David J. Firestein

David J. Firestein -- President and Chief Executive Office, George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations

David J. Firestein is president and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations and is based in Austin, Texas. Prior to this, he was the inaugural executive director of The University of Texas at Austin’s China Public Policy Center (CPPC) and a clinical professor at UT’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. As CPPC chief, Firestein led UT's institutional engagement with China and oversaw innovative interdisciplinary research on China-related domestic and foreign policy topics.

Before joining UT, Mr. Firestein served as senior vice president and Perot Fellow at the EastWest Institute; there, he led the Institute’s work in the areas of U.S.-China relations, East Asian security and U.S.-Russia relations.

A decorated career U.S. diplomat from 1992–2010, Mr. Firestein specialized primarily in China and U.S.-China relations. He is the author or co-author of three books on China, including two China-published Chinese-language best-sellers. Mr. Firestein speaks Chinese at the near-native level.

Throughout his career, Mr. Firestein has played an active role advancing U.S.-China and U.S.-Asia trade. He has also produced path-breaking thought leadership, scholarship and Capitol Hill testimony on a range of topics, including U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, U.S.-China infrastructure investment cooperation and the role of national exceptionalism as a driver of major international conflict today. He was also a principal architect of the U.S.-China High-Level Political Party Leaders Dialogue.

Since 2001, Firestein has periodically taught at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, including at The University of Texas during the 2006–2008 academic years.

方大為 —— 喬治布殊美中關係基金會總裁兼首席執行官

方大為是喬治布殊美中關係基金會總裁兼首席執行官，常駐美國德克薩斯州奧斯汀。在加入基金會之前，他是德克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校中國公共政策中心（China Public Policy Center ，CPPC）創始執行主任，同時還在德克薩斯大學林登·B·約翰遜公共事務學院（Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs）擔任實踐教授。作為中國公共政策中心主任，方大為領導德州大學與中國展開機構合作，並主導了與中國相關的國內政策和外交政策領域的創新跨學科研究。

在加入德州大學之前，方大為先生在東西方研究所（EastWest Institute）擔任高級副所長和佩羅學者（Perot Fellow）；在那裡，他負責該研究所在美中關係、東亞安全和美俄關係領域的研究。

1992年至2010年，方大為先生是一位建樹頗多的美國外交官，專攻中國和美中關係。他獨自撰寫或與人合作出版了三部關於中國的著作，包括兩部在中國出版的中文暢銷書。方大為先生的中文表達水平接近母語。

在其職業生涯中，方大為先生在推進美中關係和美亞貿易方面一直扮演着積極角色。他還是開創性的思想領軍人物和學者，並多次出席美國國會聽證會，議題涵蓋美國對台軍售、美中基礎設施投資合作以及國家例外論在引發主要國際衝突中扮演的角色等。他還曾是美中高級別政黨領導人對話機制的主要創建者。

自2001年起，方大為一直在大學定期教授研究生和本科生課程，包括2006-2008學年在德州大學執教。