Xue Xiao Lu 薛晓路

Ms. Xue has been regarded as the top female filmmaker in China. Her films included the highly acclaimed “Finding Mr. Right,” “Ocean Heaven,” and “Embrace Again”. After receiving her bachelor's degree in Film Studies at Beijing Film Academy, Xue continued her studies and completed a Master's degree in Screenwriting and Theory. After graduating, she then started her career as a producer for CCTV-10, where she worked on several well-known Chinese TV series and films as a screenwriter. Her films have won multiple awards in China and abroad and she is also now an associate professor at the Beijing Film Academy.

Jonathan Bench

Jonathan Bench is chair of Harris Sliwoski's corporate practice group, where he helps public and private companies with international and domestic business transactions. His clientele includes companies from Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Jonathan has worked and consulted in the U.S., Asia, and South America and is fluent in Chinese and Cantonese.

He regularly presents to business owners and organizations regarding international business transactions, particularly foreign direct investment, supply chain restructuring, and the emerging technology developments in web3.

Jonathan is a regular contributor to the award-winning China Law Blog, where he shares his practical insights into doing business internationally and in other emerging industries.

Brent Christensen

W. Brent Christensen became an Adjunct Professor in Brigham Young University’s Political Science Department in January 2024 after 35 years in the U.S. Foreign Service.  In his last assignment in the Foreign Service, he served as the U.S. Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada.  Previously, he was Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).  He also served as Deputy Director of AIT and as Director of the State Department’s Office of Taiwan Coordination.  He has served three assignments at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as well as assignments at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and in the U.S. missions in Hong Kong and South Africa.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he was a captain in the U.S. Air Force.   

He earned an M.A. in East Asian Studies from the George Washington University, a B.A. in Chinese language and literature from Brigham Young University, and a DMD degree from the Oregon Health and Science University.  He has received a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, the State Department’s Charles E. Cobb Jr. Award and honorary doctorates from the Sun Yat-sen University and Kaohsiung Medical University. 

Wei Shuancheng 魏拴成

Wei Shuancheng was a professor at the Shanghai Institute of Technology until he retired in 2018. He once served as deputy dean of the School of Economics and Management and leader of the marketing discipline. He has taught courses in economics, management, international business management, marketing, entrepreneurship and human resources management. He has published more than 40 academic papers and many textbooks on entrepreneurship, technology entrepreneurship, international business management, and marketing. Additionally, he has won multiple teaching achievement awards.

Casey Williams

Casey Williams is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and internationally respected screenwriter, producer, and director. He began his career in the early 1980s, consulting Lucasfilm, NBC, and various film companies seeking permission to film in China.

He was a founding member of the Utah Film Front, served as the Associate Director of the Utah Film and Video Center, and established the UFVC Outdoor Cinema Series. He is a member of the Artist Resource Center for the Utah Arts Council and has served on the Utah Arts Council Artist Grant Board.

Casey is currently developing a mini-series about Helen Foster Snow. He shares her birthplace, Cedar City, and has said he was born to bring her story to the screen. GUNG HO: THE HELEN FOSTER SNOW STORY will be about Helen’s life as she saw herself – not just a bridgebuilder between two nations but a bridgebuilder for mutual understanding and friendship between cultures, people, and genders.

Michael Hoer

Michael Hoer is the director of Taiwan Fu Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd., director of Medifast Inc., and serves on the boards of several private companies. He was previously president and managing director of Continental Grain—Asia, which included more than thirty wholly owned and joint-venture companies, employing more than 12,000 workers in China for feed milling, animal husbandry, poultry production, and processing. He and his wife, Laurie, served as Middle East specialists directing LDS Charities humanitarian efforts in Egypt from 2018–19. They also presided over the Taiwan Taichung Mission from 2007–10. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Chinese and his MBA from BYU. Michael and Laurie have four children.