Board of Trustees

Asia Foundation Trustee Emeritus Theodore L. Eliot, Jr. passed away on August 8 at the age of 91. Theodore Lyman Eliot Jr. was born Jan. 24, 1928, part of the prominent Boston Eliot family, which included several college presidents and one Nobel Prize winner. He graduated from Harvard University in 1948 and married Pat Peters in 1951, in Sri Lanka,… Read more

When The Asia Foundation says it believes, and invests, in emerging leaders in Asia, it goes a step beyond leadership programs. The Foundation opens itself to be steered by the very leaders it cultivates. I saw this first hand when, as a graduate of the Asia Foundation Development Fellows program, I was appointed to a two-year term on the Foundatio… Read more

Bloomberg interviews former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea and Asia Foundation Trustee Kathleen Stephens on the recent U.S.- DPRK Nuclear Summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Asia Foundation announces the election of Sunder Ramaswamy as chairman of the board; Timothy Kochis and Ambassador Kathleen Stephens as vice chairs; and Jerome L. Dodson, Patricia M. Loui, and Deanne Weir as trustees. Additionally, Iromi Perera and Dustin Palmer are joining the board as term trustees. President David D. Arnold welcomed them: “O… Read more

Asia Foundation trustee Daniel F. Feldman joins Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm, as a senior counsel in the firm’s Public Policy practice and a member of Global Problem Solving initiative. His distinguished government career also includes serving as Director of Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs at the National Security Co… Read more

Bloomberg Opinion features The Third Revolution, a book on China by Asia Foundation trustee Elizabeth Economy. The op-ed was written by Hal Brands of the John Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, who names The Third Revolution as a “must-read book of 2018.” Read the op-ed here.

Asia Foundation trustee Tim Kochis in A&S Marquette Magazine In his wide-ranging career, Asia Foundation Trustee Tim Kochis has been a nationally prominent wealth manager and strategic consultant, a six-time author, a philanthropist, and an educator. At U.C. Berkeley, where he cofounded the university’s personal financial planning program, an a… Read more

Asia Foundation Trustees Ambassador Kathleen Stephens and Michael J. Green weigh in on the recent U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore. CNN feature: History beckons for Trump and Kim “My own sense is that he would only be ready to (totally disarm) at the end of a very long process and that his goal at the present time is to remain a de facto nuclea… Read more

At its recent annual conference in Silicon Valley on May 5, 2018, the Committee of 100 (C100) honored Asia Foundation Chairman Dr. David M. Lampton with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Advancing U.S.-China Relations. Lampton, who joined The Asia Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2006 and became Chairman of the Board in 2014, is Hyman Professor and… Read more

Yonhap News features an article about Asia Foundation Trustee Kathleen Stephens’ appointment as president & CEO of Washington, D.C-based Korea Economic Institute of America, effective September 1, 2018. “This is an important time in the U.S.-Korea relationship,” she said in a statement released by the institute. “Interest in the policy challeng… Read more

The Asia Foundation hosted former U.S. Secretary of Defense William J. Perry for a special foreign policy briefing during the Board of Trustees meeting in Redwood City this past weekend. Dr. Perry served as Secretary of Defense under the Clinton Administration 1994-1997. At Monday’s board luncheon, Dr. Perry reflected on the history of negotiations… Read more

The Asia Foundation expresses its deep sadness over the passing of Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, distinguished diplomat, member of Parliament, former Asia Foundation trustee, and friend. In addition to his many accomplishments, he also served as secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from 2008-2012, the first person from Thai… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of four new members to its Board of Trustees at its September 25, 2017 meeting: Amb. Robert O. Blake, Jr., Dr. Michael J. Green, Amb. Mark W. Lippert, and Ms. Ruby Shang. Ambassador Robert… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of two new members to its Board of Trustees at its meeting May 22, 2017: Ms. Winnie C. Feng and Mr. Moon Kook-Hyun. Winnie C. Feng is an information specialist and a member of the Society… Read more

