Our Instructors

Frank Lin is the founder and managing director of Ancilla Capital Advisors of Alternative Investment and the CEO of Atrata Inc. He built the next generation of leaders of the free world, people of strong moral and social character. Frank worked at Providence Equity Partners and was the head of quant analytics for Morgan Stanley Real Estate. He also worked at PE Credit Suisse Alternative Investments, DLJMB/IP

Mr. Pape recently retired from Simpson College, a Liberal Arts school where he taught, coached, and won the Pi Kappa Delta national debate championship for four out of the last five years.

Matt Stannard has a J.D. in Law from the University of Wyoming College of Law. While coaching debate at the College of Eastern Utah and the University of Wyoming, Matt led teams to victory at multiple national and regional championships in intercollegiate debate. He has taught at or directed dozens of high school debate institutes including the Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshops, where his public forum labs have won multiple institute championships. He currently teaches debate, public speaking, oratory, and quiz bowl to students in the United States and China. He has also taught debate in Iraq and South Korea.

Tiana Brownen is a Communication scholar with a focus on rhetoric and political communication. She is currently an Instructor of Public Speaking, but has been teaching English and public speaking in high school and university settings for over three years. With over a decade of experience in the speech and debate community as a competitor and coach, she has experience with various debate formats and speech writing. Tiana is excited to help students find their voice through debate and speech activities. 

Mr. Raymond Mathis' Viswise students are the reigning champions of the most prestigious global high school investment competition. Previously, Raymond was a Portfolio Manager for Spirit of America Investment Funds, a family of equity and fixed income mutual funds. At Spirit of America, he took over Real Estate Income and Growth Fund, in addition to the Large Cap Value Fund, and subsequently launched an Energy Fund and several fixed income funds.

Reinhold Steinbeck has worked over 20 years as a program director, researcher, and instructor in innovation and educational technologies. At Apple Inc., Reinhold worked with Apple’s Advanced Technology Group under Don Norman, one of the developers of user-centered design. Reinhold was associate director of learning experience (LX) design with the Learning Lab and founding director of the International Outreach Program. Throughout his tenure, Reinhold has been working closely with Professor Larry Leifer, a global pioneer and one of the most influential experts of design thinking. In addition, Reinhold has taught design thinking and directed research studies in innovation at universities in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Switzerland. He currently leads the Stanford Continuing Studies Program DSN 310 W “Building Innovative Teams.”

Dr. Tianyang Wang (Tian) is a Tenured Associate Professor. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a Financial Risk Manager (FRM) certified by the Global Association of Risk Professionals, and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA).

Jerry Wang is the Founder and CEO of Haitou Global, and the Managing Partner of Haitou Emerging Tech Fund. Emerging Tech Fund is an early-stage venture fund actively managed by Haitou Global. With the investment philosophy of “Disruptive Innovation”, the Fund actively invests in and incubates innovative early stage companies in emerging industries such as fintech, consumer-tech, health-tech, and clean-tech in China, the United States, and emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Jerry Wang holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Tsinghua University and a master’s degree in Engineering and a MBA degree from the University of Notre Dame. He also holds CFA and CAIA certificates. 

Lucy Chen is currently the vice president of Claris, an Apple software subsidiary, and is in charge of the development of FileMaker Platform, including FileMaker Server, Pro, Go and Cloud. Claris develops and sells applications for automated workflow and digital transformation. Lucy has a wealth of senior management experience in Sino-US multinational companies. She served as an expatriate chief manager for 10 years. As the general manager of a Chinese company, she prepared and managed the R&D, sales, and marketing operations of the Chinese branch. Prior to this, Lucy also held a number of management and technical positions at Adobe, which was responsible for InDesign, Illustrator and other products. Lucy holds a dual degree in Information Systems Management and Education from Seattle Pacific University.

Rachel Ping Yang is Managing Partner of Highline Park Capital LLC. Prior to her current position, she was Executive Director at Fosun International, covering investment in financial services and was Executive Director of corporate banking and financial institutions at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. She used to work in structured finance industry for years for Mizuho Securities, Credit Agricole CIB, Ernst and Young LLP, and Moody’s Wall Street Analytics. Rachel Ping Yang holds a M.S. in Financial Engineering from University of Michigan and Bachelor in Management Information Systems from Tsinghua University.

Cathy Peng is the CEO of ROCS Global, an executive consulting firm specialized in talent recruiting and leadership training based in Silicon Valley.

Hope Yin is an exceptional Executive/Leadership/Career Coach certified by International Coaching Federation and iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching). Hope’s passion is to make a positive difference in the world. She is devoted to influencing and supporting people on their journey of continued success. She has coached/mentored hundreds of people.

