GALA DINNER JOURNAL
125th Anniversary Gala Dinner
April 13th, 2024
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York City
Dear PiA Alumni, Family and Friends,
Thank you so much for your support of Princeton in Asia’s 125th Anniversary Gala. We are honored to have the support of such an extraordinary assembly of individuals and families who have made PiA the strong institution it is today. Together, you have played a huge role in positioning PiA to flourish for 125 years, and to promote mutual appreciation and crosscultural understanding for another 125 years.
On April 13, 94 PiA Alumni stood strong - representing six decades of PiA’s history, 17 out of the 34 countries and regions where PiA has sent Fellows, and 27 different undergraduate institutions in 20 states across the US, and Canada. Our attendees included volunteers who have given generously of their time and expertise; current and former team members who have built the PiA we know today; current and former Trustees who have served the organization tirelessly and expertly, helping PiA to steward our resources and relationships through crisis and tremendous change over the last 40 years; and donors who have given generously of their resources to help PiA grow and thrive. We give special thanks to the generous donors who from 2017-2019 signed on to participate in what would become the largest and most successful fundraising campaign in PiA’s history. 52 Trustees, Advisors, and leaders came together and raised $5M to support PiA. They strengthened PiA’s foundation.
The impact of that campaign was immense: When other organizations were struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had the stability and flexibility to not only provide robust support to facilitate the COVID evacuation, but also capitalize on the pause in programming to make major structural changes that would allow us to emerge from the pandemic stronger than before, and chart a path for PiA to thrive into its next 125 years.
Today, PiA is the largest American, non-governmental professional fellowship operating in Asia. Among our peer group, we already have the largest number of participants in Asia (47) and the greatest institutional diversity of participants (34). Next year, we aim to become the largest in numbers of countries and regions. We accomplish all this with a very lean team and significantly fewer financial resources than our peers. We do a lot with a little, and could do so much with more.
As we celebrate our 125th anniversary, the state of PiA is as strong as it has ever been –because of you. Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to our mission, and to our institution.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Mags Dillon Laos ‘10-’12 Executive Director
Executive
Message from The
Director
The PiA Team
(Not pictured: Matt Hernández India ‘19)
Thank you for joining such a special evening of celebration, reflection, and inspiration as we marked a significant milestone in our organization’s history – 125 years of building bridges. We were delighted to come together to commemorate the remarkable achievements of all the people who have transformed Princeton in Asia over the last 125 years. Growing from a small operation that sent a handful of young men to China to a thriving program sending a diverse contingent working all over Asia, we continue to be dedicated to fostering immersive and transformative experiences that inspire lifelong connections between the United States and Asia. Together, we celebrated our past accomplishments and redoubled our commitment to working together to make an even greater contribution to mutual appreciation and understanding between the peoples of the United States and Asia.
It has been our honor to work with the fabulous and tireless PiA team and our fellow Gala Benefit Committee members to plan this Gala. We hope you had an evening to remember and thank you once again for being part of this special evening!
With gratitude,
Bill Bikales and Sharon Lyu Volckhausen Korea ‘91 Gala Co-ChairsMessage
The
from
Gala Co-Chairs
Princeton in Asia is grateful for the generous support of
Emerald
Elizabeth Chandler and Jay Chandler
Sharon Volckhausen and John Buretta
Pearl
Schuyler Roach Heuer and Jared W. Heuer
Ruth P. Stevens
Ruby
John Evans and Kwan Evans
Paul G. Haaga Jr. and Heather Sturt Haaga
Eileen Kavanagh and Jon Luff
William Leahy and Ashley Stelfox
Tim Steinert
Tom Tuttle and Mila Tuttle
our Gala Sponsors:
Jade
Margaret Crotty and Rory Riggs
Melanie Kirkpatrick and Jack David
Michael Northrop and Kathleen Regan
Edward Rogers and Elizabeth Rogers
Ginny Wilmerding and Alex Wilmerding
Ivory
Richard K. Berry and Carla Berry
Bill Bikales and Helen Bikales
Russell J. DaSilva and Peggy J. DaSilva
Patricia Graue
Matthew Hurlock and Severa Hurlock
David A. Newberg and Cecile Newberg
Vicki Noble
S. Peter Poullada and Nancy Sheppard
Marshall Roslyn and Darah Roslyn
Charles Stevens and Yuri Ouchi Stevens
Bina Venkataraman
Bina is an American journalist, author, and science policy expert. She is currently The Washington Post’s first “columnist of the future,” and formerly served as the Editorial Page Editor for the Boston Globe. Bina also served in the Obama White House as Senior Advisor for Climate Change Innovation. She is an alumna of Brown University and Harvard’s Kennedy School, and the recipient of numerous prestigious fellowships.
