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

Sam Nan Guo (郭南), MBA, Associate Director
Sam Guo received his B.A. in English Language and Literature from Sun Yat-sen University (Zhongshan University) in Guangzhou, China, and his MBA from Louisiana State University. Sam has lived and worked in three different continents—Asia, Europe, and North America with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of international trade, international business, business cultures, and marketing management in multicultural environments. In recent years, he has focused his consulting work on the China market and has done research and teaching in this area. At present, he teaches courses on China’s economy and international marketing to MBA students at UC Berkeley and Pepperdine University. He has also been involved in Chinese language teaching and translation projects. He is the translator/editor of an academic text, The Transformation of Chinese America (Sanlian Publishers, 2006). He is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese with working knowledge of French and Japanese.
(310) 206-6569
sguo@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

Hui Zhang (张晖), Research and Program Development
Hui Zhang completed his B.A. in English Language and Literature at Peking University. After graduating, he worked at a nongovernmental organization (NGO) specializing in environmental education through film.  Hui came to the U.S. in 2000 and first studied at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a major in History of Education and a minor in American Studies. In 2002, he joined UCLA to pursue a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies of Education. Currently, he is working on his dissertation which examines the relationship between contemporary Chinese festival cultures and the construction of national identity.
(310) 592-3740
hzhang@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