David Arase taught and researched on East Asian politics, political economy, and security relations at Pomona College in Claremont, CA for 22 years before resigning in 2012 to join the SAIS Johns Hopkins University, Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) as a resident professor of international politics. While teaching at HNC, he has published many articles and commentaries; participated widely in academic conferences in Asia and Europe; and visited international studies institutes in Australia, Japan, and Singapore for extended periods of research. His three most recent books are edited volumes: The US-Japan alliance: balancing soft and hard power in East Asia (Nissan Institute/Routledge, 2010), which was awarded the Ohira Memorial Foundation Special Prize for works promoting the Pacific Basin Community concept; China's Rise and East Asian Order (Palgrave, 2016); and the Routledge Handbook on Africa-Asia Relations (Routledge, 2017). He is currently working on a single authored book on China’s rise to predominance in Asia.

Veomayoury Baccam is the Director of Government Relations & Corporate Social Responsibility at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, known as the "Voice of American Business" in China, was founded in 1915. AmCham Shanghai was the third American Chamber established outside the United States, and now has 3,000 members from 1,500 companies. As a non-profit, non-partisan business organization, AmCham Shanghai is committed to the principles of free trade, open markets, private enterprise and the unrestricted flow of information. She is responsible for coordinating the Chamber’s advocacy efforts with the U.S. Government and Chinese government and its Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Prior to joining AmCham, Ms. Baccam worked for 12 years in the U.S. diplomatic service. Her previous postings include Moscow, Geneva, Washington D.C., and Shanghai. She received her bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a Masters of International and Public Affairs from Columbia University.

Marc Cook currently serves as an Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate Shanghai, covering transportation, labor, and trade issues. From 2010 to 2013 Marc was an Economic Officer at the
U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, where he was in charge of bilateral trade and energy issues. From 2008 to 2010, Marc worked as a consular officer in Guangzhou, China.

古明德领事现任美国驻沪总领事馆经济领事， 负责交通，劳动力和贸易问题。2010-2013 年，他在美国驻布宜诺斯艾利斯大使馆（阿根廷）任经济领事，负责双边贸易和能源问题。 古领事曾于2008-2010 年，在美国驻广州领事馆任签证官员一职。

Before joining the Foreign Service, Marc was a project manager with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) promoting management education in West Africa. He also worked for three years as a banking officer with Riggs International Banking Division in
Washington D.C. He holds an MA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

在成为外交官之前，古领事任职于世界银行下的国际金融公司项目经理，推进西非的管理教育工作。 他也曾在华盛顿的里格斯国际银行公司工作过三年，任银行官员一职。 古明德拥有约翰霍普金斯高级国际研究学院的国际研究硕士学位。