The Chapter’s Board of Directors is composed of:
Ralph W. Beha
Currently a Board member and a Past President of the Minnesota Chapter of the USCPFA, Ralph Beha has been engaged in the study of China and international business law since the early 1970s. He majored in East Asian Studies at Princeton University, served as President of the Georgetown University Law Center’s Student International Law Society, and worked as Asian Legal Counsel for a large computer company in the early 1980s, entering into some of the first technology transfers to China following the opening to the West. Over the years, Ralph taught Asian Political Economy for 10 years in an international M.B.A. program at the University of St. Thomas, and has served on the Boards of the Midwest China Center and the Inner City Tennis Foundation. In his day job, Ralph is Special Counsel to the law firm of HSML. He also serves on the U.S Department of Commerce District Export Council for Minnesota. In addition to his Board and other duties, Cap’n Ralph coordinates “Team Friendship”, the USCPFA-MN Dragon Boat team.
N. Walter Graff
N. Walter Graff has been a member of the Board of USCPFA-MN since 1988 and has served as President and Co-President of the Chapter. He is best known as being the husband of Margaret Wong. He is also a founding board member of the MN-China Friendship Garden Society. He practiced law first in Boston and then for 42 years at Best & Flanagan in Minneapolis, concentrating principally on development and management of real estate. At various times, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at the U of M Law School, a Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, a 20-year member of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s ad hoc committee on condominiums and townhouses, a Board Member of Yinghua Academy, Board Chair of the first accredited school of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Minnesota, and for the last 19 years, a Trustee of Northwestern Health Sciences University.
Karlynn Fronek
Karlynn Fronek became involved in U.S. China Peoples Friendship Association through contacts at U.S. China Business Connections group, now Minnesota China Business Council. She has a BA in International Relations from University of Wisconsin, attended Masters program in Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and has a Masters in Business Communications from University of St. Thomas. She has written articles for local and national publications about business with China as well as other subjects for local magazines. She is a consultant for a U.S. enterprise working with companies that have operations in China and has advised Minnesota companies exporting to China. Additionally, she has worked on projects with League of Women Voters Minneapolis, including one on sex trafficking.
Barbara Harrison
Barbara Harrison has been a member of USCPFA-MN since 1979, USCPFA-MN President (1989-1991), and USCPFA-National President from 1991-2005. In 2004, Barbara was the 5th American awarded the title of Friendship Ambassador by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Beijing, China. In 2005, USCPFA bestowed on Barbara its highest award, the Koji Ariyoshi Award. She holds AA and BA degrees from the University of Minnesota and was named a U-MN College of Liberal Arts Notable Achievement Honoree. Barbara is a lifetime U-MN Alumni Association member. She is a founding board member of the MN China Friendship Garden Society (2005). Since 1986, she has traveled to China more than 25 times, the most recent trip in July 2016 to attend the 7th Friendship Forum in Chuzhou, Anhui Province.
Glynis Hinschberger
Glynis Hinschberger has been a USCPFA-MN member and Board member for over 10 years, and now serves as Co-President, having been Secretary and Membership Chair as well. Glynis has five children, all adopted from China and Taiwan. She is a member of Families with Children from China/Asia (FCC/FCA) and has previously served as FCC Board President and Treasurer. She has B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Iowa State University. She is a Registered Profession Electrical Engineer in the state of Minnesota, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, and a Fellow and past national president of the Society of Women Engineers.
Ken Lau
Ken was born in China and grew up in Hong Kong. He came to Minnesota in 1965 to attend the University of Minnesota. After getting his MBA in finance from the Carlson School of Business, he started his management career in the Twin Cities, working for Fortune 500 companies such as Burlington Northern, Dayton Hudson and International Multifoods. As China opened up to the rest of the world, he returned to work in Hong Kong and China, first for multinational companies such as Digital Equipment, American Standard and later for TIW of Canada in a joint venture partnership with China Unicom. Ken has been very active in serving the local community. He was president and board member of CAAM in 1975. He served on the Board of Accountancy of Minnesota from 1992 to 1995. He is currently Treasurer and board member of CHFF.
Margaret Wong
Currently serving as Co-President of the USCPFA-MN, Margaret has been a Board member of USCPFA since 1976, when she was chosen to lead the first delegation of American high school students to China. Since then, she has led 32 student trips to China, and served as a 40+-years Mandarin teacher in both public and private schools. She continues to have the great passion of sharing her insights and knowledge of Chinese culture with everyone.
Additional Board members: Brian Hammer; Kent Lee; Melinda Wellvang; Susan Weertz; Melody Zhou; Cindy Moeller; Haiyan Wang