Earlier this year, the Japanese government announced Asia Foundation Trustee James Andrew Kelly as a recipient of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. This prestigious award, among Japan’s highest honors, is given to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to strengthening relations between Japan and the United… Read more

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Black Community Services Center 418 Santa Teresa Street, Stanford, CA The annual Oksenberg Lecture, honors the legacy of Professor Michel Oksenberg (1938–2001), a senior fellow at Shorenstein APARC and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Professor Oksenberg served as a key member of the National Security Co… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of three new members to its Board of Trustees at its Annual Meeting on January 30, 2017: Ambassador Daniel F. Feldman, Ms. Czarina Medina-Guce, and Ms. Diana D. Won. Ambassador Karl F. Ind… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of Stephanie Fahey to its Board of Trustees at its September 26, 2016 meeting. Dr. Fahey has 25 years experience in the Australian higher education sector having worked as both an academic… Read more

Yesterday, Friends of Korea (FOK) announced that The Asia Foundation Trustee Ambassador Kathleen Stephens will be awarded the first annual Kevin O’Donnell Distinguished Friend of Korea Award on September 24 at the FOK annual membership meeting in Washington, DC. The award, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the arrival of the first Peac… Read more

During a recent visit to Beijing, David M. Lampton, Chairman of the Board of The Asia Foundation, met with Madame Fu Ying, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, near the Great Hall of the People. The discussion spanned a range of issues including the current state of the China-U.S. relationship, the challen… Read more

For a fifth year, the World Peace Forum (WPF) in Beijing gathered leading policy thinkers to consider key issues on international security and regional cooperation. Organized by Tsinghua University in cooperation with the China People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, the WPF was held July 16 to 17 and brought together hundreds of participants to con… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of three new members to its Board of Trustees at its May 23, 2016 meeting: Stephen Kahng, James D. McCool, and Janet Montag. The Foundation also elected three former Trustees to Trustee Em… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of two new members to its Board of Trustees at its Annual Meeting on January 30, 2016: Walter Jared Frost and Noeleen Heyzer. The Foundation also honored six trustees who completed their t… Read more

The Global Times interviews The Asia Foundation’s Chairman of the Board David M. Lampton for his insights on President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States. Read more: “Xi’s visit tackles serious concerns.”

Shanghai Securities News features a piece by The Asia Foundation’s Trustee and Founding Member of the President’s Leadership Council Timothy Kochis on the Chinese Stock Market. Read more (in Chinese): “Inherent behavior reasonably expected = market capitalization + best guarantee.”

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of four new members to its Board of Trustees: L. Brooks Entwistle, Reuben Jeffery III, Theodore L. Eliot III, and Meredith Ludlow. In recognition of their continued dedication and support,… Read more

Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth moderates panel on Afghanistan’s future stability and development with Ershad Ahmadi, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, Masood Khan, Ambassador Jayant Prasad, and Shi Zhiqin. On June 27-28, The Asia Foundation’s Trustees Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth participated in panels at the 4th World Peac… Read more

The Asia Foundation’s Chairman of the Board David M. Lampton was recently named the most influential China watcher by the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. Researchers assessed 158 experts and ranked the 20 most important and influential China observers in the United States. The report also inc… Read more

The Huffington Post features an editorial piece by The Asia Foundation’s trustee Melanne Verveer on Afghan women and the Foundation’s 2014 Survey of the Afghan People. Read more: “Moving the Needle Forward on Women’s Rights in Afghanistan.”

Foreign Policy features an opinion piece by The Asia Foundation’s trustee and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry on the Foundation’s 2014 Survey of the Afghan People. Read more: “Afghanistan is Not Iraq… Just Ask the Afghan People.”

The New York Times publishes an opinion piece by The Asia Foundation’s board of trustee members, Ambassador Theodore L. Eliot, Jr. and Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth on the Foundation’s 2014 Survey of the Afghan People. Read more: “Afghans Aren’t Giving Up.”

