Board Members
Chair, Alonso Wong
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Six
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of CAIS alumni - J.R. '05; Janet '07; Tommy '09
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
CAIS gave our kids the unique opportunity of learning Mandarin Chinese in the U.S., so we wanted to give back and help make CAIS a better place.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
Being able to participate and contribute with my time, experience and knowledge.
Other professional activities
I'm the General Manager at C.W. Investments which is a development, construction and property-management company where I manage investments, sales, operations and finance. Throughout my career I have held positions at Macy's of New York and Mobil Oil Corporation. I graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Economics and went on to gain an MBA from Columbia University.
Vice Chair, Emma Tao White
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Seven
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of CAIS alumna - Samantha '99
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I joined the Board because I felt that my experiences as a child immigrant, who had to master English, assimilate into American culture in the early years and eventually became acculturated, gave me some perspective on the mission of the school. I have a special interest in the "multicultural" aspect of the school's mission.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
As a member of the Academic Committee for six years, I have felt gratified to see our alumni do well in top high schools in the Bay Area and around the country. In 2005, I was instrumental in planning a Board retreat which focused on "CAIS Culture." I served as Secretary of the Board for three years.
It has been rewarding to see CAIS gain recognition as a leader in the teaching of Chinese language and culture where our faculty and administrators make presentations at national and international conferences
Other professional activities
I received my B.A. from Washington University and M.D. from University of Illinois. I worked as a pathologist for 15 years and then earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Alliant University (formerly California School of Professional Psychology). In 1995 I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Richmond Area Multiservices in San Francisco which specialized in Asian-focused mental health care. My professional activities have included parenting, menopause and geropsychology.
Other Interests
I have taught English to non-native speakers in China and San Francisco and organized and facilitated a writing group for senior citizens.
Treasurer, Susan Cheng
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: One
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of current CAIS student - Katy Woo
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I joined because I believe that CAIS has the potential to be the absolute best Mandarin immersion elementary and middle school in the country. I have been impressed with the dedication of all participants in the CAIS community and want to contribute as much as I can to the school. When I was growing up on the East Coast, there was nothing like CAIS available to me or my siblings; I am so pleased that my daughter has this opportunity to learn two languages, one of which is her cultural heritage. I believe in the benefits of bilingual education for all children, no matter what the second language is.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
I find all Board activities to be intellectually interesting, although some of clearly more mundane than others. I find the work on Board governance, structure and communications to be extremely rewarding, because it sets the stage for the perpetual renewal and growth of the school's leadership.
Other professional activities
In addition to my work on the CAIS Board, I am also the part time Administrative Partner and CFO of IDG Ventures SF, an early-stage venture capital fund of which I was a founding partner in 1997. I also manage global services for IDG's global family of venture funds. I am also starting to teach again, with a focus on high school and middle school mathematics.
Secretary, Carlene Laughlin
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of two CAIS alumni – Amelia ’09; Walker ‘09
Other professional activities
I am a graduate of UC Berkeley with a BA in Medieval Studies. I began a culinary career working in catering companies and eventually opened a cafe and bakery, Carlene's Cafe, in Wailuku, Maui. After seven years I decided to return to school and received a Masters in Education and a Teaching Certificate from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was also a personal secretary to Denise Levertov, noted American poetess and literary critic.
I am active in various cultural and educational organizations. For three years I served on the San Francisco Book Fair steering committee and chaired the Poetry Reading Series. I currently serve on the Board of the San Francisco Children's Art Center, National Outdoor Leadership School and Crystal Springs Ranch, a privately held resort development company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Jim Dowd
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Six
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of three alumni and two current students.
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I hoped that I would be able to contribute my finance experience to help the school during a period of significant growth.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
I am a true believer in the CAIS Mission – to educate for academic excellence, moral character and international perspective through immersion in American and Chinese culture and language. It is simple and enduring and it guides our work on the Board. I enjoy collaborating on strategic planning in support of the Mission. Everyone is focused on how to deliver an educational program that best fulfills our goals.
Other professional activities
I work as an investment manager.
Other Interests
At this point in my life my interests revolve around my children. I tend to be involved in some volunteer capacity in whatever they are doing outside of school.
Karen Hui
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: I will start at the 2009-2010 school year.
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of current CAIS students Caroline and Alison
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I have always been committed to CAIS and its community as a docent, a classroom liaison, a fundraiser, among other things. Being on the Board will be a further extension of this commitment. I am a true believer in the value of education and the merits of the CAIS bilingual system.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
I will serve on the Finance Committee and although somewhat invisible, it is vital that the finances of the school remain stable and are in good order. To me, the best part of CAIS is its community and for me, one of the most rewarding parts will be to interact with the community to ensure effective communication between the Board and the parent body.
Other professional activities
From 1985-'89, I worked for Lehman Brothers and then Goldman Sachs in New York in the area of mortgage and asset backed securities. From 1990-'93, I worked in the area of direct investments in Southeast Asia for Peregrine Investments in Hong Kong. I have a BA from Brown University and MBA Graduate School of Business from Columbia University.
Other Interests
I enjoy traveling and reading. I also enjoy working out with friends including boot camp, running and Pilates.
