Afreen Akhter is a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Maldives, as well as the Office of Security and Transnational Affairs. Ms. Akhter most recently served as a Senior Advisor to SCA Assistant Secretary Don Lu. Previously, Ms. Akhter was the National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser to U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. Other assignments include the State Department’s Office of Pakistan Affairs, Political-Military Affairs Bureau, U.S. Embassy Beijing and the National Security Council. She was a Presidential Management Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar to Kingston, Jamaica. Ms. Akhter hails from Oak Brook, IL. She earned her M.A. in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and her B.A. from Brown University.

Porimol Palma is a diplomatic correspondent for The Daily Star, focusing on local news and international relations in Bangladesh. With a keen interest in political developments and foreign affairs, Porimol provides in-depth analysis and reporting on key issues impacting the nation's image and global standing. His work has also been featured in Asia International News.

Avasna Pandey is the program manager at the Center for Investigative Journalism-Nepal. Prior to that, she worked as the Editorial page editor at The Kathmandu Post.

Ranga Jayasuriya is a journalist and a researcher in geopolitics, with an emphasis on South Asia and the rise of Chinese power and influence in the region. He has a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations from Central China Normal University & MSc from S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Passang Dorji is a former Bhutanese politician who was a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan since October 2018. Dorji started his career at an employment office with the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources. He later worked as the chief reporter with Bhutan Times and editor with The Journalist. He subsequently became the first president of the Journalist Association of Bhutan and was also the founding member and board director of Bhutan Transparency Initiative. He later worked as the consultant for United Nations Development Program and helped in the Five Year Strategic Plan (2014–2019) of the National Assembly of Bhutan and National Council of Bhutan. Dorji holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from University of Delhi, India and a master's degree in Management from University of Canberra, Australia. Dorji also holds a PhD in International Relations from City University of Hong Kong.

Rasheeda M. Didi is an independent researcher and lecturer in political science and international relations as well as twentieth century Maldivian history. She has worked for the United Nations Peacekeeping in Liberia and the Commonwealth Joint Office for Permanent Missions to the UN, in New York.

Dr. Nicholas Hamisevicz is a Program Manager at the East-West Center in Washington, where he is responsible for the Adjunct Fellows and Research Innovation and Collaboration Exchange (RICE) programs. Previously, Dr. Hamisevicz was the Director of Research and Academic Affairs at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI). Dr. Hamisevicz was responsible for issues affecting the U.S.-South Korea alliance, especially topics related to North Korea, and led KEI’s efforts to connect the policy and academic communities. During his time at KEI, he visited North Korea in August 2011.

Prior to joining KEI, Dr. Hamisevicz was the Research Associate in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation. He wrote and provided research analysis on political and security affairs, especially regarding China, Korea, and South Asia. He was also a co-author for Heritage’s publication of the Key Asian Indicators: A Book of Charts.

Dr. Hamisevicz completed his PhD in the Department of Politics at The Catholic University of America, writing a dissertation on the effectiveness of strategic partnerships in Asia. He was also awarded a Critical Language Scholarship by the US Department of State in studied Korean in Gwangju, South Korea in 2016. Dr. Hamisevicz also has a MA in International Communication from American University, a MA in International Studies from Korea University, and a BA in Communication Studies from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Nilanthi Samaranayake is an adjunct fellow at the East-West Center’s Washington, DC office and a visiting expert at the United States Institute of Peace in the South Asia Programs. Previously, Samaranayake served as Director of CNA’s Strategy and Policy Analysis Program, where she led a team of analysts who conduct multidisciplinary research and analysis for civilian and military leaders. Before joining CNA in 2010, she analyzed public opinion for a decade at Pew Research Center in Washington DC and completed a fellowship at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) in Seattle. She holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Samaranayake served as the Guest Editor for this Asia Pacific Bulletin special series and is currently writing a book on the Smaller South Asian countries.