Jeff Otto coordinates Pacific Forum’s Young Leaders Program and next-gen engagements. He is an alumnus of the Master’s in Asian International Affairs (MAIA) program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM). Prior to joining Pacific Forum, Jeff was a Research Fellow at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI-APCSS).

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Aristyo Rizka Darmawan is a lecturer in international law at the Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia. Currently he is a Ph.D Scholar at the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University. His research focuses on the intersection between international law of the sea, foreign policy and maritime security in the Asia Pacific with particular focus on the South China Sea.
He obtained his Master’s Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, United States and Bachelor of Law from Universitas Indonesia. He is also a former Visiting Fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University

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Captain Kentaro Furuya (JCG) is an adjunct professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), a visiting professor at Keio University, and a professor at the Japan Coast Guard Academy. His career spans the realm of Coast Guard service, where he has dedicated himself to ensuring maritime safety and security both at sea and the development of policies onshore. Presently, he has been entrusted with the responsibility of being a faculty member in the Maritime Safety and Security Policy Program at GRIPS. Captain Furuya is responsible for instructing students in matters pertaining to the law of the sea, maritime security, and the formulation of Coast Guard operations.

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Dr. Lai Thai Binh is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Philippines. He served as a Deputy Director-General of the East Sea (South China Sea) Institute (Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam), the Deputy Consul-General of Vietnam in Houston, Deputy Director-General and Assistant Director-General at Americas Department in the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of the American research division, Director and Deputy Director of the North America division, and as a Vietnam-U.S. relations desk officer. He earned a BA in international economics from Hanoi Foreign Trade University and a Ph.D. in International relations from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

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Dr. Annette Bradford is Education and Policy Advisor at the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS). She recently completed a fellowship with the Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Partnership Program, researching the implementation of education and training capacity-building activities in the maritime domain. Annette also consults for Oxford EMI, a leading consultancy and training organization for higher education internationalization and English-medium Instruction (EMI) teacher professional development. Annette holds an EdD in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the George Washington University, an MA in Linguistics from the University of Surrey, and a BA in Modern Languages from the University of East Anglia.

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Hu Bo is research professor & director of the Center for Maritime Strategy Studies, Peking University, and director of SCSPI. He received his PhD in Politics from the School of International Studies at Peking University and has extensive experience in policy analysis and consulting. His areas of specialization include maritime strategy, international security, and Chinese diplomacy. He has written three books and more than 50 journal articles and book chapters on topics related to China’s maritime strategy and policy. His most recent books published are as follows: China’s Maritime Power in 2049 (China Development Press, 2015), China’s Sea Power in the Post Mahan Era (Ocean Press, 2018), and Chinese Maritime Power in the 21st Century (Routledge, 2019).

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Capt. Mico A. Galang is a member, Corps of Professors, AFP. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UST, and a Master in International Studies from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He was a researcher at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), and taught at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and De La Salle University (DLSU). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UST, and a Master in International Studies from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

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Dr. Hall is the Executive Director of University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies, UP’s policy research unit. She is a Professor of Political Science at University of the Philippines Visayas and UP Scientist III, with an established research and publication portfolio on security, civil-military relations, and gender/rebel integration in the army. She earned her Masters and PhD from Northeastern University, USA on a Fulbright-Hayes scholarship. She is a member of the Executive Board of the Asian Political and International Studies Association; former President of the Philippine Political Science Association; current editor of International Science Perspectives; and current member of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education Technical Panel for Political Science.

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Matteo Piasentini is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman, and a PhD candidate at the same institution. He is also a Nonresident Vasey Fellow at Pacific Forum. His academic work primarily explores the foreign and defense policies of the Philippines, minilateral security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and the global arms trade.
He has authored peer-reviewed publications on these themes and continues to contribute to the scholarly discourse on Indo-Pacific security dynamics. In parallel, he serves as a coordinator and analyst for the China and Indo-Pacific desk at Geopolitica, a leading Italian think tank, where he contributes policy briefs and analytical papers focusing on Italy’s strategic engagement with the Indo-Pacific.

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Since he founded The Stratbase Group in 2004, Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit has provided top-level strategic analysis and thought leadership on global issues in the Philippines.

He is the President of Stratbase Institute, an independent, international think tank based in the Philippines. In the age of geopolitical uncertainties and technological advancements, Stratbase ADR Institute gives equal importance to the interdependent nature of states, sectors, and stakeholders for its strategic analyses and policy initiatives in a multi-polar world.

As a public policy analyst and geo-strategist, he thinks beyond politics for his political risk assessment that is also data-driven. With his extensive experience in legislation and policy making including serving as Undersecretary of the Department of Education, Deputy Secretary of the Philippine Senate and being Chief of Staff of a Senate President, he continues to help Stratbase’s clients and partners understand the interplay between business and government and the impact of legislative, regulatory, and geo-politics on their strategic initiatives.

Professor Manhit obtained his Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in Philippine Studies (Major in Political Science and History) from the University of the Philippines. A member of Phi Gamma Mu International Honors Society Beta Chapter.

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