2006 China Study Trip

Biography of Participants

Professor Zhiwu Chen Professor Chen is an expert on finance theory, securities valuation, emerging markets, and China's economy and capital markets. Dr. Chen is a frequent contributor to top economics and finance journals with research papers ranging from novel means of valuing stocks and pricing options, to studies of foreign exchange, market integration, mutual funds and profitable investment strategies. In the last few years, Dr. Chen has been actively doing research on market development and institution-building issues in the context of China's transition process and other emerging markets. What institutions are necessary for markets to develop? What roles do financial innovations play in a country's economic development process? These are among the issues which Dr. Chen's research focuses on. Dr. Chen's work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Barron's, Far-Eastern Economic Review, and many newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and China. He is also a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines in China, on economic policy and legal reform issues.

Jeanne Chow Jeanne is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Finance and Strategy. Prior to coming to Yale, she was a project manager of international retail development at Franklin Templeton investments in San Mateo, California, where she worked closely with senior management on cross-border business development initiatives internationally. Jeanne grew up in Taiwan and California and received a B.A. in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from University of California, Berkeley. She is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese and was an avid pianist for 16 years.

Nick Janof Nick is a JD/MBA student at Yale. This summer, he will work for Davis Polk & Wardwell and O’Melveny & Myers. Both law firms have strong legal roots in China. Nick graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2002 with a BA in Economics and Government. After graduation, he worked for a California State Senator. When he’s not busy with his studies, he enjoys exercising, dancing, and watching movies. If he tires of the law, he hopes to one day win an Oscar for best screenplay.

Minna Kwon Minna is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Finance.  A graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Minna worked for Marriott International for five years prior to attending Yale.  She held the positions of Director of Finance and Director of Revenue Analysis and won several awards during her time with Marriott which included Rookie of the Year Award, Best in Control Environment Award and Special Achievement Award for Recruiting.  At Yale, she has been involved as a Student Government Committee Member, Orientation Planning Committee Member, and Welcome Weekend Hosting Coordinator.  Minna is originally from Seoul, Korea and is fluent in her native tongue.

Karen Liu Karen is a second year MBA student at the Yale School of Management, concentrating in Leadership & Organizational Behavior and Strategy. She completed her undergraduate studies in Finance at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in 1998.  Prior to attending Yale, Karen worked at CSMC Technologies Corporation, China’s leading mainstream semiconductor foundry, and Marketing Metrics, a boutique management consulting firm in the U.S.  Her summer internship was at Cummins Inc.  She will be joining Pratt & Whitney full-time in the fall.  She has traveled extensively internationally and is the lead coordinator for the China Study Trip.

Shawn Liu Shawn is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Strategy and Leadership. He earned Bachelor degrees with distinction in Economics and Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to attending Yale, Shawn applied his talents at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, forecasting U.S. monetary aggregates that impacted the Federal Funds market and contributed to the daily implementation of monetary policy. Shawn will pursue a career in the Greater China region to ultimately apply the power of social entrepreneurship toward the greatest economic development in history. His motto is “give more than you take,” and he hopes to do a lot of giving. At Yale, Shawn is a co-coordinator of the China Study Trip and represents the School of Management as a Student Senator.

Hana Makarim Hana is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Public Management and Finance. Prior to attending Yale, Hana worked at Byun & Co., a Singapore-based corporate finance and investment management boutique firm.  Specifically, Hana managed the firm’s pilot project in ‘green’ investments: developing and financing a renewable energy power plant in Bali, Indonesia.   Garnering support from the Ministry of Environment of Indonesia as well as the regional government in Bali for the project, Hana also led negotiations with the World Bank on the projects’ sale of carbon credits.  Hana’s interests include emerging markets finance, clean energy technologies and poverty reduction.

Joshua C. Milberg Josh is first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management. Prior to attending Yale, Josh worked as a Senior Consultant with Navigant Consulting, Inc. As part of his role at Navigant, Josh served as an independent investigator in cases where the possibility of fraud existed in publicly traded companies. In addition, he worked on a number of large-scale litigation proceedings, providing analyses used as part of expert testimony. Josh is also an executive board member for Resources for Educational and Employment Opportunities, a non-profit organization in Southern California that works with community college students to provide financial assistance and professional resources to students. Originally from Chicago, Josh graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a dual degree in Economics and Psychology cum laude. He also studied at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University. Josh is interested in pursuing a career in marketing and general management in either the technology or automotive manufacturing sector.

