AAP Virtual Door Knock with the America First Policy Institute [Virtual]

Event Details

Please join the next virtual AAP doorknock session with two experts from The America First Policy Institute.

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is a non-profit, non-partisan research institute. AFPI exists to advance policies that put the American people first. Its guiding principles are liberty, free enterprise, national greatness, American military superiority, foreign-policy engagement in the American interest, and the primacy of American workers, families, and communities.

Steve Yates and Adam Savit will discuss how AFPI advances policies that study how decades of America's accommodation of Communist China has nurtured an existential threat to the US.

The session will be moderated by AAP Chair Steven Okun, CEO of APAC Advisors and Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates.

Remarks

This event is organized by AAP
This session will be off-the-record and closed to the media
AAP members only

Speakers

Steve Yates

Senior Fellow & Chair, China Policy Initiative

Adam Savit

Director, China Policy Initiative of America First Policy Institute

Steven Okun (Moderator)

Chair, AmChams of Asia-Pacific at Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates

Steve Yates is from St. Petersburg, Florida, and serves as a Senior Fellow and Chair of the China Policy Initiative. He is an analyst and practitioner with experience at various levels of politics, policy, media, and national security affairs. A veteran commentator and trainer for television, radio, and print media opportunities, Yates has navigated policy decision-making processes across agencies, foreign and domestic. Since 2006, he has been a senior advisor to presidential campaigns, a frequent media commentator, and CEO of D.C. International Advisory. He previously served as President of Radio Free Asia and Professor in the Practice of International Business and Politics at Boise State University. Before opening D.C. International Advisory, Yates served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for National Security Affairs from 2001 through 2005, where he provided direct support to the Vice President and his national security advisor for White House deliberations. Yates served as chairman of the Idaho Republican Party from August 2014 to April 2017 and as co-chair of the 2016 Republican Platform Subcommittee on National Security. Yates was a candidate for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in Idaho’s May 2018 primary. He regularly appears on several national TV and radio stations. He previously served as Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation and an analyst at the National Security Agency. He received a master’s degree in China Studies from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Yates’ TV career began in 1980 at age 12 on Ed Walker’s WJLA AM Washington show, after winning a coloring contest sponsored by the Muppets, Woodward & Lothrop, and The Washington Post.

The Founder and CEO of APAC Advisors, Mr. Okun is widely considered a leader on corporate public affairs, sustainability and stakeholder engagement in the Asia Pacific region. He is also the ASEAN representative for the Emerging Market Private Equity Association (EMPEA).

Living and working in Singapore since 2003, Mr. Okun created and led Asia Pacific public affairs for both global investment firm KKR and global logistics firm UPS, as well as being a leader of multiple business chambers and industry associations, including having been elected three times each as Chairman of both the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC). He remains on the boards of both.

As KKR’s first Director of Asia Pacific Public Affairs, Mr. Okun’s responsibilities encompassed government affairs, communications, stakeholder engagement and environmental and social responsibility issues for KKR, as well as in supporting those efforts for its portfolio companies across the region.

In particular, his responsibilities included working on Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) initiatives. Also, he created and led KKR’s impact investing pro bono program, a model for strategic philanthropic engagement for which KKR was awarded the Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship by PublicAffairsAsia.

Mr. Okun led UPS Asia’s public affairs matters on aviation, competition and trade from 2003 until 2010, and before that worked in UPS’ Washington, DC office. He was instrumental in UPS Airlines obtaining it first-ever authority to operate in China in 2001.

Mr. Okun served in the Administration of President Bill Clinton as Deputy General Counsel at the US Department of Transportation, being at the Department from 1994 to 1999. For his public service, he was awarded the Secretary’s Award for Special Service Commendation.

He represents and advocates the views of the US business community in Asia, including as a periodic guest host on CNBC. A sought after expert on public affairs, he speaks frequently in the media, at universities, businesses and conferences across the region, as well as is the author of numerous articles.

Mr. Okun received his BA from the University of Virginia and his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

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Amchams of Asia Pacific

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AAP Virtual Door Knock with the America First Policy Institute [Virtual]

Event Details