Raymond F. Burghardt served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) from February 2006 to October 2016. Burghardt now serves on the board of several for-profit and non-profit organizations, including as president of the Pacific Century Institute, a Los Angeles-based foundation. Concurrently with his position as AIT Chairman, Burghardt served from 2005 until December 2012 as Director of Seminars at the East-West Center in Honolulu. Burghardt served for many years as one of the leading Asian specialists in the US Foreign Service. He was Ambassador to Vietnam (2001-2004), Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassies in Manila (1993-96) and Seoul (1990-93) and Political Counselor in Beijing (1987-89). He was Director of the American Institute in Taiwan from 1999-2001. Prior to his arrival in Taipei, Burghardt was Consul General in Shanghai from 1997-99. In the mid-1970’s, Burghardt studied for one year in Taichung at the State Department’s Chinese Language School. Burghardt received a B.A. from Columbia College in 1967 and did graduate study at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. He was born in New York City and raised in the New York metropolitan area.