Lucy Hornby
Lucy is currently the Senior Associate at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies. Her research focuses on the revival of the Chinese state and the rise of Xi Jinping during the reform era. She lived in China for almost 20 years, working as a journalist for Reuters and the Financial Times, before returning to the United States as a 2020 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. Lucy first moved to China in 1995, teaching English in Wuhan thanks to Princeton in Asia.
PiA Alumnae Fireside Chat
Arthur Ross Director of the Centre on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society
Orville is the Arthur Ross Director of the Centre on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society. He is a former professor and Dean at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of fifteen books, ten of them about China. Schell graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in Far Eastern History and earned a Ph.D. at Berkeley in Chinese History.
Melyora de Koning
Senior Specialist, Head of 20th Century and Contemporary Art Appraisals, and VP. 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Phillips.
Part of the department since 2014, Melyora established Phillips’ Denver office and developed the company’s 20th Century and Contemporary presence in the West and Midwest. She has over 30 years of experience at both international auction houses and galleries, developing the collections of a domestic and international clientele. She has previously worked for the Marlborough Gallery, New York, Christie’s New York, and The Elkon Gallery. Melyora received her BA from the University of Virginia where she graduated with high distinction and as a Phi Beta Kappa.
Gala
Speakers
Guest
Orville Schell
We raised over $250,000 throughout the night, thanks to an incredibly successful live auction!
Thank you to our guest emcee Jennifer Yeh Wannenmacher (Hong Kong SAR ‘01), our guest auction speaker Marshall Roslyn (China ‘02), and our Board Chair John Evans (Thailand ‘92) for bringing passion and energy to our program and the auction.
Gala Guest Speakers
Marshall Roslyn
John Evans
Jennifer Yeh Wannenmacher
PiA raises five million dollars in The Campaign for Today and All Tomorrows
From 2017-2019, 52 Princeton in Asia Trustees, Advisors, and leaders raised $5,000,000 in PiA's largest fundraising campaign to date. Their generosity provided stability during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling robust support and evacuations, followed by a thoughtful “new build” of our strategy and programs going forward.
We are immensely grateful for this incredible support, which ensured PiA’s strength and resilience through an unprecedented crisis and laid the foundation for our organization to emerge from the global pandemic in a position of strength.
Campaign Donors
Austin Arensberg Thailand '06 and Trustee 2017-2021
Richard K. Berry Japan ‘76, Trustee 1998-2017, and former Board Chair, and Carla Berry, PiA Parents
Matthew Bersani Taiwan '82 and current Trustee, and Molly Bersani, PiA Parents, and the Geoffrey C. Hughes Foundation
Bill Bikales current Trustee, Board Vice Chair and Treasurer, and Helen Bikales
Blair Blackwell Kazakhstan '96 and Trustee 2016-2022
Elizabeth Chandler Trustee 2005-2022 and Jay Chandler
Dwight Crabtree Thailand '02 and current Trustee, and Santi Crabtree
Kevin Cuskley Japan '80 and Trustee 1998-2018
Russell DaSilva Japan ‘76 and Trustee 1983-2017, and Peggy DaSilva
Isabella de la Houssaye† Trustee 2011-2023 and David Crane
Steve Diamond Indonesia '90 and Trustee 2007-2016
Joel Epstein Trustee 2002-2016
Helena Mei Ying Eu and Trustee of PiA Singapore Ltd
John Evans Thailand ‘92, current Trustee and Board Chair, and Kwan Evans
Robert Glucksman China '88
Thomas Gorman†
Caitlin Halligan China '88 and Trustee 2017-2021
David Halperin
Wesley Hedden Vietnam '06, Carrie Gordon Tribute Grantee 2010