Jeff Plewes Jeff is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management focusing his studies on Environmental Management. He has a BS in Finance, with a minor in Environmental Science, from the University of Virginia. Jeff has worked at several consulting firms in the Finance, Telecommunications, IT, and Government sectors. Most recently he was Business Solutions Manager for Systems Management Engineering, Inc., in Washington, DC, were he managed an engagement at the Executive Office of the President. Jeff’s prior positions included working on Wall Street developing a trading system and helping grow a start-up IT firm to several hundred employees.

Duane Schellenberg Duane is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Strategy and Finance.  Prior to attending Yale, Duane was an Associate in the San Francisco-based Mergers & Acquisitions group of RBC Capital Markets, where he helped advise energy, consumer and private equity clients.  Before that, Duane worked as an Analyst with RBC’s Calgary-based Energy corporate finance group.  Duane holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan.  He is pursuing career interests in strategy consulting and private equity.

Heather Stone Heather is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management. Prior to attending Yale, she worked as a crewmember and schooner captain on sail training programs. Her interests lie in the area of energy and resource management, especially in the development and use of cutting-edge “green” technologies. She has traveled extensively in many parts of the world. Heather holds an A.B., cum laude, with departmental honors in Anthropology from Mount Holyoke College. In her spare time, Heather likes to salsa dance and row with the crew team.

Gabriel Sung Gabe is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Strategy. Prior to attending Yale, Gabe was an Associate Research Scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, where he worked in the area of Neuroscience Discovery Chemistry. Before that, Gabe was a Staff Scientist with DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company, where he was involved in synthesizing novel drug candidates to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. Gabe holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Biochemistry from Mount Allison University and a M.Sc. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Calgary. He is a co-inventor on a US patent and has also co-authored four research publications.

Yu-Fang Susana Tsao Susana is a second year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Marketing and Finance. She spent this past summer interning in Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Division in Taiwan, where she worked in the marketing team for CNS drugs. She completed her undergraduate studies at National Taiwan University, where she majored in Business Administration and minored in Psychology. Prior to attending Yale, Susana worked at Taiwan Cellular Corporation as a Public Relations specialist, focusing on planning and executing consumer events. She is fluent in Mandarin and English. She enjoys reading, swimming, and traveling in her spare time.

Jennie Vry Jennie Vry is a first year student in the Yale School of Management with intended concentrations in Strategy and Finance. Prior to coming to Yale, Jennie started Better Futures, Inc., a social enterprise that recycles and sells ink and toner cartridges to businesses. Better Futures has worked with businesses and organizations in 27 states and has given up to 50% of its profits to schools and charities across the nation. In her leisure time, Jennie enjoys event planning and has worked on planning committees for the 2004 National Figure Skating Championships and Yale School of Management’s first Philanthropy Conference.

Jatinder Wadhwa Jatinder is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Finance and Strategy. Prior to attending Yale, Jatinder was working for IBM in their systems and technology group. He led the global verification team and validated the functionality of memory designs. He was also responsible for design and development of three generations of IBM z-series microprocessors and has six patents for various innovative design styles and circuits. Jatinder holds Bachelors in Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, India and a Masters in Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Aleksander S. Wolski Aleks is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management concentrating in Finance and Strategy. He holds a B.A. in Economics and German from Middlebury College. Prior to attending Yale, he worked for nearly four years in New York City for NORD/LB New York Branch, a German commercial bank headquartered in Hanover, as a Credit Analyst, Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Vice President in the Corporate Banking Department. Before his career at Nord/LB, he also worked in New York as an economic consultant for KPMG. Aleks earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2005. In his spare time, Aleks enjoys hiking, swimming, and playing strategic games such as Chinese Chess and Go.

Jun Xu Jun Xu is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management.  As a consultant with KPMG Consulting, Jun focused on market entrance, turnaround, and cost reduction strategies with a particular emphasis on the Oil and Gas, Technology, and Financial Services industries.  He was twice awarded for his work and contribution to clients.  Jun was born in China and seeks to apply his experience in strategy consulting to benefit the development of the Chinese economy.  Jun holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Shanchi Zhan Shanchi is a first year MBA student at Yale School of Management concentrating in Finance and Marketing. She most recently worked in San Jose, California at Cisco, where she played a key role in delivering patent-pending network software solutions for global enterprises. She earned her Master’s in Computer Science at Stanford University and her Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering at the University of Florida with the highest honors. She was a co-leader of several high-tech professional and entrepreneurship organizations in Silicon Valley and is a member of Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society. Shanchi grew up in China. In her spare time, she reads Chinese literature, plays volleyball and enjoys many other leisure activities.