Asia Society Northern California

On March 18, 2026 join us in Seattle for a special fireside chat with MiMi Aung, a Burmese-American space engineer. We’ll learn about her breakthrough role leading the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another planet as project leader of NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter, as well as her current work at Amazon’s Project Leo, the company’s low-Earth-orbit satellite network. The discussion will explore her personal journey, the role of creativity in innovation, and the importance of representation in science and technology. This program will be moderated by author and educator specializing in space policy, international relations, and ethnic identity Namrata Goswami.

See link in bio for tickets and full details under Upcoming Seattle Events.

On April 11, 2025, Asia Society Northern California hosted its seventh annual Asia Game Changer West Gala at The City Club of San Francisco. Guests enjoyed a never-before-seen aria from the San Francisco Opera’s Monkey King () performed by Jongwon Han, Bass-Baritone opera singer, accompanied by pianist Julian Grabarek. Entertainment during the VIP Reception was provided by Gamelan Sari Raras (), a Javanese performing ensemble in the Department of Music at UC Berkeley.

Asia Society Northern California hosted its seventh annual Game Changer West Gala on April 11, 2025, at The City Club of San Francisco. This year’s Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala was emceed by Robert Handa, Reporter, NBC Bay Area, and Margaret Conley, Executive Director of Asia Society Northern California and Seattle. Speakers included Judge Erica Yew, Judge, Santa Clara County Superior Court; and Jack Wadsworth, Advisory Director, Morgan Stanley; Asia Society Trustee Emeritus.

2025 Asia Game Changer West Honorees:

• 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗡𝗴, Founder, DeepLearning.AI; Managing General Partner, AI Fund; Executive Chairman, LandingAI; Chairman and Co-Founder, Coursera; Adjunct Faculty, Stanford University
• 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀 𝗞𝗮𝗼 (), Vice President & Auctioneer, Sotheby’s New York
• 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗺 (), Actor, Director, Producer, and Social Advocate

On April 11, 2025, Asia Society Northern California hosted its seventh annual Asia Game Changer West Gala at The City Club of San Francisco. Asia Game Changer West Awards are bestowed to individuals, organizations, and movements that have inspired, enlightened, and shown true leadership in areas that reflect Asia Society’s core pillars of policy and business, technology and innovation, arts and culture, and education.

2025 Asia Game Changer West Honorees:
• 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗡𝗴, Founder, DeepLearning.AI; Managing General Partner, AI Fund; Executive Chairman, LandingAI; Chairman and Co-Founder, Coursera; Adjunct Faculty, Stanford University
• 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀 𝗞𝗮𝗼 (), Vice President & Auctioneer, Sotheby’s New York
• 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗺 (), Actor, Director, Producer, and Social Advocate

Presenters of the honorees included 𝗧𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗼𝗻, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation; Advisory Council Member, Asia Society Seattle; 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻, Author; Advisory Council Member, Asia Society Northern California; and 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗴 (), Playwright, Librettist, Screenwriter, and Theater Professor.

Oct 5th - Unleashing the Power of Biotech in the Bay Area and Asia: Exploring Possibilities, Collaboration, and Risks

The conversation, centered on the future of biotechnology and the influence of the Bay Area and Asia, was moderated by Dr. Regis B. Kelly, Professor Emeritus at UCSF and Biochemistry and Biophysics Director at the QB3 Institute. It featured Richard Dasher, Director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center at Stanford; Marietta Wu, Managing Director of Quan Capital; and Mika Nishimura, Operational Partner of Glide Healthcare.

Dr. Kelly delineated three main subjects that concern biotechnology today: targeted development of pharmaceuticals for mental health, patient-friendly diagnostic information, and biotech's role in transforming aging.

In the panel, Dasher, Nishimura, and Wu took turns addressing topics such as the importance of patient management, the benefits of innovation through university research, and scientific collaboration across borders. They also touched on the importance of the Chinese market for healthcare, the diversity of patients in Asia, and the need for NGOs in the battle against climate change.

Sept 15th - Japan Capitalism at Work - How Japan is Reinventing its Economy and Financial Markets

Jesper Koll offered a macro overview of Japan and how its economy transformed over the years. This was followed by a keynote talks and interviews between Katsumi Ao and Oki Matsumoto, who discussed the initiatives of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in bolstering Japanese businesses by changing corporate culture and investor attitudes.

Following the presentations, an off-the-record panel discussion took place moderated by Susie Roos with panelists Kanya Hasegawa, Oki Matsumoto, and Jesper Koll. The panel covered topics including trends in the Japanese economy, the role of independent directors and activists, startups in Japan, and enhancing diversity on boards.

This event was in collaboration with Asia Society Japan as a part of Asia Society Year of Japan. and can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

We are celebrating the launch of Asia Society’s 16th global Center—Asia Society Seattle! Established in April 2023, Asia Society Seattle is our first official presence in the Pacific Northwest.

