UCLA Confucius Institute Staff

Susan Pertel Jain (简苏珊), Ph.D., Executive Director
Susan Pertel Jain received a doctoral degree in Theater from the University of Hawai'i where she specialized in Asian theater performance. Her dissertation research focused on the music of China’s Sichuan opera (chuanju). She has taught courses on Chinese language and Asian theater at UC Berkeley, Barnard College and Connecticut College, and worked for over 10 years producing the work of immigrant artists from Asia. Before joining UCLA, she has produced educational and arts programming for the Smithsonian Institute's Silk Road Festival, the Yale-China Association, and UC Berkeley’s Cal Performances, and served as the Associate Editor of the Asian Theater Journal.
(310) 825-0322
spjain@international.ucla.edu

Nika Atkinson Schmidt (施宁葭), Program Coordinator
Nika Schmidt received a B.A. in Asian Studies with a China focus from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed an M.A. in Chinese Language at San Francisco State University (SFSU) where she also studied with SFSU’s Confucius Institute-sponsored program at Beijing Normal University, a teacher's training college. She spent two years abroad in China as a foreign exchange student with the University of California's Education Abroad Program (EAP) at Peking University, and later with the Inter-University Program (IUP) at Tsinghua University. Afterwards, she worked for a business information company based in Beijing. Prior to joining the UCLA CI, Nika was based in San Francisco for 8 years where she worked in the venture capital and international development fields.
(310) 267-4121
nschmidt@international.ucla.edu

Xiaojie Ma (马晓洁), Program Coordinator
Xiaojie Ma received a B.A. in English with a focus on international business from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. After graduation in 2004, she worked with the Selex Sistemi Integrate Beijing Office as a project assistant. In 2006, she came to the US to pursue her master’s degree in Pacific-International affairs at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS), University of California, San Diego, with an emphasis on international management and an area focus of China. She joined the Confucius Institute in 2008 and now is responsible for event and project planning.
(310) 267-4121
xma@international.ucla.edu

Kathleen Micham (墨可兰), Ph.D., Marketing and Communications
Kathleen Micham studied French literature first at Davidson College and then at Indiana University where she completed a Ph.D. with a dissertation on Proust and a minor in African Studies. After a decade of living abroad, she moved to Los Angles and started work at UCLA. Kathleen is responsible for writing, Web site development, and event planning for the Confucius Institute. She is an enthusiastic resident of multicultural California.
(310) 825-7370
kmicham@international.ucla.edu

Amita Makdani (梅皑明), Design and Communications
Amita Makdani received her B.A. in environmental design from Michigan State University. After several years as an interior and product designer in the private sector, Amita joined the UCLA Design and Project Management Group in 1996.   She has overseen the renovation and redesign of many of UCLA’s most prestigious buildings.  In 2004, she started designing the UCLA Summer Sessions publications and has since taken on other projects for the Confucius Institute and the Go Global initiative. Amita is responsible for Web site and publication design.
(310) 825-7554
amakdani@international.ucla.edu