Cynthia Ning is associate director of the Center for Chinese Studies and U.S. director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she has taught courses in Chinese language and film for more than 25 years. She regularly conducts teacher-training sessions for secondary and post-secondary levels on performance-based language testing and training, including the STARTALK Chinese Immersion Program/Teacher Training Institute at the University of Hawaii. She also lectures widely on Chinese culture to both academic and nonacademic audiences. Professor Ning is the author of several highly regarded textbooks, including Communicating in Chinese and Exploring Chinese, both published by the Yale University Press. She served the U.S.-based international Chinese Language Teachers Association as a board member, Program Chair, President and finally Executive Director, stepping down in 2009 after fifteen years of service.
