SAN FRANCISCO - The Asia Foundation, the premier non-profit organization devoted to Asia's development since 1954, announced today the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees. The new board members will attend their first Foundation board meeting on October 15 in New York City.

Gina Lin Chu, a vocal proponent of open East-West dialogue and an advocate for Asian American communities; Jared Frost, founder of RMI and longtime supporter of Foundation programs in Indonesia; David Michael Lampton, Dean of Faculty, George and Sadie Hyman Professor and Director of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; and Judith F. Wilbur, daughter-in-law of the Foundation's founding member Brayton Wilbur Sr. and active on the boards of several foundations will be welcomed as new trustees at the annual fall board meeting this month in New York. Their knowledge and contributions to a developing Asia Pacific region will prove invaluable as the Foundation continues its work in over 20 Asian countries and looks ahead to new projects in 2007.

"We are very pleased to have these outstanding persons join our Board of Trustees and honored by their commitment to support the works of The Asia Foundation," said Douglas Bereuter, the foundation's president. "Their interest and knowledge of Asia and U.S.-Asia relations will lend support and vision to our important programs throughout the region."

The annual fall meeting will feature a special panel discussion by two Foundation board members. Michael Armacost, former undersecretary of state and former U.S. ambassador to Japan and the Philippines, and J. Stapleton Roy, former U.S. ambassador to Singapore, China and Indonesia will present a talk, entitled Current Events in Northeast Asia. Both specialists in American policy in the area, the two trustees will discuss how the current state of affairs will shape ongoing U.S. strategies in Northeast Asia. Lynn Sherr of ABC News 20/20 and author of Outside the Box: A Memoir will moderate the discussion.

GINA LIN CHU is a longstanding supporter of various non-profit organizations and projects that help promote multi-cultural awareness, particularly among Asian and American communities. Mrs. Chu is a trustee of the Bhutan Foundation as well as the Asia society, where she has been actively involved with many major special events, projects and committees. She serves on the Executive Committee at the Asia Society. She is a recipient of the Philanthropy/Community Service Award from the Committee of 100 and was honored as Philanthropist of the Year by the Asian American Federation of New York in May 2006. Born and raised in Taiwan, Mrs. Chu came to New York to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology before leaving the business world to raise her two daughters.

JARED FROST is Executive Advisor (previously CEO) and co-founder of the RMI Group, a support services group aimed at construction and oil exploration in Indonesia. RMI has cooperated with various multinational development agencies to fund projects throughout South and Southeast Asia in areas such as education, equipment maintenance training, transmigration, applied agricultural research, watershed and river basin development, village infrastructure as well as local government management. Mr. Frost has sponsored Asia Foundation projects in Indonesia since the early 1980's. He received his MBA in International Business Operation from the George Washington University, and was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from that school in 1987. He resides in Indonesia.

DAVID MICHAEL LAMPTON is Dean of Faculty, George and Sadie Hyman Professor and Director of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. A specialist in Chinese domestic politics and foreign policy, his articles have appeared in numerous major publications. In addition to his academic post, Mr. Lampton is also Senior International Advisor on China for Akin Gump, a member of both the Executive Committee of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations as well as the Council on Foreign Relations, and he served as the National Committee's president from 1988 to 1997. Mr. Lampton received his Ph.D. from Stanford University as well as an honorary doctorate from the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Far Eastern Studies. He served in the enlisted and commissioned officer ranks of the U.S. Army Reserve.

JUDITH F. WILBUR is chair of the Wilbur Family Foundation, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Wilbur Ellis Company and the Asian Art Museum Commission and Foundation, where she has chaired several major advancement projects. She is the widow of Brayton Wilbur Jr., former Chairman of the Board at The Asia Foundation and whose father, Brayton Sr., was a founding member of the Foundation in 1954. Mrs. Wilbur is former President of the Commonwealth Club, and the recipient of numerous social service awards. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley.

ABOUT THE ASIA FOUNDATION

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance and law, economic reform and development, women's empowerment, and international relations. Drawing on 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

With a network of 18 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2005, the Foundation provided more than $61 million in program support and distributed 1.1 million books and educational materials valued at $28 million throughout Asia.

For more information, please visit http://www.asiafoundation.org.

Asia Foundation, The

Asia Foundation, The

About The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations.

Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

With offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2008, the Foundation provided more than $87 million in program support and distributed over one million books and educational materials valued at $41 million throughout Asia. For more information, visit www.asiafoundation.org.

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