Our People
Our Northern California and Seattle Centers operate together as one team under Asia Society Northern California's 501c3.
Team
Margaret Conley
Executive Director
Margaret Conley, a Bay Area native, is the Executive Director of Asia Society Northern California and Seattle. She is Chair of Asia Society's global Asian Americans Building America task force. Margaret was previously based in Asia for several years as a television news correspondent with ABC News in Jakarta and Tokyo, and with Bloomberg Television in Shanghai. She was part of the global ABC team that won a News and Documentary Emmy Award for presidential inauguration coverage. Her interviews include Howard Schultz, Richard Branson, Ban Ki-Moon, LeBron James and Beyoncé. Her non-profit experience includes the Berggruen Institute, where she built and launched a Philosophy + Culture Institute with a focus on the US and China. She has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s in journalism from the University of Hong Kong, which specializes in coverage of Asia. Margaret was selected as one of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business by the San Francisco Business Times in 2019. She is on the Advisory Committee of TiE, and is a member of the board of the International Women's Forum.
Man Wang
Director of Programs
Man Wang is the Director of Programs for Asia Society Seattle. She previously served as Director at the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC), the oldest state level non-profit organization in the U.S. dedicated to promoting a mutually beneficial relationship between the U.S. and China. Prior to joining the WSCRC, Man founded People and Places, a consultancy focused on regional and community development, demographics, and business and cultural exchange opportunities between China and the U.S. She has also served as Business Development Manager – China at the Washington State Department of Commerce, editor of Seattle Luxury Living Magazine, and lecturer for a professional master’s degree in Geographic Information System (GIS) at the University of Washington. She holds an M.A. in International Studies from East Carolina University; an M.A. in Geography from the State University of New York at Albany; and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Washington.
Christie YoungSmith
Director of Programs
Christie YoungSmith is a Director of Programs for Asia Society Northern California. Bringing a strong base in education and research, Christie has led program and professional development, curriculum design, and decolonial research efforts at the Stanford Center for the Support of Excellence in Teaching (CSET), American University’s Antiracist Research & Policy Center, and AAPI Women Lead. Previously she taught in international and public schools in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and the Bay Area. Christie is of mixed-Chinese descent. She received her M.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Education, her B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, and is pursuing her Ed.D. with American University. Christie also has experience with museum education and curation, having worked and volunteered at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, and San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum.
Nina Udagawa
Director of Programs
Nina Udagawa is a Director of Programs at Asia Society Northern California. She was previously the Executive Associate and Program Manager, and before that worked in Washington, DC as a Diplomatic Assistant in the Office of Congressional Affairs at the Embassy of Japan. Prior to working at the Embassy, she interned at the Council on Foreign Relations, the Library of Congress, and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. Nina holds a B.A. in International Relations and History from the George Washington University; she has also studied Chinese and studied abroad at Donghua University in Shanghai. During her time in university, Nina was an active member of the Japanese Cultural Association and published a paper on the Amerasian Identity in Okinawa with the Okinawa Prefectural Government.
Jason Fong
Director of Partnerships and Memberships
Jason Fong is the Director of Partnerships and Memberships at Asia Society Northern California and Seattle. He previously served as the Membership and Marketing Project Manager at The Commonwealth Club of California, where he oversaw member acquisition, membership renewals, and annual donations. He has also served as the Development Scheduling Coordinator for the California Film Institute’s prestigious Mill Valley Film Festival, held every fall in Marin County, California. After graduating from the University of California, Davis, with degrees in Communication and Sociology, Jason got his start as an assistant in the newsroom of KGO-TV, eventually working his way up to producing live talk shows, including “The View from the Bay,” and “7 Live,” for which he received an Emmy Award, and “Food Rush,” for which he was nominated for an additional Emmy.
Aaren Marroquin
Executive Associate
Aaren Marroquin is the Executive Associate. Prior to joining Asia Society Northern California, he served as a Chief of Staff with the El Paso, TX City Council. He previously interned for the El Paso County Commissioner’s Court and the Texas State House of Representatives. His educational background includes a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Texas at El Paso. His undergrad research was focused on geopolitical and societal implications of emerging technologies. He was an active member of the UTEP Chicano Pre-Law Society and served as a Student Liaison for the Department of Political Science.