Dui Hua Welcomes Michael McCune to Board

The Dui Hua Foundation is pleased to announce that Mr. Michael McCune has been elected to the Board of Directors, effective September 30, 2009.

Mr. McCune is Executive Vice President at The China Business Network (TCBN), an online media company that serves an audience engaged in China market activities. Prior to joining TCBN, Mr. McCune advised retailers and consumer product companies on channel management, interactive marketing, and consumer shopping behavior. He launched his first China venture in Shanghai in 1994, co-founding China Link Research, which specialized in custom and syndicated performance data on China’s retail sector.

In Shanghai, Mr. McCune served in various roles with the American Chamber of Commerce. Elected to the AmCham Board of Governors in 1999, he served for three consecutive terms, engineering the first public Corporate Social Responsibility initiative by AmCham and working with other chambers to host the first public fundraiser for a non-governmental organization. Mr. McCune is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he studied Chinese language.

“Michael McCune has been a great friend and supporter of Dui Hua, and I am thrilled to welcome him to the board,” said Executive Director John Kamm. “Michael represents a new generation of businesspeople with concern for human rights. His experience in China, interest in emerging technology, and enthusiasm for our work are welcome assets to Dui Hua’s board.”

Washington Trip Includes Testimony on China’s Human Rights, Program Meetings

On October 7, Executive Director John Kamm testified in Washington, DC, before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China at its hearing, “Human Rights and Rule of Law in China.” Kamm spoke about information on political prisonprisoners, special pardons, equal access to sentence reductions and parole, capital punishment, and juvenile justice. Kamm submitted his oral and written testimony, “Promise and Reality: Dui Hua’s Dialogue on Human Rights with the Chinese Government,” for the record. The written testimony can be read on Dui Hua’s website.

In Washington, Kamm also held meetings with members of the executive and legislative branches working on China issues. Kamm met staff of the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, including Michael Posner, the new assistant secretary in charge of the human rights dialogue with China. In addition, he spoke with senior staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Kamm also met with a representative of the Chinese Embassy.

Dui Hua Moves Hong Kong Office, Bids Farewell to Staff Member Flora Lee

Since being set up in 2007, Dui Hua’s Hong Kong branch office has become an important locus for the foundation’s research and outreach in the SAR and mainland China. One issue—the office’s small work area—was addressed when Dui Hua moved to a larger office space this summer. Close to Dui Hua’s previous home in the SAR, the new office is conveniently located near governmental and non-governmental organizations, and provides Dui Hua more flexibility to develop programs in Hong Kong. The new address and a map to the office are posted on Dui Hua’s website.

Flora Lee, who helped open Dui Hua’s original Hong Kong office, left the foundation in September after over two years of dedicated service. Displaying many skills, she contributed in the areas of prisoner and mass incident research, administration, accounting, and publications. Dui Hua warmly thanks Flora for her work and wishes her the very best as she pursues new interests.