In Asia editor Alma Freeman recently sat down with new Asia Foundation trustee Elizabeth Economy, Council on Foreign Relations’ C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and director for Asia Studies, to discuss China’s environmental challenges, the country’s role as a donor, and her new book co-authored with Michael Levi…

In Asia editor Alma Freeman sat down last month with The Asia Foundation’s new trustee, Donald Steinberg, president and CEO of World Learning, and former deputy administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development, White House Deputy Press Secretary, and U.S. ambassador to Angola.

The Asia Foundation just announced two new trustees: Donald Steinberg, former U.S. ambassador to Angola, former USAID deputy administrator, and current president of World Learning, and Elizabeth Economy, renowned Asia expert and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Stay tuned for an In Asia interview with Amb. Steinberg, and read analysis fr… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of Donald Steinberg and Elizabeth Economy to its Board of Trustees. The Foundation made the announcement at a recent Board of Trustees meeting. Mr. Steinberg is president and CEO of World… Read more

The Women’s International Perspective (WIP) interviews Asia Foundation Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan Najla Ayubi on women’s rights in the country. A global source for women’s perspectives, The WIP is based at the Monterey Institute of International Studies where Asia Foundation Trustee & Vice Chair of the Board Sunder Ramaswamy s… Read more

Ambassador Kathleen Stephens arrives at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi to begin her tenure as the United States Charge d’Affaires ad interim to India. Ambassador Stephens joined the board of The Asia Foundation in 2014 and is taking a leave of absence during her time in India. Read the full press release from the U.S. Embassy India: “United States C… Read more

Bloomberg and Bloomberg BusinessWeek quote Asia Foundation Trustee Adil Najam on the situation in Karachi following Pakistan’s MQM party leader Altaf Hussain’s detainment by U.K. police as part of a money-laundering investigation. Read the full article here: “Gunfire in Karachi, Stocks Drop on Report of Politician’s Arrest.”

To mark its 60th anniversary, The Asia Foundation debuted today a living, interactive timeline of its six decades in Asia, including archival video, audio interviews, oral histories, photographs, documents, and multimedia. The timeline tells a compelling story of international development in Asia from the 1950s to present day while weaving in the F… Read more

KQED Forum host Michael Krasny speaks with Asia Foundation Trustee Karl Eikenberry  on Afghanistan’s April 5 elections.  Listen here: “Afghanistan Marks First Democratic Transition of Power.”

Bloomberg Businessweek and Financial Times feature Asia Foundation Trustee Geoffrey Garrett as new dean of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, effective July 1, 2014. Similar articles appear in Philadelphia Business Journal, Philadelphia Magazine, and The Voices of Philadelphia. Read the full article here: “Wharton Plucks New Dean… Read more

North Carolina Public Radio (WUNC) and Raleigh News & Observer interview Asia Foundation Trustee Karl Eikenberry during his recent visit to North Carolina State University to join a panel conversation about the importance of humanities and social sciences at North Carolina State University. The discussion stems from a bipartisan report, The Hea… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of David M. Lampton as Chairman of the Board and the addition of three new members to its Board of Trustees: Ralph L. Boyce, Lauren Kahea Moriarty, and Kathleen Stephens. The Foundation ma… Read more

On January 28, 2014 in New York City, Asia Foundation Trustee and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry joined Jeffrey Bader of the Brookings Institution, Michael Green from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) President Richard Haass to discuss tensions in Asia. The meeting was… Read more

poverty, inequality, dysfunctional governance, and violent conflict According to The Asia Foundation, Asia’s economic success obscures the critical issues and challenges affecting the region. These include persistent poverty, growing income inequality, widespread corruption, gender discrimination, environmental threats, and deadly religious and eth… Read more

Foreign Policy and Asia Times feature op-ed articles by Asia Foundation Trustees. Karl F. Inderfurth and Theodore L. Eliot, Jr. contribute a December 17 Foreign Policy piece “Afghans Look on the Bright Side,” which looks at Afghanistan’s transition in 2014 and references findings from The Asia Foundation’s Afghanistan in 2013: A Survey of the Afgha… Read more

Asia Foundation Trustee and former ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues Melanne Verveer writes CNN Op-Ed “Don’t abandon the women of Afghanistan.” Read the full article here: “Don’t abandon the women of Afghanistan.”