Joy Zhao is a Corporate Career Coach, Business Executive, and Self-Empowerment Strategist who guides aspiring business professionals in maximizing potential, rising the corporate ladder, and achieving career goals with confidence and courage. With 15+ years’ experience in leadership roles for big brands and high-tech companies, including two in the Fortune 100, Joy has mentored 100+ professionals in optimizing their business performance and charting a positive path forward. Now, as a certified coach, she helps clients navigate successful careers using her signature methodology that includes her ‘Thick-Skin Theory’ and ‘Courage Formula.’ She is able to quickly identify what holds them back and then liberates them with a mastery of skillsets in everything from improving interpersonal communication and leadership influence, to overcoming corporate adversity and imposter syndrome, to organizing life and avoiding burnout. Her expertise: strengths-based development, 360-degree corporate relationship building, and mastery of positive self-talk.

Ivy Qunyan Liu is a certified professional coach, dedicated to providing coaching services for experts and leaders in the corporate world so that people can connect with a better self. Ivy holds a master's degree in advanced management from the Yale University School of Management and an MBA from the National University of Singapore. While studying at Yale, her coach boldly helped her change her career path and entered a new career field with confidence. She also has 15 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, dedicated to assisting clients to unleash their strength and build confidence from within. Before becoming a coach, she was a senior manager of a top telecommunications company in China, and founded and served as the CEO of an educational technology start-up company in Singapore. She is now the president of UAC Heroes, a non-profit organization whose mission is to unite across cultures.

Jamiel is Founder & CEO of Chainhaus, a digital assets advisory and education company focused on decentralized finance and artificial intelligence. He has over 20 years of experience in technology, capital markets, real estate and management. Prior to Chainhaus, Jamiel worked for organizations like Lehman Brothers, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Sun Microsystems, SONY and Citigroup. Jamiel is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, NYU and CUNY teaching graduate-level blockchain, AI and data science subjects.

Kyrene Chen is a professional art advisor who builds and manages collections for high-net-worth Chinese clients worldwide. Her academic training includes an MA in the Visual Arts Administration from New York University and a BA in the History of Art from University of California, Irvine. She specializes in Post-War and contemporary art and works on projects internationally.

Jayne Latz is an expert in communication skills. She is an executive communication coach who has over 25 years of experience helping others improve their lives through stronger communication, including working as a speech-language pathologist, college educator, professional speech trainer, and coach. Jayne is also an experienced public speaker. She is a Vistage Speaker and a member of the National Speakers Association has been featured in the Wall Street Journal (four times) and was a guest on the Today Show. She is also the author of Communicate Up The Corporate Ladder, How To Succeed In Business With Clarity and Confidence. As of April 2020, she is now a certified virtual presenter.

Carmela O’Flaherty is a dynamic executive leadership and business communication coach, consultant, facilitator, mentor, and speaker. For over 20 years, she has partnered with non-native English-speaking Senior Executive Leaders in Fortune 500 companies to effectively communicate and lead across cultures and languages, helping them gain a powerful voice, build stronger relationships, and attain job satisfaction. Carmela has lived on three continents, speaks three languages, and has pivoted her education and career several times, bringing all she has learned with her. Carmela’s multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary background affords her a unique wide-lens perspective while her experience fosters a trusting relationship with her clients. Formerly a performing classical pianist, her corporate career began at Solomon Smith Barney and Bankers Trust, International Operations. As an Assistant Professor at The New School for Social Engagement, Carmela has been a testing coordinator for International Students, a teacher, and a staff development instructor. She holds degrees in International Business, Education, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Certifications: ACC - International Coach Federation; Results Coaching - Neuro Leadership Institute; Executive Coach - Center for Executive Coaching; CPQC - Positive Intelligence; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity in the Workplace.

Alina Kaplan, MS, CCC-SLP/TSSLD, is a New York state-licensed and ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist. She received her BA from Hunter College and her MS from Brooklyn College and is a Compton-certified accent reduction specialist. She has extensive experience providing speech and language intervention to individuals of all ages and helping business professionals climb the corporate ladder.

Paul Michaels, MA, CCC-SLP, is a New York state-licensed and ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist. He holds a graduate degree in acting from Southern Methodist University where his studies included voice production and dialect training with Margaret Loft, formerly of the Juilliard School. Michaels is Compton P-ESL-certified and has worked with clients on a wide range of developmental and acquired speech and language delays and disorders. He has been a member of the team for almost ten years.