David Irwin
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Six
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of current CAIS student and alumna – Anna, 1st grade; Julia '09
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
My wife and I were both active in the Parents Association during our early years at the school. I was a member of the PA Council for two years, acting as President of the Council during my second year. I was honored to be invited to join the CAIS Board in 2002. My wife and I were thrilled to find CAIS after moving to the Bay Area from the Pacific Northwest in the mid 1990s. We received BA degrees in Germanics, were interested in languages and linguistics and understood the importance of an education with an international perspective. Because our daughters were adopted from China, it is very important to us that they understand as much as possible about China’s rich history and culture and that they be able to communicate in Mandarin Chinese.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
I have enjoyed all my work on the Board, but what I find perhaps most rewarding is the work the Board does every five years to design and implement a strategic plan that supports and furthers the mission of the school.
The strategic plan is the activity that most directly involves the whole Board and all the committees in aligning and integrating their various activities into a coherent roadmap forward. The school has undergone impressive growth since I joined the Board, and faculty and staff have looked to the Board for assistance and support in their plans to move the school to the next level to meet the needs of the expanded student body.
Other professional activities
After receiving a B.A. and a B.S. from the University of Washington, I moved to San Francisco, and for several years owned and operated a tour company doing multilingual sightseeing tours of San Francisco, Monterey/Carmel, and the Wine Country. I then returned to the University of Washington and Seattle to get my MBA. After a year teaching Information Systems courses at a Community College near Seattle, I worked for over eight years at Microsoft Corporation, in their International Product Group. After leaving Microsoft, I returned to the Bay Area, and have held Director positions at both Autodesk, Inc, and Veritas Software, managing groups that create foreign language versions of their software.
Other Interests
In addition to my work on the Board of Trustees at CAIS, I have been active as a member of the Software Industry Advisory Council for the Localization Institute. I have recently revived an old interest in photography, having been a sports photographer in high school and college, as team photographer for my older daughter’s soccer team. As a family, we enjoy seeing the world, having travelled throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and China.
Gilman Louie
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Three
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of two current CAIS students
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I joined to help the school provide the best education in America and to be the model program for immersion education.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
Working on the strategic direction of the school and of the Institute.
Other professional activities
I’m partner of Alsop Louie Partners and a member of the TIGER standing committee of the National Academies, Advisor to the College of Business of San Francisco State University and a member of the Technical Advisory Group and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Brian McDonnell
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: I will start at the 2009-2010 school year.
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of current CAIS students Pierce and Rónán
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
The new strategic plan, developed with input from all elements of the school including faculty, staff, parents, alumni and trustees defines a clear vision of where CAIS is heading in its second quarter century. I am particularly interested in two key areas of the plan. First, helping to facilitate clear communication and transparency throughout the school, aided by technological solutions; second, developing documented processes that will allow us to turn great individual efforts into permanent best practices.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
After four years on the Parents Association Council I enjoy the interaction between the Board and the PA. Additionally, turning the high-level goals of the strategic plan into actionable, measurable objectives is very rewarding as that effort has such a direct impact on where CAIS will be as an institution in five years. Finally, the work with the CAIS Institute is exciting as the programs created there will aid the growing number of other schools that are adding Mandarin immersion programs.
Other professional activities
As a fourth-generation native San Franciscan, I am active with a number of different local volunteer organizations such as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. I participate with alumni activities at my local high school Saint Ignatius (SI), Santa Clara University where I received my BS degree and Golden Gate University where I received my MBA. I have worked in the high-tech industry since 1987 working at several firms including Apple. Over the last 17 years, I have been COO at RTL, a small software firm based in San Francisco.
Bing Shen
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Four
Relationship to CAIS: Community member
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I received my bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in public and international affairs and a master’s degree from Harvard Business School. I pursued a career in finance which included positions at World Bank, Morgan Stanley and China Development Industrial Bank (Taiwan’s largest private equity/venture capital firm). In addition to my involvement on the CAIS Board of Trustees, I’ve held director positions on other boards including Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, The Institute on Aging and 1990 Institute (which is engaged in China-related research).
Other Interests
I’m married with one son and enjoy playing bridge, travel and reading. I have lived in Taiwan, Congo, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China and speak Chinese, English and French.
Dennis Wong
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Fifteen
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of CAIS alumna – Larissa ’99
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I was co-chair of Parent Association and member of the Site Search Task Force from 1991 to 1993 to locate a permanent home for CAIS. With the completion of the space programming, design and financing of the International Schools campus, I served as the NCIS project manager in 1996 to 1997 for the reconstruction of the former Cal Trans District office at 150 Oak Street. Throughout the years at CAIS, I have served or chaired numerous board committees including Annual Fund, Buildings and Grounds and Governance Committees. For ten years I chaired the Chinese New Years Float committee for the Parent Association. For the NCIS Board I chaired the Facilities Committee.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
I have found it to be very rewarding assisting CAIS and NCIS with their construction and facility needs.
Other professional activities
I am a Project Executive at Swinerton Management & Consulting in San Francisco. I have an extensive background in real estate development and currently provide development, project and construction management services for public, private and non-profit clients. I’m a journeyman carpenter, licensed general contractor and LEED Accredited Professional. My professional associations include Construction Management Association of America, American Planning Association and U.S. Green Building Council.
I am a U.C. Berkeley (’72) graduate and served for eight years as a volunteer leader and trustee for a non-profit children’s weekend activity group in San Francisco Chinatown in association with the San Francisco Mental Health Center.
Maelin Wang Chien
Number of years on the Board of Trustees: Four
Relationship to CAIS: Parent of two CAIS alumni CAIS – Christopher and Audrey
Why did you join the CAIS Board?
I have a passion for the school and think that students can really learn and benefit from both Eastern and Western culture and through languages, as I am the product of bilingual and bicultural education.
What Board activities do you find most rewarding?
I enjoy development efforts and being connected with the community.
Other professional activities
I work as a real estate broker/developer.
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