Speakers at our celebration include an all-star lineup:

-Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Founder of Breakthrough Energy
-Kevin Rudd, Australia’s Ambassador to the U.S., former Australia Prime Minister and former global Asia Society CEO
-Tom Robertson, Microsoft Corporate Vice President
Robert Blair, Senior Director for 5G and External Affairs for Microsoft Corporation
-Daniel Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI)
-Gary Rieschel, Asia Society Northern California & Seattle Chair
-Yasufumi Nakamori, new global Asia Society Vice President of Arts & Culture
-Lingling Wei, senior China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal
-Catherine Roche, Seattle Art Museum’s Board President-Elect
-Foong Ping, Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art at the Seattle Art Museum
-Margaret Conley, Executive Director of Asia Society Northern California and Seattle
-Hao Jiang Tian, world renowned bass opera singer
-And more!

Exciting experiences include musical performances, museum tours, books from our speakers, and dim sum!

Read more here: https://asiasociety.org/seattle/events/asia-society-seattle-launch-celebration-2023

This momentous event will be hosted on Tuesday, September 12 in Seattle.

: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, April 19, 2023 — Asia Society Northern California hosted its fifth annual Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala at San Francisco City Hall this Wednesday, celebrating the organization's 25th anniversary. Asia Game Changer West Awards are bestowed to individuals, organizations, and movements that have inspired, enlightened, and shown true leadership in areas that reflect Asia Society’s core pillars of policy and business, technology and innovation, arts and culture, and education.

Here were our honorees:
Chong-Moon Lee, Founder & Chair, Ambex Ventures; Asia Society Trustee; Chair Emeritus, Asia Society Northern California
AAPI Youth Rising, Tammy Ma, Plasma Physicist, National Ignition Facility on behalf of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab team

For those of you who attended the Gala, there is a special opportunity that will close this Sunday. Share a photo on social media on a public account and tag to potentially win a Southwest e-pass. Three lucky winners will be announced on Monday. Private accounts won't be accepted.

We are thrilled to announce Dr. Tammy Ma, on behalf of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab team as one of our 2023 Asia Game Changer West Honorees! Dr. Ma is a plasma physicist at the National Ignition Facility, and her team recently achieved the groundbreaking achievement of "fusion ignition" in a controlled setting for the first time on Earth. Through these reactions, her team was able to recreate the way stars generate energy, instilling hope that this process could one day power the world with clean and limitless energy.
👏Join us in honoring Dr. Ma and celebrating her and her team's achievements at our upcoming event, where we'll have stimulating conversation, stunning performances, and delicious food and drink. Don't miss out on this inspiring evening!

This week's recap focus: China’s Economic Outlook: Bullish or Bearish? with Advisory Council Member Andy Rothman, Investment Strategist at Matthews Asia. Panelists included Guonan Ma, Senior Fellow on Chinese Economy at the , Center for China Analysis; Tom Orlik, Chief Economist at ; Jacob Rothman, Founder and Co-CEO at Velong Enterprises; and Edith Yeung, General Partner at Race Capital. The panel examined the role of the Chinese consumer, prospects of private enterprises, and the importance of strong collaboration between state and private sectors. They also shared the biggest risks such as long-term security, future of U.S.-China diplomacy, and lack of access to foreign technology. The session ended with Q&A about China's transition to a green economy and the rise of government party cells in corporate boardrooms.

Recent events have highlighted vulnerabilities of the free and open . With new global issues on the horizon spanning from to , nations have to search for new solutions both domestically and beyond their borders.

Join Asia Society Northern California on Wednesday, March 22 to hear from four San Francisco-based Consuls General from Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine on how their nations are approaching international security and what peace looks like in their respective countries. Speakers include:
Gloria Duffy (moderator), CEO of The Commonwealth Club of California
Levan Beridze, Consul General of Georgia to San Francisco
Yasushi Noguchi, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco
Azamat Abdraimov, Consul General of Kazakhstan in San Francisco
Dmytro Kushneruk .kushneruk , Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco

We are pleased to announce AAPI Youth Rising as one of our 2023 Asia Game Changer West Honorees. AAPI Youth Rising is a student-led organization that's making a big impact. They started with a rally in Berkeley, California in 2021 to bring attention to the increase in xenophobia against Asians in America. Now, they have a national reach with 50+ Chapter Leaders across 15 states and counting.

Their hard work and dedication have been recognized by many, including the White House, the TODAY Show, and TIME for Kids. Plus, they were selected as the 2022 Girl of the Year Partner Organization by American Girl, reaching 1.3+ billion impressions through the partnership announcement. Join us in honoring and celebrating the achievements of our esteemed award recipients. Join us in honoring and celebrating the achievements of our esteemed award recipients.