Schuyler Roach Heuer China ‘96, Vietnam ‘97, and Trustee 2003-2018, and Jared Heuer
Matthew Hunter Hurlock China ‘88 and current Trustee, and Severa Hurlock
David Johnson Turkey '76, UAE '78 and Trustee 2018-2022
Karen Karp Hong Kong '81-'82 and Trustee 1999-2016
Daisy King Trustee 2017-2021
Melanie Kirkpatrick Japan '74-'77 and Trustee 1991-2016, and Jack David
Kurt Kuehne Singapore '08 and current Trustee
Michael Laffan Trustee 2015-2020
William Leahy China '04 and current Trustee and Ashley Stelfox
Peter Little Trustee 1993-2021
Stephen Markscheid Trustee 2012-2018
Constance McPhee Trustee 1987-2016 and The PECO Foundation
Owen Nee† Hong Kong ‘65, Trustee 1988-1997 and 2006-2020, and Amber Nee
David Newberg Trustee 1987-2017 and former Board Chair, and Cecile Newberg
Vicki Noble China '91 and Trustee 2008-2021
Michael Northrop Indonesia '82 and Trustee 2000-2021 and Kathy Regan Indonesia '82, PiA Parents
Margaret Osius Japan '77 and Trustee 1990-2019
S. Peter Poullada Iran '75, Afghanistan '76, and Trustee, and Nancy Sheppard
Ronnie Raymond Japan '75 and Trustee 2000-2019
Edward Rogers Japan '87 and current Trustee, and Elizabeth Rogers Hong Kong '93
Hilary Roxe Hong Kong '97 and Trustee 2006-2020, and The Roxe Foundation
Scott Seligman Taiwan '73 and Trustee 1975-2016
Tim Steinert Taiwan '83 and current Trustee
Jim Stent Trustee 2019-2023
Ruth Stevens Trustee 1982-2019
Stephen Teiser Trustee 2017-2021
Tom Tuttle Indonesia '88 and Trustee 2007-2023, and Mila Tuttle
Richard Van Horne Japan ‘75 and ‘78, Trustee 1997-2017, and Anne Van Horne
Elise Van Oss Japan '77 and Trustee 1999-2019
Sharon Volckhausen Korea ‘91, current Trustee and Immediate Past Board Chair, and the Tiger Baron Foundation
Bruce VonCannon Singapore '76 and Trustee 1988-1993
Ginny Wilmerding Japan '90 and Trustee 1997-2021, and Alex Wilmerding
Jonathan Wonnell Taiwan ‘81 and Trustee 2002-2021, and Frances Wonnell
“All the flowers of all tomorrows are planted in the seeds of today” - Indian proverb
“Thank you to Mags Dillon, the PiA staff, and the Trustees for building increasingly strong bridges between the U.S. and Asia. Keep up the great work!”
Matthew Berry (Thailand ’07-’08, Indonesia ’08-‘09)
Eliza Berry (Vietnam ’09-‘10, Laos ’10-‘12)
Susannah Berry
Hua Hin, Thailand Christmas 2010
Rick Berry (Japan ’76) & Carla Berry
In memory of PiA’s FIRST FELLOW
Robert Reed ‘Pop’ Gailey, who sailed to China in 1898. Thanks, Pop!
Melanie Kirkpatrick (Japan 1974-1977) and Jack David
We are proud to support PiA on this historic anniversary. PiA’s 125 years of success are the product of tremendous leadership and stewardship. And while there are too many remarkable leaders and alumni to include in this program, we would like to honor the memories of Carrie Gordon, Owen Nee, and Barry Metzger, who made immeasurable contributions to PiA.
Will Leahy and Ashley Stelfox
Last August I was interviewed by the Kanazawa local newspaper about the impact of the best-selling guidebook to the city that I wrote in 1979.
I said I wasn’t sure I could claim a particular impact, but I certainly enjoyed sharing my love of the city with foreign visitors.
PiA has changed the lives of many, including mine, throughout its first 125 years. Let’s make sure its future in delivering life-changing experiences is assured for at least another 125.
Ruth P. Stevens, Kanazawa, JapanTom and Mila Tuttle applaud Mags Dillon and the PiA team for a tremendous year.
We are excited for PiA’s return to Indonesia.
GO PiA!
Annie’s T Cakes
Gala guests were given a delicious almond cookie as a gift at the end of the evening. These tasty cookies were baked by PiA alum Annie Wang (China ‘16). Princeton in Asia is proud to support Annie as the owner of Annie’s T Cakes, a bakery creating vegan baked goods inspired by East Asian treats and handmade with love in Oakland, CA.
https://www.anniestcakes.com
Princeton in Asia
A change in perspective. A job that matters. A community for life.