Mary Sue Bissell is President of the US-Asia Institute (USAI), a position she has held since September 2018. She came to USAI at its founding, working with co-founders Esther G. Kee and Joji Konoshima as Director of Programs and Publications and Director of Administration from 1979-84. Ms. Bissell returned to USAI in 1987, serving as Executive Director until 1990. She returned for a 3rd time in December 2001 as Trustee, Vice President & Executive Director. While at USAI, Ms. Bissell has sought to build understanding and strengthen relations between the United States and Asia through organizing high-level conferences and policy dialogues, managing people-to-people exchange programs including Congressional Member and staff delegations to various Asian countries, and connecting political, business, government, academic and emerging leaders.

She also served as USAI’s Secretariat administrator for the US-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON) for 2.5 years. Ms. Bissell has over 40 years of experience. In addition to her work at USAI, she has managed the nation’s largest in-school educational touring program, directed marketing for a top 10 aquarium, led public relations efforts for US Army assets across Hawaii, and managed the administrative and logistical facets of a major Pacific Rim telecommunications membership organization, where she organized the programmatic aspects of the first ever three-node teleconference connecting Washington DC – Honolulu – Hong Kong. She has received numerous local, state and national awards and recognition for writing, public speaking and community service.

Ms. Bissell is a graduate of the University of South Dakota. She is married with two daughters.

Amanda Earls is the Program Manager at the US-Asia Institute. She recently graduated from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs with an MA in Asian Studies. During her time at GW, she worked as Curriculum Developer of the East Asia National Resource Center, Project Assistant for Eurasia Foundation (from Asia) grant activities, and Graduate Teaching Assistant for Politics and Foreign Policy of Japan. Before moving to DC, she graduated summa cum laude from Binghamton University with a BA in Linguistics and worked as an online English as a Foreign Language Tutor for young students in Asia. In her free time, Amanda loves drawing, cycling, singing, and studying foreign languages.

Melynn Oliver is the Communications and Special Projects Manager at the US-Asia Institute. She holds a BA in Political Science and International Affairs from Elon University and is completing an MA in Asian Studies from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She has also worked as the Program Manager at the US-China Education Trust, Research Intern at the Global Taiwan Institute, and Project Assistant at the Taiwan Education and Research Program. Her research focused on US-China and US-Taiwan relations and international security policy topics. In her spare time, Melynn likes cooking, watching true crime documentaries, and playing with her cats Sawney and Bean.

Elsbeth Purdy is Executive Assistant at the US-Asia Institute. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, and Master of Library and Information Sciences from Catholic University of America, Washington DC. She has supported USAI as a volunteer while being employed by the DC Public Library system for the past 15 years. At the library she developed and conducted engaging library programs and events for diverse age groups. She also collaborated with colleagues on scheduling, planning events, and strategic design of future library operations. In her free time she enjoys cooking, reading, and travel. 

Nate Conrad graduated magna cum laude from Brown University in 2019 with a degree in East Asian Studies with honors. While at Brown, he organized campus-wide forums and discussions on issues pertaining to China through Let’s Talk China, a club he co-founded and later ran as its president. He has done research on such topics as future energy developments, IoT and 5G technology, the One Belt One Road Initiative, and Chinese political media, and wrote his senior thesis on the challenges of intercultural contact between Chinese and foreign university students. In his spare time he is also a coach for the crew team at his alma mater, T.C. Williams High School.

Anna Bunn is a master’s student at the University of St Andrews in Scotland where she is pursuing an MLitt in International Security Studies. She also completed her undergraduate studies at St Andrews where she received a degree in International Relations awarded with First-Class Honors. She is an active member of her university’s Foreign Affairs and Japan Societies, and she competes for the women’s tennis team. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Anna love all things outdoors. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, studying new languages, and learning to play new instruments.

Cameron Carre is a senior at the University of New Haven majoring in Political Science. At UNH, he has contributed to the National Model United Nations (NMUN) as part of the staff for the Spring Conference in New York. His other previous experiences include internships with State Representative Dorinda Borers' Mayoral Campaign and at West Haven City Hall, offering him valuable insights into local politics and governance. In the future, he plans to apply his education and experiences to make a positive impact in the field of political science.

Tarang Mishra is a third-year undergraduate student at James Madison University pursuing a political science degree with a pre-law preparation program and a minor in entrepreneurship. He has previously served as Policy Fellow at Engine, Varsity Debater on the James Madison University Debate team, and as a delegate representing Ghana in the International Model African Union. Additionally, he is Co-Founder and CEO of Untitled Kingdom Clothing, an apparel startup. In the future, he plans to pursue a career in international diplomacy.

Rex Nario is a second-year graduate student at San Francisco State University (SFSU). He previously worked in program management for several departments in various University of California campuses. At SFSU, he participated in a student exchange program at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan to learn more about Japan’s perspective of global governance and international development.