Bruce W. Blakeman

Bruce Blakeman is the Special Counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.  He represents the Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans and International Trade Administration Under Secretary Grant Aldonas in China on economic and trade affairs.  He is based in the Beijing Embassy.  His areas of responsibility are to monitor China's WTO ascension, assess Chinese market access policy development, and develop strategies for U.S. company export promotion to China.  Bruce Blakeman joined the Bush Administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Domestic Operations of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service in the U.S. Department of Commerce in July 2001. He directed 350 U.S. based trade specialists in over 100 offices across the U.S.

Tailan Chi

Tailan Chi (PhD, University of Washington) is a professor of international business at the University of Kansas. His main teaching interests include the global regime of international business, global business strategy, and doing business in China. His academic research focuses on choice of foreign market entry modes, organizational structures of multinational corporations, and market valuation of a firm’s intangible assets. He worked as a business negotiator for a major Chinese trading company before coming to the United States and has advised companies in the U.S. on doing business in China and Pacific Asia.

Zack Z. Dong

Mr. Dong practices in Sonnenschein's Corporate and Securities Practice Group.  His practice focuses on cross-border transactions with Asia, particularly China, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, as well as international franchising, licensing, distribution, and contract manufacturing.  In addition to his corporate experience, Mr. Dong has negotiated, prepared and reviewed various commercial documents, including franchise, distribution, license, technical service, and other agreements in English and Chinese for clients doing business in China.  In the process of negotiating transactions for clients, Mr. Dong has also counseled clients on tax, trade regulation, employment, intellectual property and corporate governance issues.

Dan Krouse

Dan Krouse is the Operations Vice President — Global Procurement and a Corporate Officer at Hallmark Cards, Inc. He oversees product, merchandising, materials, supplies, services and equipment procurement, and related operations in Kansas City as well as overseas offices and agents in 11 Asian countries for product sourcing. Mr. Krouse is currently on the Board of Directors for the Minority Supplier Council of Kansas City and serves on the boards of trustees for CAPS: The Center for Strategic Supply Research and the A.T. Kearney Center for Strategic Supply Leadership (CSSL) at ISM.

Yabo Lin

Kris Knutsen

Kris Knutsen is a trade and investment policy analyst with Deloitte & Touche’s U.S. Chinese Services Group, a practice responsible for assisting U.S. companies involved in cross-border investments and operations with Greater China.  Based in New York, Mr. Knutsen provides research and analysis in support of Deloitte’s extensive global commitments to China and works with colleagues throughout the firm on China-related projects.  Prior to joining Deloitte, Mr. Knutsen worked at the U.S. Council for International Business in New York, managing its China advocacy work on behalf of U.S. multinationals, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and in the corporate advisory department at Lehman Brothers Inc. in New York.  A graduate of Colgate University, Mr. Knutsen received a master’s degree in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University’s School for Advanced International Studies with a concentration in transition and developing economies in 2001. 

Donald L. Shanks

Don Shanks is a sole practitioner based in Platte City, Missouri who assists US companies doing business outside of the US.   Don has been in private law practice since 1980 and has focused on private international transactional law since 1984.  From 1984 through 1987, Don was with the law firm of Kim & Chang in Seoul and thereafter through 1991 with the Taipei office of Baker & McKenzie, where he was a partner and member of the China Practice Group in that office.  Don left Taipei to join the Kansas City firm of Shook Hardy & Bacon where he was chair of the Asia Practice until establishing his own firm in May, 1999.  Don received his B.A. from Penn State in 1973 and his J.D. from the University of Washington in 1979.

Jeffrey M. Willis

Jeff Willis is President of China Leads, LLC, a subscription-based web service for small and medium size US companies that enables them to more effectively use the Internet to sell goods and/or services to Chinese businesses.  Prior to founding China Leads in June of 2001, Mr. Willis worked for a Kansas City based machine tool manufacturer, first overseeing the Asia Pacific sales effort as Managing Director Asia Pacific and later developing a complete customer relationship management system for the company as Chief Information Officer.  Mr. Willis is also a former Commercial Officer with the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service and held positions at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. He left the Diplomatic Service in 1992 to return to the U.S. where he headed up the international marketing program for the State of Kansas.