Where things are going
2016 Speakers
Special Guest Speaker:
崔永元 Cui Yong Yuan
Chinese Television Host and Producer
Cui Yong Yuan (Chinese: 崔永元) is a Chinese television host and producer. He is known for his affable and natural sense of humour, pioneering a brand of relaxed and unscripted presentation style that marked a departure from the rigid and staid nature of many Chinese talk shows.
Cui rose to fame hosting the show Tell It Like It Is (实话实说) on China Central Television from 1996 to 2002. Cui returned to CCTV to host Talk with Xiaocui. From 2012 to 2013 Cui hosted the show Thank the Heavens and the Earth that you are here. He left CCTV in 2013 to work at his alma mater, the Communication University of China.
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Noble Coker
USC Professor of Business, Former Vice President and CIO of Disneyland HK
Noble graduated from Brigham Young University in 1995 and received his MBA from the University of Southern California in 2002. He first worked as a technology consultant for Price Waterhouse. While at Price Waterhouse, Noble consulted for Walt Disney Imagineering, where he later went to work in strategic planning and technology. During his career at Disney, Noble managed over 5,000 people and a $500M expansion of a Disney park. Noble eventually became the Vice President and CIO of Disneyland HK. After Disney, Dalian Wanda recruited Noble to manage a $13B development project.
It was his time at Disneyland Hong Kong that allowed Noble to interact extensively with the professional and cultural China. His travels gave him a deep understanding and appreciation for China. He was named the Top Chief Information Officer in Asia 2006 and received the “Best Global Service Organization Award for Asia” in 2009.
Noble and his family are now living in California. He is currently a professor of business strategy at the University of Southern California,
Prof. Jiamin Huang
BYU Professor of Dance, Former Faculty of Beijing Academy of Dance
Huang studied at the Beijing Dance Academy from 1980 to 1984, where she received a bachelor's degree in dance education. She then joined the faculty at that Academy. In 1996 Huang and her husband moved to the United States and attended BYU. Huang received a master's degree dance from BYU in 1998. Shortly thereafter Huang joined the faculty in the BYU Dance Department.
Huang is especially interested in linking her colleagues and students at BYU with Chinese arts educators and students. She plays a large role in the China Study Abroad Program, as well as Chinese Arts Education Workshop. Her research specifically studies the design and implementation of the Chinese study abroad program to determine whether it achieves its stated purpose of enhancing students' ability to to understand and appreciate the skills of inter-cultural communication for life-long enrichment.
Dr. Tang Yuan Chu (朱堂元)
Reknown OBGYN Doctor and Researcher
Dr. Chu received his Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Genetics from Cornell University in 1992. He specializes in sciences related to women’s health and has been featured on several TV channels the past few years for his breakthrough research. His past research focused on cervical carcinogenesis, ovarian cancer, and mesenchymal and embryonic stem cells. He performed research at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from 1988 to 1992, after which he joined the National Defense Medical Center in Taiwan as an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He eventually became the Center’s Director in 2001. Dr. Chu joined the Tzu Chi University School of Medicine from 2005-2014. During his time at the University, Dr. Chu held the positions of Professor, Maternity Director, Director of Clinical Medicine, and Director of Medicinal Sciences.
Dr. Chu is currently the Director of the Cervical Cancer Prevention center at the Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Center. He has two sons and two daughters. His hobbies include lab research, choir singing, and building houses. Dr. Chu states that his aspirations for his professions are to be “a doctor that can bring healing and relief to those in need, a teacher that can provide answers to questions, and a scientist that can make new discoveries to benefit the entire society.”
"In Search of the Heavenly Emperor"
Documentary Presentation Team
Dr. Peter Chan
BYU Professor of Instructional Science
Dr. Peter Chan is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the McKay School of Education in BYU where he oversees a China student teaching program and coordinates other China-related initiatives in addition to teaching classes in Instructional Psychology and Technology. Before coming back to Provo, Dr. Chan served for eight years as a faculty at BYU-Hawaii where he chaired an Instructional Design and Development program and worked as a special assistant to the Academic Vice President in Asia (particularly China) related initiatives. Dr. Chan originated the idea of a BYU China Conference and continued to serve as the faculty supervisor of the conference and the BYU Chinese Student and Scholar Association.
Dr. Chan is also the founder of Multinational Academic Services, which provides China-related educational services including management of international schools in China, studying abroad, and short-term camps. It has brought over thousands of students to the U.S. for various educational programs. Its latest project is an American international school in Shenzhen, China.
Both professionally and personally, Peter has a strong interest in the education in China. His life dream is to establish an LDS-based school for the Chinese people to prepare them to become faithful and effective leaders of the world.
Dr. Caroline Kwok
Dr Caroline Kwok, received her doctorate from Brigham Young University, and for over thirty years have been running a business on brain based research in learning, creativity, peak performance. She is also an avid student of the relationship between ancient Chinese and Christianity.
In her years of research in this area, she has found that the ancient Chinese are very spiritual and very "heaven-respect" (敬天). In ancient records such as the Book Of Songs (詩經), the Yellow Emperor Inner Canon (黃帝內經) and even in the teachings of Confucius, spiritual truths and prayers to heaven are found.
Dr. Kwok is now working with Dr. Peter Chan and Casey Williams in organizing and presenting this information to the general public.
Casey Williams
Academy Award Winning Filmmaker
Casey Williams is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and internationally respected screenwriter, producer, and director. His advances in film editing theory are used worldwide.
It was in his hometown theater, during Saturday matinees, that he first fell in love with movies and knew that he had to be a part of the film business. After serving a mission in Hong Kong he graduated from BYU with a degree in psychology. Through contacts he made in Hong Kong during his mission he became a consultant to Lucasfilm, NBC, and a variety of film companies seeking permission to film in Mainland China. It was through this channel that he entered the fields of writing and filmmaking.
He was a founding member of the Utah Film Front, served as the Associate Director of the Utah Film and Video Center for a number of years, and established the UFVC Outdoor Cinema Series. He was Producer and Director of “Art Works For Kids,” a pilot program used by Salt Lake City School District, Central City Community Council, and Lincoln Elementary School. He is member of the Artist Resource Center for the Utah Arts Council, Screenwriting and Media Arts Workshops; and serves on the Utah Arts Council Artist Grant Board.
He recently was on location filming in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong on a soon-to-be released feature documentary about the extraordinary rise of China.
Casey is the co-author of 100 YEARS OF VALOUR and has received numerous international awards for his films including the Cine-Eagle, the National Educational Film and Video Gold Apple, as well as an Academy Award.
Dr. Erland Peterson
Associate International Vice President at Brigham Young University
Dr. Peterson has worked in the Admissions and Records Office since 1966, becoming an assistant dean in 1973 and an associate dean in 1985.
The Provo native earned bachelor's, master's and Ed.D. degrees from BYU and has served as an associate in the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies and as an assistant professor of educational leadership.
