David Gitter

President and Chief Executive Officer

David Gitter is the president and CEO of the Center for Advanced China Research, where he specializes in research and analysis of authoritative open source Chinese language materials. He previously worked in various analytical capacities in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, including the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (OUSDP), Project 2049 Institute, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), focusing on Chinese foreign policy and broader Asian security issues. Gitter received his MA in Asian Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He has lived, worked, and studied in Beijing, China and has working proficiency in Mandarin.

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dgitter@ccpwatch.org

Brock Erdahl

Director of Analysis

Brock Erdahl is director of analysis at the Center for Advanced China Research, where he specializes in propaganda analysis. Prior to moving to D.C., he lived, worked, and studied in Zhuhai, China for five years. He holds an MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and is professionally proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

Andrew Baer 

Lead Developer

Andrew Baer serves as a full stack developer at the Center for Advanced China Research where he is developing tools for analysis.  He previously worked as a defense contractor and scientific researcher within various government agencies, including the Department of Defense (DOD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Naval Research Lab (NRL) under the Department of the Navy.  

abear@ccpwatch.org

Cady Deck

Analyst

Cady Deck is an analyst at the Center for Advanced China Research. She holds an MA in China Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She spent her first year at the Hopkins Nanjing Center in Nanjing, China and previously studied in Beijing, Kunming, and Taiwan. She also holds a BA from George Washington University, where she double majored in International Affairs and Political Science and minored in Chinese. 

adeck@ccpwatch.org

Connor Swank 

Analyst

Connor Swank is an analyst at the Center for Advanced China Research. Prior to working at CACR, he completed a master’s degree in Chinese politics, foreign policy, and international relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, where he lived for two years. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He previously worked with the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, on Capitol Hill, and as a part-time research assistant at Georgetown University.  He has working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese.

cswank@ccpwatch.org

Anna Scott Bell

Editor, Party Watch Initiative

Anna Scott Bell is editor of the Party Watch Initiative at the Center for Advanced China Research. She previously worked at the Global Taiwan Institute, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, the East-West Center in Washington, and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. She holds an MA in Asian Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and an MA in Theology from Regent College, Canada. She has lived, worked, and studied in Beijing, China, and is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

asbell@ccpwatch.org

Samuel Olson

Analyst

Samuel Olson is an analyst at the Center for Advanced China Research and associate editor of CACR's Party Watch Initiative. He holds an MA in China Studies and International Politics from the Hopkins Nanjing Center in Nanjing, China. He previously interned at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and worked at CSOFT International as a research analyst. Samuel studied at Middlebury Summer Language School and has travelled extensively in East Asia. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

solson@ccpwatch.org

Julie Huynh

Program Manager and Research Assistant

Julie Huynh is a program manager and research assistant at Center for Advanced China Research. She majored in Chinese Language and Literature and minored in Mathematics and Linguistics at Middlebury College. She has lived, worked, and studied abroad in China, Korea, Japan, India, and Bahrain. She has previously worked with the Korean Defense Veterans' Association. 

Svyat Nakonechny 

Data Advisor

Svyat Nakonechny is an experienced data scientist and data engineer, with expertise in unstructured/ semistructured data processing, transformation, and integration into user-facing applications. He has worked on and managed several long term projects across many industry domains. He is particularly interested in building robust analytical tools (search platforms, business intelligence dashboards, etc.) for sophisticated subject matter experts. Svyat holds a Bachelors Degree in social sciences from Northwestern University.