Long-time supporter and Trustee Emeritus of The Asia Foundation Thomas Foley passed away on Friday, October 18 at the age of 84. Ambassador Foley served with distinction on The Asia Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 2001-2009 until he became a Trustee Emeritus in 2009. “We are saddened by the loss of our Asia Foundation family member,” said Asia… Read more

Asia Foundation Trustee and former U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer writes on Afghan women for Politico’s “Women Rule,” a special project by Politico, Google and the Tory Burch Foundation that explores how women are leading change in politics, policy and their communities. Highlighting the contributions of Afghanistan’s mos… Read more

Ann Kinney (left) joins fashion designer Lyn Devon (center) and Asia Foundation Trustee and Lotus Circle Advisor Missie Rennie (right) at a trunk show at Lyn Devon’s Manhattan showroom to benefit The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program. On September 24, Asia Foundation Trustee and Lotus Circle Advisor Missie Rennie hosted a trunk show at… Read more

New Asia Foundation Trustee and Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, Rajiv Shah, connect at a recent Asia Foundation meeting in Washington, DC. The Asia Foundation announces the election of Ambassador Mel… Read more

The September/October 2013 issue of Foreign Affairs features an article by Asia Foundation trustee and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry on “The Limits of Counterinsurgency Doctrine in Afghanistan.” Read the full article here: “The Limits of Counterinsurgency Doctrine in Afghanistan.”

Former Congressman Howard L. Berman, and President of the World Justice Project William H. Neukom were recently elected to The Asia Foundation’s Board of Trustees. During his time in Congress, Mr. Berman was a leading voice in foreign affairs; Mr Neukom is also well known as the former president of the ABA. “We are honored by their commitment to su… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of The Honorable Howard L. Berman and William H. Neukom to its Board of Trustees. “We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Berman and Mr. Neukom to our distinguished Board of Trustees. We are h… Read more

The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia, announces the election of six new members to its Board of Trustees: John Foster, Hong Seok-Hyun, Timothy Kochis, Chong-Moon Lee, Clare Lockhart, and Adil Najam. The Foundation made the announcement at a recent B… Read more

Christian Science Monitor quotes Asia Foundation Trustee Karl Inderfurth on Hillary Clinton’s role as Secretary of State. Read the full article here.

David D. Arnold and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry discuss “Visualizing Afghanistan: Peace and Security Beyond the Transition” at Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles. On January 24, Asia Foundation trustee and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry joined Asia Foundation president David D. Arnold in conversation at the… Read more

Asia Foundation Trustee Ambassador Karl Eikenberry pens an op-ed for Financial Times on the Foundation’s eighth public opinion poll in Afghanistan, Afghanistan in 2012: A Survey of the Afghan People. Read the full article here: “There is hope yet for Afghanistan.”

Asia Foundation trustees, Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth and Ambassador Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., contribute an op-ed in Foreign Policy’s AfPak Channel on the Foundation’s eighth public opinion poll in Afghanistan, Afghanistan in 2012: A Survey of the Afghan People. Read the full article: “Punditry aside, how do Afghans feel about Afghanistan?”

