Rachael Burton is a senior policy analyst on the security and foreign affairs team at the Commission. She previously served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) from 2019 to 2023 as the Country Director for China. Prior to joining the Department of Defense (DoD), she was the Deputy Director at the Project 2049 Institute, where she managed the Institute’s research and programming. She has previously worked at the Carnegie China Center and the National Bureau for Asian Research.

Rachael acquired her MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University. Prior to joining the Master’s cohort at Georgetown, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Conflict Resolution from George Washington University. Rachael spent two years working in a remote rural village in China’s Yunnan Province, where she taught English at a public Middle School. She reads and speaks Chinese.

Aaron Chan is a senior associate at The Asia Group, where he advises clients on the Indo-Pacific’s policy, investment, and geopolitical landscape. As part of the Geopolitics and Research team, he contributes to the firm’s thought leadership through special reports and the Daily Asia newswire. Previously, he served as Special Advisor to the National Cyber Director, advancing the President’s National Cybersecurity Strategy and leading congressional engagement on legislation to strengthen U.S. cybersecurity. His prior roles span FEMA, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the East-West Center.

With a decade of experience at the intersection of national security, U.S. foreign policy, and the political economy of the Indo-Pacific, Aaron has focused on environmental impacts on development, U.S.-China strategic competition, and regional dynamics in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He has represented the U.S. at international fora such as the G20 Youth Summit, UN Water Conference, and UN Summit of the Future. Aaron holds a BA in Global Studies from UCLA and an MA in International Affairs from George Washington University, and has lived, studied, and worked in China and Hong Kong.

Jie Gao is a research associate on foreign policy and national security at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s (ASPI) Center for China Analysis (CCA). Prior to joining CCA, Jie had internships at U.S. and Chinese think tanks, including the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She holds an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, and a BA in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College.

Greyson Mann is a senior manager of government affairs at the US-China Business Council. He previously served as a Founding Team Member and Assistant Director of Whittle School & Studios’ Center of Excellence on International Cooperation. He also previously served as an appointee in the Obama administration’s Department of Education Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He has also worked in the tech sector at Chainbridge Technologies and Digital Promise.

He is a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations and is also the Director of Research for the Black China Caucus. He holds a Master’s in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. He attended Wofford College for his bachelor’s, where he received a Princeton in Asia Fellowship. He speaks Chinese and has lived in Beijing and Shanghai.