Executive Team and Young Leaders
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James P. Moore, Jr.
Founder and CEO
James P. Moore, Jr. is the founder and CEO of the Washington Institute for Business, Government and Society. Prior to launching the Institute, he served as Managing Director of the Business and Public Policy Initiative at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and taught courses in international trade, ethics, management and leadership. Earlier in his career, Moore served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Information and Analysis. Concurrently, he was named head of U.S. Delegation to the Industry Committee of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris and head of delegation to the Bureau of International Expositions. Upon leaving the U.S. government, he founded ATI, a global investment banking firm, with offices in Moscow, London, Doha, Washington and New York. He has received a number of honors both in the United States and abroad.
Prashanth Ramachandra
Business Development Associate
Prashanth is a first-year Financial Economics major at Columbia University. Interested in exploring the intersections between finance and social responsibility, Prashanth is a member of Columbia’s Scholars of Finance chapter, where he regularly engages with other students and business leaders regarding ethics in the financial sector. In his free time, Prashanth also enjoys reading automotive journalism and playing classical violin.
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Yagiz Sullu
Social Science Research Assistant
Yagiz Sullu is a graduate of George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, where he earned a Master of Arts in International Affairs with a focus on international development, law, and organizations. He completed his undergraduate education at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies majoring in International Relations with a focus on Foreign Policy, Security Studies, and Europe. At the Washington Institute, he is researching the latest technology, global economy, corporate social responsibility trends as well as managing the Institute’s podcasts, videos, newsletters proposals, website and other media engagements. He is currently completing his PhD in Planning, Governance and Globalization at Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs at Arlington VA, focusing on Global Energy Policy. He is a native speaker of Turkish language.
Giulio Alighieri
Technology and Innovation Fellow
Giulio is conducting his postdoctoral research in the Weiss Lab at the MIT Synthetic Biology Center after graduating for his PhD and MS from the MIT Chemical Engineering Department. There, in the same lab where he carried out his PhD research, he is continuing to work on developing platform based on RNA-RNA interactions without the use of exogenous proteins for cancer and autoimmune diseases applications. Before Joining MIT, Giulio received a triple master degree in nanotechnology jointly awarded from the Polytechnic of Turin (Italy), the Grenoble Institute of Technology (France), the EPFL (Switzerland). During his graduate studies at MIT, Giulio has been actively involved in student leadership activities having been the president of the MIT European Club for four years and also member of the advisory group of the Dean of the School of Engineering professor Anantha P. Chandrakasan (GradSAGE). Giulio is a sport enthusiast and enjoy activities like running, biking and hiking. As for team sports, he is truly passionate about tennis and soccer.
Mingqian Sun
CEO Associate
Mingqian Sun is the CEO Associate of the Washington Institute for Business, Government and Society. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Social Policy at School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania. She completed her undergraduate education at University of California, San Diego majoring in Sociology and holding a minor in Economics. Outside of her studies, Mingqian has worked for non-profit tech start-ups, political campaigns, research programs in public health policy, and conducted independent research in philanthropy. Mingqian aspires to use her knowledge and skills to facilitate social entrepreneurship, and technological innovation at Washington Institute for Business, Government and Society. In her spare time, she enjoys weightlifting, doing Pilates, and reading a good ethnography-based book.
Rafay Siddiqui
CEO Associate
Shuting Yao
Communications Associate
Shuting Yao is the Communications Associate of the Washington Institute for Business, Government and Society. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin. Before coming to the United States, she worked as a web content researcher in Beijing, China after receiving her bachelor's and master’s degrees in China and Australia. In addition to the role as a researcher, Shuting Yao is also a public speaking instructor, conflict mediator, dialogue facilitator, and English-Chinese translator and interpreter.
Kasang Lhadon Tobtsang
Communications Associate
Kasang is a third-year student at Columbia University studying Political Science with a concentration in History. Interested in the intersection between government, law, and society, she currently serves as a member of the podcast team for the Undergraduate Law Review, where she has conversed with university faculty and legal experts on the discourse surrounding the legality and ethical nature of solitary confinement and the death penalty. In the near future, Kasang aspires to attend law school with the hopes of studying corporate or civil rights law.
Arielle Hillock
Business Development Associate
Arielle is a second year student pursuing two bachelors degrees from Columbia University and Trinity College Dublin in Philosophy, with specialization in math and logic. She is interested in making sustainable and ethical investments, and hopes to pursue a career in corporate law. Currently, she is a member of the Trinity Student Managed Fund and serves on the editorial board of the law journal. In her spare time, she enjoys playing classical music on the trumpet and advancing her Russian language skills.
Rafay is a third-year Mathematics/Economics student at the University of California, Los Angeles. Intrigued by the relationship between economics and the law, he currently serves as an editor for the Business Law and Investing Society and Undergraduate Law Journal, where he analyzed legal arguments pertaining to telehealth data privacy, surveillance technology, and international conflicts. Upon graduation, Rafay aspires to attend law school to study corporate or constitutional law.
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