Commission Staff
Anastasya Lloyd-Damnjanovic, Director, Security and Foreign Affairs
Anastasya (Ana) Lloyd-Damnjanovic is the Director of Security and Foreign Affairs at the Commission, where she has worked since 2019. Ana previously researched China-related issues as a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. She is the author of A Preliminary Study of PRC Political Influence and Interference Activities in American Higher Education (Wilson Center, 2018). Ana earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, graduating with high honors and the Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Scholarship.
READ MOREWalter Hutchens, Director, Economics and Trade
Walter Hutchens joined the Commission staff as Director, Economics and Trade in January 2024 after two decades as a professor specializing in commercial law, China, and international business. Immediately prior to joining the Commission staff, he was the director of a University of Arizona law school program in Qingdao, China that enrolled more than 450 students who received law degrees from both the University of Arizona and a Chinese partner institution. He taught courses on U.S. Constitutional law; legal research, analysis and writing; and basics of contracts and torts.
READ MOREJameson Cunningham, Director, Congressional Affairs and Communications
Jameson Cunningham is Congressional Affairs and Communications Director, where he leads the Commission’s outreach to Congress, the press, and the public. For more than a decade, he has served in legislative and public affairs positions on Capitol Hill and in the private sector.
READ MORESierra Janik, Director of Research and Policy Analyst, Security and Foreign Affairs
Sierra Janik is Director of Research and a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs team at the Commission, where she conducts research and oversees the Commission’s contracted research agenda.
READ MORESarah Anderson, Operations Specialist
Sarah Anderson serves as the Operations Specialist at the Commission where she manages a portfolio consisting of travel, procurement, budget execution, IT support, and special projects. She previously worked as a government contractor at the Department of Homeland Security, Library of Congress, and the National Air and Space Museum. Sarah holds an MA in History from the University of Georgia.
READ MOREGraham Ayres, Policy Analyst, Economics and Trade
Graham Ayres is a Policy Analyst on the Economics and Trade team, joining the Commission as a Research Assistant in 2023. He most recently worked as a campaign manager and political staffer in New Hampshire. Prior to that, he studied and lived in Taiwan for two years on a Fulbright scholarship, where his research centered on international development and food assistance programs. Graham received a B.A. in economics from the University of New Hampshire, and a M.S. in agricultural economics from National Taiwan University. He speaks and reads Mandarin Chinese.
READ MOREDaniel Blaugher, Policy Analyst, Economics and Trade
Daniel Blaugher is a Policy Analyst on the Economics and Trade team at the Commission. He most recently worked as a graduate research assistant at the University of California, San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. Prior to that, he also worked as a research assistant at Peking University HSBC Business School and as a project assistant on the Bank of England’s Decision Maker Panel.
READ MORERachael Burton, Senior Policy Analyst, Security and Foreign Affairs
Rachael Burton is a Senior Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs team at the Commission. She previously served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) from 2019 to 2023 as the Country Director for China. Prior to joining the Department of Defense (DoD), she was the Deputy Director at the Project 2049 Institute where she managed the Institute’s research and programming. She has previously worked at the Carnegie China Center and the National Bureau for Asian Research. Rachael is pursuing her Master’s at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program.
READ MOREChristopher Fioravante, Director of Operations and Administration
Christopher Fioravante is Director of Operations and Administration at the Commission, where he is responsible for budget and finance, contracting and procurement, and human capital management. He has worked for the Commission since 2008 and is a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).
READ MOREAndrew Hartnett, Policy Analyst, Security and Foreign Affairs
Andrew Hartnett is a Policy Analyst for the Security and Foreign Affairs team, joining in September 2022 as a Research Assistant. Prior to joining the Commission, Hartnett worked as a Liu Xiaobo Fellow at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, where he focused on human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. He also served as a fellow at the U.S. Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office, and interned at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the American Foreign Policy Council.
READ MORENicholas Kaufman, Policy Analyst, Economics and Trade
Nicholas Kaufman is a Policy Analyst on the Economics and Trade team at the Commission. He was previously a graduate research assistant at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). At SAIS he also gained experience working at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and at the Department of Commerce. Prior to that, he was a Fulbright researcher tracking economic development policy in China’s Anhui Province.
READ MORERyan Mangefrida, Policy Analyst, Security and Foreign Affairs
Ryan Mangefrida is a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs team at the Commission. He previously served as a Budget Analyst at the Department of Defense (DoD) managing the execution of part of the Department’s Science and Technology portfolio. Prior to his employment at DoD, he worked as a research specialist at a Virginia-based business intelligence firm. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor’s in International & Global Studies and Political Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Ryan acquired Chinese language capabilities while living and studying in Shanghai.
READ MORELauren (Greenwood) Menon, Policy Analyst, Security and Foreign Affairs
Lauren (Greenwood) Menon joined the Commission as a Congressional Fellow in 2021 and became a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs team in 2022. Prior to her time at the Commission, she served in the U.S. Senate. She also previously worked as a policy analyst for a D.C.-based government relations firm that worked to bridge the gap between technology companies and Members of Congress.
READ MOREZoe Merewether, Research Assistant, Economics and Trade
Zoe Merewether joined the Commission as a Research Assistant on the Economics and Trade team in 2024. She has four years of experience in technology, media, and telecommunications corporate and investment banking at institutions focused on China and the broader APAC region. As a graduate student in international economics at the Hopkins Nanjing Center at Nanjing University, Zoe wrote and defended her thesis on Chinese foreign direct investment in Japan’s service economy in Mandarin Chinese. She holds a B.A. in East Asian studies with a minor in economics from Stanford University.
READ MORENicole Morgret, Policy Analyst, Security and Foreign Affairs
Nicole Morgret is a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs team. Prior to joining the Commission in 2023, she worked as an analyst on the Center for Advanced Defense Studies’ (C4ADS) Human Security team and as project manager at the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP). She has a MA from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.
READ MOREJonathan Roberts, Congressional Liaison
Jonathan Roberts joined the Commission as a Congressional Fellow in 2022 and was promoted to Congressional Liaison in January 2023, where he helps with outreach to Congress, the press, and the public, in addition to performing research.
Prior to his time at the Commission, Jonathan served in the U.S. Senate primarily as a national security aide working on issues related to East Asia and international human rights. He also previously worked in the Texas House of Representatives on energy issues.
READ MOREEvan Ulman, Administrative Assistant
Evan Ulman serves as the Commission’s Administrative Assistant. His previous career experience includes internships in local and federal government and as a paralegal at a federal employment law firm. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle, having graduated with College Honors.
READ MOREAubrey Waddick, Policy Analyst, Economics and Trade
Aubrey Waddick is a Policy Analyst on the Economics and Trade team at the Commission. Prior to joining, she was the director of research policy for a non-profit in Annapolis, Maryland. She received a PhD in Political Science and Asian Studies from Penn State in 2022, where she conducted research on China’s external economic relations as a National Science Foundation fellow. Aubrey holds an MA in Political Science from Penn State, and a BA in Political Science and Economics from Augustana College.
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