DEAN Team 2021-2022
Programming, Journal, Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit

Dennis Wang
President (Programming) | Trinity '22

Dennis has spent his formative years in China, Malaysia, and Canada, and now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. Outside of school, Dennis spent summers at Huawei (Mexico), the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Huawei (North Africa), and China Central Television. Dennis enjoys writing and is also the best-selling author of “Reigning the Future: AI, 5G, Huawei, and the Next 30 Years of US-China Rivalry."

Evan Finley
​Director (CLS), Editor (Journal) | Trinity '23

Evan Finley is a junior Robertson Scholar at Duke. His political interests range from the intricacies of US-China business relations to the conflict over Taiwan. At Duke, Evan is an International Comparative Studies and Mandarin double major, concentrating on how the interplay of Chinese and Western economic systems contextualizes the global order. Evan has spent time in China working, teaching, and learning. These experiences instilled in Evan a sense of globalism and a desire to further connect our two worlds. 

Samantha Tsang
​Co-Editor in Chief (Journal), Logistics Member (CLS) | DKU'22

Samantha Tsang is a senior majoring in Global China Studies with a concentration in Political Science. As a Chinese American, Samantha has always held an interest in China. This interest deepened when she took a family trip to China for the first time in her early teens and felt strongly that her engagement with the country was just beginning. During her time at Duke Kunshan, Samantha came to understand firsthand that intercultural communication is vital to promoting understanding and cooperation within US-China relations. In the summer after her freshman year, Samantha furthered her Chinese language and cultural studies in Taipei and Taoyuan, Taiwan. Samantha is interested in how US-China relations have impacted pandemic response efforts and Asian-American affairs and enjoys traveling and trying new recipes in her free time.

Alicia Gong
​​Co-Editor in Chief, Logistics Member (CLS) | Trinity'24

Alicia is currently a sophomore student at Duke. She was born and raised in Chengdu, China, and moved to the US to attend high school in Minnesota when she was 14. She is interested in U.S.-China cultural exchange, immigration and gender studies. Other than CLS, Alicia interned for a Lebanon-based refugee rights NGO in the past summer and is now involving in Kenan Institute for Ethic’s SuWA project helping resettled refugee women. In her free time, Alicia enjoys visiting art museums and reading comics the most. 
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​Carlos Hua
​Deputy Director (CLS), VP External (Programming) | Trinity '23

Carlos Hua is a junior at Duke University, with a major in political science and a minor in economics. He is an enthusiast in international politics, U.S.-China relations, Chinese political institutions, and immigration studies. He wishes to explore the idea of citizenship and national consciousness. He is also passionate about music and theater, currently involved in the Duke Chinese Theater. He attended CLS in 2020 and served as the Duke Logistics Chair in 2021’s virtual summit. He is more than excited to serve as the Duke Deputy Director this year and looking forward to work with this amazing team. 

Alice Chen
Deputy-Director (CLS), VP Marketing | Trinity '23

Alice is a junior majoring in Public Policy. She was born and raised in Nanjing, China and moved to the US when she was 14. Through her experiences living with different host families, she grew increasingly interested in cross-cultural exchange and communication. She is interested in US-China relations in general, and specifically she is interested in social justice issues.

Jonathan Tao
Treasurer (Programming) | Trinity'22

TBD

Spencer Reeves
Fundraising Chair (CLS), Member (Programming) | DKU'22

At age 18, Spencer moved to China to pursue his studies as a member of the inaugural undergraduate class at Duke Kunshan University. Now in his fourth year there, his interests in China’s changing political role in the world and efficient transportation have developed alongside his Mandarin skills. Spencer has spent the past year studying at Duke University,  where he is a cyber policy research assistant in the Sanford School of Public Policy. In his free time, Spencer enjoys hiking, biking, and exploring new places.

Daniel Yan
Logistics Chair (CLS), Member (Programming) | Trinity '23

Daniel is a junior year student at Duke. He is studying Public Policy and Computer Science. Born in Chengdu and raised in Beijing, China, he is passionate about both Chinese culture and American society. Because of this reason, Daniel is a part of Duke East Asian Nexus and KSAC on campus. Since high school, he has participated in various activities and conferences on US-China relations.

Leslie Li
​Publicity Chair (CLS), Member (Programming) | Trinity'23

Grew up in Nanjing, China, Leslie is interested in the role of law in the protection of minority rights and educational equity across countries. She enjoys exploring how US-China relations evolved by engaging with different local communities. Last summer, she conducted field study for an oral history project in the village of Guangxi, China. She also worked for the Jesuit Refugee Service in South Africa to explain health and education policies to new migrants.  She is a real foodie and a guitar beginner.

