African-American China Leadership Fellows Program

Asha Clark
Fellow in Advanced Academics, mentored by Dr. Keisha Brown

Asha is an Intelligence Research Specialist (Mandarin Chinese) in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the U.S. Department of State. She began learning Chinese in middle school, and from that point on, fell in love with the language. She currently possesses a BA in Chinese Language & Culture from Washington University in St. Louis, and a MA in Security Policy Studies from The George Washington University.

Steven Hanton
Rhodium Fellow in International Trade & Economics, mentored by Robert Anderson

Steven J. Hanton, a graduate of Tufts University and University of Michigan Law School, is an experienced finance attorney at Nixon Peabody LLP and often works with banks and other financial institutions in structured finance transactions and securitizations, with a particular focus on corporate trust and loan agency. He has nearly a decade of experience advising corporate trustees in a wide range of securitization structures (CLOs, CDOs, sovereign, corporate and municipal debt transactions, ABS, CMBS, RMBS, etc), custodial arrangements, and lending facilities throughout their life cycles. Part of Steve’s practice also involves negotiating asset-based senior and subordinated credit facilities, for both borrowers and lenders, and representing emerging growth companies in their various stages of development. Steve is proficient in Chinese and received a certification in economics at Zhejiang University in 2007. Since then, he’s leveraged his Chinese and finance experience by advising startups and entrepreneurs on inbound investment opportunities and other cross-border transactions with China-based investors and financial institutions.

Ben Nebo
Fellow in Global Public Affairs, mentored by Damon Woods

Ben Nebo is a China specialist with over ten years of professional experience in foreign policy and public affairs. Currently, he is a training officer in the Asylum Division of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Previously, Ben was a diplomat in China with the U.S. Department of State. He earned an MPA in international management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a BA in Mandarin Chinese, peace studies, and philosophy from the University of St. Thomas. 

Leslie Nguyen-Okwu
Fellow in International Media & Journalism, mentored by Keith Richburg

Leslie Nguyen-Okwu is Quartz’s Asia Correspondent based in Taiwan. An award-winning journalist and professional speechwriter, Leslie has worked with major media outlets and the world’s biggest companies, including BBC, National Geographic, The Economist, Google, Airbnb, and the South China Morning Post. She has experience writing for top publications and governments, advising policymakers and business leaders, and appearing on television and print. A first-generation American, Leslie is the proud daughter of Vietnamese and Nigerian immigrants and speaks several critical languages, including Mandarin. She holds a degree in International Relations from Stanford University and researches for Harvard University as an International & Global Affairs Fellow. Her interests include business and technology, international law and foreign policy, and decision-making in diplomacy.

Kirt Smith
Albright Stonebridge Fellow in International Government Relations, mentored by Ann-Marie Padgett

Kirt Smith works in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division at the Congressional Research Service, a unit of the Library of Congress that provides the U.S. Congress with authoritative, nonpartisan research and analysis. As the Asia Section research assistant, Kirt’s analysis revolves around understanding the implications of China’s presence in the Indo-Pacific, with a strong focus on Southeast Asia. Before his time at CRS, Kirt was a geospatial specialist for the Reconnecting Asia Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he contributed to the project’s extensive analysis of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Kirt has spent over four years working and studying in several countries across Asia — first in Japan, then South Korea, Thailand, and finally China. He studied intensive Mandarin at Capital Normal University in Beijing and completed part of his graduate research and coursework at Fudan University’s School of International Relations and Public Affairs in Shanghai. He holds a Master of Global Policy Studies from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas – Austin and a B.A. in French from the University of New Orleans.