Everett Wakai currently serves as the Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, Beijing. He leads a binational team of American commercial diplomats and Chinese trade experts to promote U.S. - China business development, trade and investment. Before moving to Beijing, Mr. Wakai was the Commercial Counselor at the U.S. Consulate, Shanghai.

Mr. Wakai previously served as the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy, in Angola, where his worked focused on improving the business climate, diversifying the economy and trade and foreign exchange payments. As an ex-officio Board Member of the newly formed AmCham Angola he led efforts to stand up a corporate compliance program, form policy committees and formulate AmCham Angola’s strategy and positioning.

Previously, he was assigned to the U.S. Commercial Service New Orleans Office where he assisted U.S. companies develop and implement their export promotion strategies. Prior to joining the New Orleans office, he was the Standards Attaché for South America responsible for standards and trade cooperation, market access and market development at the U.S. Consulate General in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also served as the Standards Attaché for Mexico, Canada, and Central America responsible for NAFTA rule of origin exports, standards and regulatory cooperation in the healthcare and the energy sectors at the American Embassy in Mexico. He began his career with the U.S. Commercial Service as the Energy and Cleantech Commercial Advisor at the U.S. Embassy, Paris, France.

Mr. Wakai is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, holds a master’s degree from New York University and received his MBA from Krannert Business School at Purdue University.

James Nobles is the founder and owner of Bizarre Beijing, a Chinese cultural enterprise based in Beijing. Since moving to Beijing 11 years ago, James has been an educator and small business owner. He has served as a council member for the Royal Asiatic Society, Beijing, is an auditor for the Swiss Club in Beijing, Chifan for Charity board member and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Royal Geographical Society.

Zachary B. Ebling is a proud husband and father of two, Logan (6) and Zoe (3). He is also the founder and owner of Booyah Education, an education consulting company based in Beijing. Zachary has called Beijing "home" since the Beijing 2008 Olympics and has worked in public relations, education, and business. You can find him in Wangjing during the week and at BICF on Sundays.