Williston Northampton School is pleased to announce that Ronald Chan ’01 will be the featured speaker for our virtual Cum Laude induction ceremony, to be broadcast on January 26.
Chan has had more than a decade of experience in public service and current affairs. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he attended the Williston Northampton School as a boarding student and pursued undergraduate and graduate studies in the United States. Upon his graduation, he returned to his hometown and pursued a career in politics. He was elected as a district council member in 2007.
In 2010, the Hong Kong government appointed him special assistant to the chief executive. In that capacity, he served as the government’s public communications liaison with legislators, journalists, and the community. In 2012, Chan became the political assistant to the secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs. He was promoted three years later to the position of undersecretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, with a portfolio that included public elections and human rights protection. He played a major role in the government’s two-year endeavor to introduce universal suffrage.
Currently, Chan is executive manager at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, where he is responsible for the club’s business development and stakeholder engagement with mainland China.
Chan speaks four languages and holds a B.A. in public policy and an M.A. in political and comparative sociology from Stanford University. He earned an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School University, where he was a Mason Fellow. He was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in 2017 by Hong Kong’s chief executive for “loyal and distinguished service to the community and exemplary contributions in the areas of constitutional and electoral affairs, and protection of human rights and privacy.”
An outdoor enthusiast, Chan is an avid hiker and has been training for a triathlon.
The Cum Laude Society is a national honor society modeled on Phi Beta Kappa. Williston Academy joined the society in 1921. The Northampton School for Girls received its charter in 1951. In 1971 the society granted the merged Williston Northampton School a new charter. Membership into the Cum Laude Society is the highest academic award that the Williston faculty can bestow. Twelve students will be inducted during the ceremony.