On June 20th and 21st, members representing 20 of the 34 Project Pengyou Chapters gathered at the University of Maryland to culminate the launch of the Project Pengyou Leadership Fellows Program one year ago. On the first day of the retreat, Leadership Fellows were asked to present their experiences community building, which proved to be valuable as this was the first time many had seen each other face to face since starting their own Chapter. In the morning of the second day, several Chapter Leaders pitched their Chapter to a panel of experts, including Madelyn Ross, the director of SAIS-China, Michael Lin, former national president and executive director of the Organization of Chinese Americans, and Holly Chang, founder and President of the Golden Bridges Foundation and Project Pengyou and Acting Executive Director of the Committee of 100.

In the afternoon of the second day, Project Pengyou partnered with Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies – China (SAIS) and the Committee of 100 to host the People to People Exchanges in US-China Relations: Forgotten Past, Fateful Future speaker forum at the SAIS campus in Washington, DC. Over 130 guests, including Project Pengyou Chapter leaders, joined to listen to expert US-China bridge builders. The speakers included Holly Chang, founder and President of the Golden Bridges Foundation and Project Pengyou and Acting Executive Director of the Committee of 100, Gordon H. Chang, PhD; Professor, Author, and Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at Stanford University, Scott Seligman; Historian, Author, Business Executive (retired) & Career “China Hand,” Madelyn Ross; Director, Hopkins Nanjing Center Washington D.C., Associate Director, Johns Hopkins University SAIS China, Jeremy Wu; Co-Chair, Washington D.C., Board Member, Committee of 100, Jesse Appell; Fulbright Scholar and Intercultural Comedian, and Hank Levine; Senior Adviser, Albright Stonebridge Group.

More on SAIS: A division of The Johns Hopkins University, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC, is a global institution offering students a truly international perspective on today’s critical issues. SAIS China, the umbrella for all of SAIS activities involving China, is anchored by the China Studies Program in DC. The program features a superb faculty with considerable experience both within and outside academe, from work in government and multilateral organizations to NGOs and foundations. Courses range from Chinese leadership and foreign policy, economic and political reform, and human rights and law, to China’s environment, military, and growing involvement in Africa and beyond. SAIS China also encompasses The HopkinsNanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, the preeminent and longestrunning educational collaboration between the US and the PRC. In partnership with Nanjing University, the Center’s graduate programs offer students the opportunity to learn from top Chinese and international scholars in a bilingual and bicultural environment in China. SAIS students also have the opportunity to spend a year at Tsinghua University taking courses in English toward a dual MA degree from SAIS and Tsinghua. SAIS China offers unparalleled training for future leaders and thinkers who will address China’s evolving role in the world. Learn more: https://www.sais-jhu.edu/content/china-studies#overview

More on the Committee of 100: The Committee of 100 is a leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans who leverage their collective influence and resources to promote the full inclusion of Chinese Americans in the United States and advance U.S.-China relations. C-100 members are pioneers in their field and include: Leroy Chiao, NASA Space Commander; Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!; Michelle Kwan, figure skating champion and Envoy for U.S. Public Diplomacy; and I.M. Pei, master architect and co-founder of C-100. Learn more: committee100.org