Stella Wang
​Fundraising Member (CLS), Member (Programming) ​| DKU'22

Yifei Wang is a Duke junior studying Chemistry, Medicine, and Political Science. Having grown up in both Hubei Province China and Chapel Hill North Carolina, Yifei has strong interests in Sino-US relations, Chinese and American cultures and societies, and medicine. In her spare time, Yifei loves watching Japanese anime and playing Chinese chess. Her favorite Japanese anime include Parasyte, The Seven Deadly Sins, Doraemon, King's Avatar, and Naruto.  

Nikolas Dutmers
Publicity Member (CLS), Editor (Journal) | DKU'24

​Nikolas is a senior at Duke Kunshan University majoring in Global China Studies with a track in Political Science. Coming from a military family, Nikolas has always held a keen interest in international relations, which has led him to understand the importance of US-China ties. In particular, Nikolas is interesalciaalted in how the US’ and China’s actions throughout the Middle East have affected the relationship between the two nations, and what consequences their actions in this region may have for the wider world. Aside from his interest in international relations, Nikolas also enjoys improving his Chinese, travelling, running and eating new foods. ​

Susan Lin
Logistics Member (CLS), Editor (Journal) | DKU'24

​A born and raised New Yorker, Susan is currently a sophomore at Duke Kunshan University studying Political Economy with a concentration in economics. She discovered her passion for international affairs and foreign policy during her gap year abroad in Ecuador and has carried it into her university experiences with a specific interest in the history, politics, and economics of China-World engagement. This past half year, she has spent time researching the complex interactions between Central European refugees that fled to China during WWII and the broader Shanghai community there. During her free time, Susan enjoys writing, playing volleyball or practicing muay thai, and spending time with friends.

Ryan McNamara
Publicity Member (CLS) | Trinity'22

Ryan is interested in climate change policy and international relations. Having begun studying Chinese as a freshman, he is particularly interested in how US-China relations impact global efforts and agreements to combat climate change. Ryan is studying Economics with minors in Environmental Science and Chinese.

Cole Walker
Publicity Member (CLS) | Trinity'23

Cole is a junior at Duke double majoring in Public Policy and Chinese. He’s taken numerous Chinese language courses, participated in an exchange program in China and the virtual version of the Critical Language Scholarship in Taiwan, and contributed to research on China’s current affairs. In the short term, he hopes to foster more engagement on topics related to China among black youth. In the long term, he plans to join the US Foreign Service and use his Chinese proficiency to strengthen American diplomatic engagement throughout Asia, with a focus on issues overlapping economics, energy, and the environment.

Justin Zhang
​Logistics Member (CLS) | Trinity'23

Justin is a junior at Duke University majoring in political science and philosophy. He grew up in Shenzhen, a burgeoning city that was just an unremarkable fishing village four decades ago. He is interested in Chinese politics, particularly in how the state manages to gauge preferences of its citizens under an authoritarian framework. He is also interested in US-China relations, which will be if not already the most significant bilateral relations in the world. Outside of his academic interests, Justin enjoys fishing and watching documentaries.

Haiyi Liu
Fundraising Member (CLS) | DKU'23

​Haiyi is a junior at Duke Kunshan University, with a major in Behavior Science Psychology track. Born in China, Qingdao, Haiyi has experienced the great achievements in China over the past 20 years. She is interested in US-China relations, especially the interactions of governments and trade. During her free time, she enjoys playing violin, the draughts and watching comedies.​

Zehao Pan
Editor (Journal) | Trinity'24

TBD

Chang Yan
Editor (Journal) | Trinity'24

TBD

Darren Xie
Member (Programming) | Trinity'22 (Winter)

TBD

Gary Zheng
Member (Programming) | Trinity'22

TBD

Former Presidents
Cindy Wang, 2019-2021
William Chang, 2018-2020
Cecilia Wu, 2018-2019
James Wang, 2017-2018
​Angie Shen, 2016-2017
Bochen Han, 2015-2016
​Emily Feng, 2014-2015
Xiaohan (Helen) Cai, 2013-2014
Hannah Yi, 2012-2013
Paul Horak, 2011-2012
Linda Zhang, 2009-2011
Andrew Cheon, 2007-2009

Former CLS Directors
Dennis Wang, 2020-2021
Cecilia Wu, 2019-2020
Sally Wang, 2018-2019
​Hillary Song, 2017-2018
Hannah Wang, 2016-2017
Bochen Han, 2015-2016
Emily Feng, 2014-2015
Raymond (Rui) Wang, 2014-2015

Former Editors-in Chief
Yifei Wang, 2018-2019
Cindy Wang, 2018-2019
Attyat Mayans, 2017-2018
Jackson Xu, 2017-2018
Sakura Takahashi, 2016-2017
Mengying (Michelle) Xu, 2015-2016
Amy Cahill, 2015-2016

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