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.

Anna Bunn is the Director of Programs and Communications at the US-Asia Institute. She first joined USAI in 2022 as a Program Assistant. In 2024, she received her MLitt in International Security Studies from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. She also completed her undergraduate studies in International Relations at St Andrews. While at university she competed on the women's tennis team and was an active member of the Japan and Foreign Affairs societies. Originally from Hawaii, Anna enjoys all things outdoors. In her free time, she can be found hiking, playing tennis, or learning new instruments and languages. 

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.

Jie Xin Ching (pronounced: jay-shin) is one of the Fall 2024 Program Assistants. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is majoring in International Politics, focusing on Foreign Policy, and pursuing an Asian Studies certificate. She is an international student born and raised in Singapore, though she also has Malaysian citizenship. At Georgetown University, Jie Xin currently serves as the Executive Director of the 62nd North American Invitational Model UN Nations. Before this role, Jie Xin was Deputy Director for the Advocacy and Service sub-board of the Georgetown International Relations Club, raising on-campus awareness of issues such as menstrual inequity and food inequality. Outside of Georgetown, Jie Xin has worked as a summer assistant teacher in Singapore, helping to teach fourth and fifth graders. Through USAI, Jie Xin is excited to expand her knowledge of US-Asia interactions and is especially eager to research and advocate for issues within the Southeast Asian region.

Vincent Zhang is one of the Fall 2024 Program Assistants. He is a recent graduate of Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, having majored in International Politics with a concentration in Foreign Policy. At Georgetown, he was actively involved in the Georgetown International Relations Club, staffed the school's collegiate and high school Model UN Conferences (NCSC and NAIMUN), and wrote and edited for the The Caravel, the the official, student-run international affairs newspaper of Georgetown University. Outside of college, he has interned for the 1882 Foundation, a DC-based Asian American civic advocacy organization; the office of his representative, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean; and the East-West Center in Washington, where he developed a repertoire of writing on US-Asia relations. He is eager to build upon his professional experiences and contribute his passion for Asia policy to USAI this fall.

James Bole is a third year at the American University School of International Service, where he specializes in global development in East Asia. In college, James is a member of the American University Model UN team and helps run AMERIMUNC, a High School Model UN Conference. Outside of school, he has interned for the Office of Congresswoman Madeleine Dean and the US State Department’s Education USA Program. He is excited to learn more about program organizing and contributing to USAI this spring!