About Us
Stephen Alexander, President and Director
A retired International Business Executive, currently living in Maryland, with experience as a CEO, GM and Regional Head of Market in China, SE Asia, Africa, and the U.S. His experience includes leadership positions in several Fortune 500 sized organizations. Throughout his career, he has dedicated a portion his personal time meeting the needs and aspirations of local student athletes in the countries where he lived and worked. During the latter years of his international business career, he worked in rural China and West African countries on international development projects like delivering sustainable logistics solutions for transporting essential medicines into disadvantaged communities. He has a passion for aid programs that reach underserved student athletes obtain a college educational. Stephen is a detailed oriented leader, with excellent communication and organizational skills, which are important assets for GSAF.
Lei Zhou, Director
Lei is a national citizen of the Peoples Republic of China and a retired International Business Executive currently living in Beijing, China. He has extensive business and leadership experience as a CFO, Finance Director, and Information Technology Director in Fortune 500 sized European, American, and Chinese organizations operating in Asia, China, and France. He has dedicated a significant portion his personal life to meeting the needs and academic aspirations of students and colleagues through sharing his knowledge and assistance. He speaks fluent Mandarin, French, and English. His international leadership experience and knowledge, especially in France, China, and other Asian markets are important assets. Additionally, he will focus on assisting with financial management, international network connections, and cross-cultural communications for GSAF.
Gery Short, Director
A recently retired Education Executive currently living in Sonoma, California. For over 30 years, Gery has developed extensive experience overseeing essential educational initiatives which serve underprivileged young people across the United States and internationally. He has dedicated a significant portion his career and personal life to meeting the academic needs and aspirations of student athletes from all cultural backgrounds. He has specific experience in Latin and South American markets. Gery’s lifelong experience and knowledge are significant assets for the GSAF. His duties as a director will be to serve as a professional consultant during board meetings, with a specialized focus on educational institutions, academic qualifications and needs of student grant recipients, and overall management direction of the GSAF. Gery’s experience with the De La Salle Christian Brothers governance and management programs and new efforts will serve well the students in GSAF.
Abigail Wilson, Secretary and Treasurer
Abigail is currently pursuing a career and post-graduate educational degrees in a specialized field linking academics with sports programming for underserved youth communities. She has experience managing and directing multiple programs for student athletes in both the international and U.S. domestic arenas. She received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Virginia Tech in 2018, graduating Summa Cum Laude with an Honors Scholar Diploma, a minor in psychology and a concentration in social inequality. She hopes to further her education by pursuing a doctorate focused on cross cultural relationships, based on sport programing and the power that competitive athletics has in transcending social, economic, and cultural barriers. She is passionate about eliminating inequalities that exist for student athletes in the US and abroad. Additionally, her excellent interpersonal skills and attention to detail are important assets for the GSAF.