Before coming to U.S. Embassy Beijing, Colin served most recently as the Economic Affairs Unit Chief for the State Department’s China Desk. His assignments in Washington, DC have focused on energy and economic security policy, and have included serving as acting Director of the State Department’s Office of Energy Diplomacy for the Middle East and Asia, Foreign Policy Advisor to the U.S. Executive Director at the World Bank, Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, and Advisor on International Coordination for Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.

His overseas assignments have included tours in Jakarta, Islamabad, and locations throughout Afghanistan.

Before joining the State Department, Colin worked on China-focused trade and investment issues. He speaks Mandarin, Indonesian, Dari, and Pashto.

He previously held the same role in the Office of Japanese Affairs. Neil served as special assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment from 2019-2021 advising on all aspects of U.S. economic and tech policy towards the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Neil served as tech and cyber officer at U.S. Embassy Beijing from 2015-2018 covering 5G, chips, cloud, content, data, and digital industries. Neil served as the macroeconomic, banking and finance officer at U.S. Consulate Shanghai from 2021-2022. He has also served U.S. Embassies Jakarta and London. He holds a bachelor’s from Northwestern University and a master’s from the London School of Economics. Prior to joining the State Department, Neil spent two years teaching second grade on the South Side of Chicago as a Teach For America corps member. He speaks Mandarin, Indonesian, Spanish, and Italian.
Neil and his much better half are the proud parents of boy-girl twins.