Senior Leadership
EFA Leadership: Dedicated to Excellence
Our senior leadership team and Advisory Council are a dynamic group of experts, educators, and visionaries dedicated to fostering an environment where students can excel. Learn about the people who guide our mission, Learn about the people who guide our mission, shape our strategies, and ensure that EFA remains on the leading edge of education.
Professor Lei Xinghui, Chief Advisor for International Undergraduate Education at Shinehigh Group
Former Vice President of Tongji University, Doctoral Supervisor
In 1994, he studied Controlling at the headquarters of Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, Germany. From 1996 to 1997, he studied risk management for insurance enterprises at the headquarters of Allianz Group in Stuttgart, Germany, and was a visiting scholar at the University of Hamburg, Germany. In 1999, he participated in an academic seminar at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. In 2000, he was a visiting scholar at the University of Frankfurt and the European Business School in Germany. In 2001, he visited National Sun Yat-sen University and Feng Chia University in Taiwan for academic exchanges.
He has long been engaged in research and teaching in financial and financial management, strategic management, and risk management. He served as the Director of the Institute of Strategy and Finance at Tongji University, a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, and a distinguished professor at the China MBA program of the University of South Australia. His main courses include Advanced Management, Corporate Strategic Management, Financial Management, Innovation and Change, and Leadership Skills and Leadership Art. His primary research areas cover corporate restructuring planning, development strategy research, financial enterprise risk management, and financing and investment research for major infrastructure projects. Based on his research in these areas, he has published four monographs and textbooks and more than fifty academic papers. He has completed two sub-projects of the "863 Program," one National Natural Science Foundation project, as well as several major decision-making consulting projects for Shanghai and enterprise consulting projects. He has also undertaken National Natural Science Foundation projects and sub-projects of the National 11th Five-Year Plan Support Program.
Professor Jianwei Wu, Academic Director of International Education at Shinehigh Group
Professor Jianwei Wu previously served as the Associate Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University and is a doctoral supervisor. He is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance and holds a PhD from the University of Reading, UK.
His main teaching areas include International Business Negotiation, International Marketing, and Industrial Economics. Professor Wu has undertaken National Natural Science Foundation projects and has been involved in numerous research projects on business districts, commercial streets, and industrial planning for various cities.
Professor Xuefei Zhang, Executive Director of International Education at Shinehigh Group
Mr. Xuefei Zhang is the Executive Principal of Shanghai Pudong Future Technology School and holds a master's degree. He has previously served as the Director of the Fourth Education Bureau of the Pudong New Area Education Bureau in Shanghai and the Principal of the Second Foreign Language School Affiliated with Shanghai Normal University.
Currently, he is the Executive Director of International Education at Shinehigh Group. He studied at the Institute of Education, University of London, and has been a visiting scholar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the University of Maryland College of Education. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at High Tech High Graduate School of Education and Shanghai Normal University's College of Education.
Jetza Torres
Director, International Student Program
PDSO
Jetza brings over 19 years of knowledge and experience in the fields of international business and international education. She has wide-ranging experience and success in setting and attaining goals for grant-funded programs and others alike. In her role as director, she provides leadership and direction in areas of international student recruitment, enrollment, advising, and marketing.
Prior to this position, she served as the director of the Strong Workforce Program and director of the Center for International Trade Development. Her goal is to help students strive towards their academic goals and gain the skills necessary to thrive in both life and the business world. She holds an M.A. in Public Administration with a concentration in Human Resources and a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in finance.
Esther Meade
International Student Coordinator
DSO
Esther Meade began working at Santiago Canyon College in 2007. In 2018, she began working full-time in the International Student Program. She is a product of the California College system in that she graduated from SCC with an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts: Arts, Humanities, and Communication and ended at CSU, Fullerton with her Master's degree in Human Communication.
She loves traveling for the opportunity to meet new people who share their world through their personal lens. "There is so much for us to learn from one another--I am humbled by the perspectives international students share with me. Learning does not stop after school. We are always students!"
Di Hu
International Student Advisor
Di “Didi” Hu started out at NOVA as an international student from China in 2013 and started working with OIS in 2015 supporting the international admissions team. She is now an International Student Advisor. Before she came to the US, Didi worked in Dubai and Seychelles as a guest relations representative in Hospitality Management. She enjoys working with NOVA students from all over the world and believes each of our students will succeed in their studies. She is fond of cooking, exercising, and appreciating art and movies.
Nan Sato
CIPP/E, CIPP/C
International Student Legal Counsel, EFA Top 50 Program
Nan Sato is a partner in the Philadelphia and New York offices of Fisher Phillips and the co-chair of the firm's International Practice Group. She advises international companies on employment matters around the globe. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe and Canada (CIPP/E & CIPP/C), and also has extensive experience in the labor and employment law aspect of sports.
She frequently advises employers on their international employment issues in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and Latin America. She counsels clients globally on establishment of new international operations, M&A-related employment and data privacy issues, termination processes, international labor relations, global pay equity audits, as well as cross-border employment disputes.
Zhen Ye
Director, EduFuture Academy
Mr. Zhen Ye is the Vice President of Shinehigh Investment Group and an EFA Director. He holds a master's degree from the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University and an EMBA. Early in his career, he served as an executive at publicly listed companies and financial institutions in China. In 2016, he joined Shinehigh Investment Group, where he took charge of the education sector. That same year, he relocated with his family to Washington, D.C., to immerse himself in the study of international education. Collaborating with a U.S. team, he has pioneered numerous high-quality international education projects across the East and West Coasts of the United States. His efforts have significantly expanded educational opportunities for Chinese youth.