experience across the U.S., China, and India, advising on cross-border IPOs, M&A, and growth strategies. An MBA graduate of Chicago Booth, he is passionate about AAPI issues, U.S.–China relations, and actively mentors Asian professionals through workplace and alumni networks.

Wellington Hsu

Wellington is a New York–based software engineer focused on healthcare technology, most recently leading communication and engagement platforms at Oscar Health. With roots in Taiwan and education at Imperial College London and NYU, he brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by work at companies such as Better, Galileo, and Oscar Health, as well as experience with Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is committed to fostering cultural exchange and U.S.–China dialogue.

Wesley Jin

Wesley is a faculty internal medicine physician in an academic teaching hospital in Westchester, NY area

Wo Xinyu

Xinyu Wo is a New York–based visual artist born in Ningbo, China, who holds a BFA in Oil Painting from the China Academy of Art and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts. Her work blends realism with surrealism to explore personal history, contemporary absurdity, and the age of artificial intelligence through a critical and witty visual language. Her work has been widely exhibited and collected across China and the United States, with a recent solo exhibition at VillageOneArt Gallery in New York.

Xiangyu Zhou

An advocate for sustainable, plant-based living, this entrepreneur leads a startup in finance, retail, and e-commerce, excelling in market analysis and team leadership.

Xin Yan

Xin Yan, cofounder at EthSign, prev venture capitalist, engineer. Interested in crypto, energy and biotech.

Xuan Xu

Xuan (BiuBiu) Xu launched the Egg House and Dragon Fest, each attracting 200k+ visitors. In 2023, she founded Mulan House to empower Chinese women, hosting a successful NYC summit.

Xuhui Zhang

Jack Xuhui Zhang is a business strategist and entrepreneur focused on technology and consumer sectors, currently working as a strategy consultant at McKinsey. His background includes co-founding Junzi Kitchen and leading initiatives in AI investment, product innovation, and market strategy, with experience across SaaS, e-commerce, mobile delivery, and CPG.

Yang Wu

Private equity professional with a focus on climate related sectors. Chinese-born, US-educated with an education background in public policy and economics.

Yaqi Han

Graduated from Cornell Law School, currently working in an international law firm (Sullivan & Cromwell LLP) as a senior corporate lawyer, focusing on mergers & acquisitions and corporate governance.

Yuxi Zhang

Yuxi Zhang, a UN statistician, works on the Sustainable Development Goal Report and organizes cultural events for the UN Chinese Book Club, using his Bloomberg data science background.

Yinnan Shen

With 9 years in strategic communications, executive coaching and crisis management, Yinnan focuses on equipping and empowering leaders and organizations to achieve their vision and mission.

Michelle Maiuri

Michelle is the Events Director at Serica Initiative, previously managed the NEXTChina Conference, and spent five years in China enhancing her Mandarin. She holds an International Business degree from Kalamazoo College with studies in Beijing.

Shu Hu

Shu Hu, an entrepreneur and senior tech PR professional in China, spearheads cross-cultural digital content projects focused on sustainable living and responsible tech through her startup TurtleWay. She received her degrees from Tsinghua and Duke University and has lived in both Beijing and the U.S.

Yini Xu

Yini, an MSc in Environmental Engineering, leads Green Finance in China, with past roles at WBCSD and BCG Shanghai. A survivor of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, she now promotes sustainability as a UN COP15 speaker and impact investor.