Asia Catalyst

mission

Asia Catalyst works with grassroots groups from marginalized communities in East and Southeast Asia that promote the right to health. We train our partners to meet high standards of effective and democratic governance, to establish a stable foundation for future growth, and to conduct rigorous human rights research and advocacy. We aim to help our partners become leading advocates at the local, national and global levels.

Who We Are

Andrea J. Worden, J.D. | Acting Executive Director

Andrea is a human rights advocate, lawyer, and educator who has worked on human rights and rule of law issues in China throughout much of her career. She previously was a counsel with O'Melveny & Myers, LLP and served as a fellow at Yale Law School's China Law Center. Andrea has a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a master's degree in modern Chinese history, also from Stanford. After obtaining her bachelor's degree in history and East Asian Studies from Yale University, she taught English in Tianjin and Hunan with the Yale-China Association, and currently serves on the organization's board of directors. Fluent in Mandarin, Andrea is an adjunct professor at St. John's University School of Law, where she teaches a course on the Chinese legal system.

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Brian Bonci | Director of Finance and Operations

Brian joined Asia Catalyst in October 2011. He received his BA in Political Science and Women's and Gender Studies from Pace University, where he was a Jeannette K. Watson Fellow. Brian previously worked on political campaigns and volunteered with LGBT and HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations in New York City and Cape Town, South Africa. He also advised international exchange students in Tunisia and taught English in Central America.

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Gisa Dang | China Program Director

Gisa Dang (nee Hartmann) is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic direction of the China Program. Gisa has created and conducted dozens of customized workshops for grassroots NGOs in organizational management and advocacy skills. She has led ongoing coaching of the groups we've trained to ensure integration of fundamental skills into organizational processes. Since joining Asia Catalyst in 2009, Gisa has spoken at top global events such as the International AIDS Conferences in Vienna and Washington DC, and the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Bali and Busan. Gisa holds an MA in Sinology and Political Science from University of Cologne, Germany and is fluent in German, Chinese, and English.

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Shen Tingting | Advocacy Program Director

Shen Tingting has been a prominent HIV/AIDS and human rights advocate in Beijing, China, and has been working with marginalized communities since her college days. In 2007, Tingting co-founded the Korekata AIDS Law Center with Li Dan, and until 2012 she was the deputy director of its parent organization, Dongjen Center for Human Rights Education and Action, where she founded and managed an outreach program for sex workers in Beijing. Tingting received her MA in Social Welfare from Renmin University of China in 2009, and served as a visiting research fellow at Asia Catalyst from March -August 2012.

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Shalena Krumm | Rights Training Program Coordinator

Shalena has ten years of experience launching grassroots campaigns, training youth activists and advocates, and facilitating social justice workshops. She previously worked at Echoing Green, an organization that supports social entrepreneurs and aspiring changemakers to develop careers with social impact. Most recently, Shalena helped restructure Ya-Ya Network (Youth Activists - Youth Allies), the organization where she received her activist training, She is an MA candidate at New York University and the recipient of numerous fellowships including the Dalai Lama Fellowship, New York University Catherine B. Reynolds Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship, and the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship. Shalena currently serves as a founding board member of Brooklyn Movement Center in Brooklyn, New York.

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Hou Ye | China Program Assistant

Based in Kunming, China, Hou Ye, is a recent graduate of Chiang Mai University in Thailand. She previously consulted with Asia Catalyst on a Chinese-Burmese HIV/AIDS website project in Thailand.

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Bonnie Tse | Administrative Assistant

Bonnie is an undergraduate student at Hunter College, with a strong interest in nutrition and public health. She previously worked in the Women's Health Department at Charles B. Wang Community Health Center where she was also a Project AHEAD intern.

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Sara L.M. Davis, PhD (Meg) | Founder

Meg Davis founded Asia Catalyst in her apartment in 2006, in response to requests from grassroots HIV/AIDS activists in China for help with everything from grant proposals to press contacts to emergency assistance. Asia Catalyst's first grant supported the incubation and launch, with Li Dan and activists in Beijing, of China's first HIV/AIDS law center, the Korekata AIDS Law Center. As Meg, Li Dan and other Chinese activists worked together to create the center, they realized that an emerging generation of grassroots nonprofits in China and Southeast Asia needed user-friendly, local-language tools and resources on strategic planning, fundraising, management, and human rights documentation and advocacy skills. Under the guidance of a committed Board of Directors, the organization grew quickly, providing one-on-coaching and small-group training to dozens of organizations. In January 2013, Meg joined Asia Catalyst's Board of Directors and took up a new position as Senior Specialist, Human Rights and Equity at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.