On July 18 Asia Foundation Trustee Karl F. Inderfurth addressed the World Affairs Council of Northern California on U.S.-India relations. Assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs from 1997 to 2001, Inderfurth shared his views based on his extensive knowledge of the US-India relationship drawn from his distinguished career in public serv… Read more

In the lead up to the NATO Summit in Chicago where leaders are expected to discuss the transition in Afghanistan, The Asia Foundation’s new trustee and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry…

On April 5-6, The Asia Foundation hosted trustee and China scholar, David M. Lampton, who discussed the rebalancing of China and the U.S., strategic distrust, and his most recent book, The Three Faces of Chinese Power: Might, Money, and Minds. Lampton directs the China Studies program at SAIS and recently returned from China, where he was conductin… Read more

On March 30, Asia Foundation trustee and Stimson Center president Ellen Laipson joined veteran journalist Robin Wright in a discussion moderated by new Asia Foundation executive vice president, Suzanne Siskel, on “After the Arab Spring: Prospects for Change.” The panel was part of the World Affairs Council’s annual 2-day conference in San Francisco… Read more

Distinguished global leaders bring extensive government, academic, and philanthropic expertise The Asia Foundation, the premier international development organization serving the Asia-Pacific region, today announced the election of five members to its Board of Trustees. Karl Eikenberry, Geoffrey Garrett, Sunder Ramaswamy, Masako Shinn, and Alice Yo… Read more

Asia Foundation trustees, Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth and Ambassador Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., write an op-ed in International Herald Tribune featuring the Foundation’s seventh public opinion poll in Afghanistan, Afghanistan in 2011: A Survey of the Afghan People. The op-ed uses the survey data to comment on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham C… Read more

“The U.S.-China relationship is fundamentally stable and will remain so for the foreseeable future,” begins David Lampton, Asia Foundation trustee and director of China Studies at The Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, in his new paper “Power Constrained: Sources of Mutual Strategic Suspicion in U.S-China Relations.” “This is… Read more

Dr. David M. Lampton, Asia Foundation trustee and director of China Studies at The Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, was recently awarded the inaugural Robert A. Scalapino Prize in recognition of his exceptional contributions to America’s understanding of the vast changes underway throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The Scala… Read more

The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit organization devoted to Asia’s development since 1954, announced at its recent board meetings the election of two members to its Board of Trustees. David R. Andrews and Franklin Tugwell bring valuable insight and first-hand knowledge of important issues facing the Asia region, as The Asia Foundation conti… Read more

An op-ed in The New York Times by Asia Foundation Board of Trustee members Karl Inderfurth and Theodore Eliot about the mood of the Afghan people as the Obama administration deliberates next steps to take in the escalating war there analyzes findings from The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Survey of the Afghan People. Read the full piece: “Listen to the Af… Read more

The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit organization devoted to Asia’s development since 1954, announced at its recent board meetings the election of two new members to its Board of Trustees. Mr. Douglas H. Paal and The Honorable Kenneth I. Juster bring valuable insight and first-hand knowledge of important issues facing the Asia region, as The… Read more

Asia Foundation trustee Karl Inderfurth has written an op-ed for the International Herald Tribune which cites The Asia Foundation’s fourth public opinion survey in Afghanistan, “Afghanistan in 2008: A Survey of the Afghan People” extensively. The op-ed uses the poll figures to provide recommendations for President-elect Obama’s Afghan policy. Read… Read more

China’s elite and public opinion leaders have a national grand strategy. For them, the next twenty years provide a strategic opportunity. In a February 23, 2004, Politburo study session, General Secretary and President Hu Jintao could not have been clearer when he said, “Take a broad view of the world while analyzing the situation; see clear-headed… Read more

Board members Scott Cook, Karl F. Inderfurth, Thomas P. Rohlen and Teresita C. Schaffer will contribute vast international expertise to Asia’s development?  The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit organization devoted to Asia’s development since 1954, announced at its winter board meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, the election of four new members… Read more

The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit organization devoted to Asia’s development since 1954, announced today the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees. The new board members will attend their first Foundation board meeting on October 15 in New York City. Gina Lin Chu, a vocal proponent of open East-West dialogue and an advocat… Read more

Board trustees Theodore Eliot, Mary Brown Bullock, and James Kelly will contribute vast international relations expertise The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit organization devoted to Asia’s development since 1954, announced today that Ambassador Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; Mary Brown Bullock, president of A… Read more