Mary Sue Bissell

VP and Executive Director

Mary Sue Bissell is Vice President and Executive Director of the US-Asia Institute. She is also a member of the Institute's Board of Trustees. Ms. Bissell came to the US-Asia Institute in 1979. She worked with co-founders Esther G. Kee and Joji Konoshima as Director of Programs and Publications from 1979-84, and from 1987-90 as Executive Director. While at the Institute, Ms. Bissell planned and implemented international conferences in Washington, D.C., the People's Republic of China, the Philippines and Japan on topics such as international trade, security and telecommunications. She also coordinated government-to-government activities with Pacific-rim nations, including international exchanges with China, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Ms. Bissell coordinated Congressional staff trips to China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and organized policy dialogues on issues of concern to the U.S. and Asia. She edited conference proceedings from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th National Leadership Conferences, and a publication on U.S. immigration policy toward Asia. She also provided oversight to the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange for 2.5 years. Ms. Bissell has over 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, conference planning, volunteer coordination, grant-writing, editing, strategic planning, marketing, education and fundraising. She has successfully directed the largest in-school opera education program in the U.S., reaching over 300,000 students each year; planned/implemented marketing strategy for one of the United States' top ten aquariums; directed a regional voting project for youth; served as press officer and public relations manager for U.S. Army concerns in Hawaii; worked as a program assistant for the Asian Affairs Unit of a national political party, writing the U.S.-Asia section of the foreign policy plank of the 1980 party platform; and served in the field office of South Dakota Senator George McGovern. 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.

Robert Jordan

VP, Int'l & Govt Affairs

Robert F. Jordan was born and raised in Framingham, Massachusetts. He served overseas in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1947 and then attended the University of Massachusetts, graduating in 1951. From 1951 to 1956 he was a high school teacher of Algebra and Spanish. He also attended Boston College Graduate School and the University of Mexico in Mexico City. In 1956 he started a 36-year diplomatic career with the U.S. Information Agency, serving as the Public Affairs Officer and director of the United States Information Service in 11 countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America with responsibility for all U.S. government press and cultural exchange programs. He learned four foreign languages. He was president of the Fulbright Commission in several countries and was also president of the Government of Ireland's scholarship board. While on a Washington tour he was assigned to USIA's inspection corps and conducted policy and public diplomacy inspections of American embassies in some 40 countries worldwide. He is the recipient of several meritorious and superior honor awards and performance pay awards from USIA, the Department of Defense and the Department of State. He also received the Order of Merit from the Government of Portugal. He was chosen several times to organize press facilities for the White House Press Corps for overseas visits of U.S. presidents. Following retirement in 1992 he was called back by both USIA and the Department of State to conduct policy inspections of some 20 embassies worldwide. In 1994-95 he was a senior advisor to the US-Asia Institute where he prepared a brochure on the Institute's history and also accompanied congressional staff delegations to China and Singapore. From 1995 to 2001 he worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency handling the Spanish-speaking media on disasters around the country.

Teresa Vanfleet

Program Director

Teresa became officially involved at the US-Asia Institute in March 2011. As Program Director, she now assists our Executive Director, Mary Sue Bissell, in managing and organizing various events with Asian Embassies in D.C. as well as on Capitol Hill, putting together pre-trip briefings, reunion receptions. Teresa was instrumental in the success of the first Congressional China 101 lecture series for Congressional staff this past summer, overseeing logistics and implementation of the program. With panels comprised of leading experts in the field, 150 staffers attended at least one of the 6 sessions focused on various topics of importance not just to China, but the US-China bilateral relationship such as economy, environment and energy, human rights and social change, and military. Teresa also managed the USAI Rule of Law Summer 2011 Program under the direction of Matthew Szymanski by over-seeing the schedule and coordinating logistics for six Chinese law students in a four-week rule of law immersion program. The students had over 100 scheduled events, including 85 meetings with over 100 U.S. senators, representatives, administration officials, judges, prosecutors, and congressional staff. Teresa is currently enrolled in the Asian Studies Master’s Program at George Washington University, where she focuses on Contemporary Politics of Asia, International Affairs, and Asian Domestic Politics. Her experiences abroad include a semester studying in the U.K. and eighteen months of ecclesiastic volunteer service in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She received her B.A. in International Studies from Utah State University and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Amy Gordon

Program Assistant

Amy is a Program Assistant at the US-Asia Institute. She is a sophomore at American University’s School of International Service with a concentration in East Asia and U.S. Foreign Policy and a minor in Law and Society. She has also interned at Asia Catalyst, WNYC public radio in New York City, and NY State Senator Liz Krueger’s Office.  Amy is proficient in Mandarin.

Miki Kobayashi

Program Assistant

Miki is a Program Assistant at the US-Asia Institute. She is currently a sophomore at American University, majoring in International Studies with a focus on global security. As a Japanese native, she plans to return to Japan for her master’s degree. Miki is also fluent in Japanese and English, and proficient in Spanish.

Phoebe Ngan

Program Assistant

Phoebe is a Program Assistant at the US-Asia Institute. Currently she is enrolled in the International Affairs Master’s Program at the George Washington University concentrating in International Law and Organizations, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution. Phoebe received her B.A. in Japanese Studies from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese.

Nick Hall

Program Assistant

Nick is a program assistant at the US-Asia Institute. He recently graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in English Literature. Nick is also proficient in Spanish.

Damon Robinson

Program Assistant

Damon is a program assistant at the US-Asia Institute. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in Japanese Language and Literature. He is proficient in Mandarin and fluent in Japanese. While studying in Tokyo and Shanghai, he had extensive involvement with orientation and cultural exchange programs for international students from the US, China, and Japan. These experiences left him with a passion for all forms of intercultural exchange and research in study abroad, socialization, language acquisition and media. Damon works on translations of short stories during his daily commute, and is currently searching for a good library.