Yukong Mike Zhao

Born in Kunming, China, in 1963, Zhao lived through the devastation of the Cultural Revolution, which brought political persecution, personal loss, and extreme poverty to his family. In 1992, he came to the United States as a poor foreign student at Virginia Tech, pursuing the American Dream. In the land of opportunity, he persevered and earned an International MBA from the University of South Carolina in 1996. Later, he rose through the ranks to become the director of global planning at Siemens Energy, all while raising a happy family with his wife in Orlando, Florida.

In 2014, Zhao embarked on a mission to defend the American Dream, advocating for equal education rights for Asian and all other Americans. Under his leadership, AACE exposed anti-Asian discrimination in college admissions on the national stage. The organization galvanized Asian American communities in support of lawsuits filed by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) against Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over the past 9 years, Zhao volunteered thousands of hours, forming the largest alliance of over 380 organizations in Asian communities and playing a vital role in helping SFFA win these landmark lawsuits in the U.S. Supreme Court.

AACE also worked closely with the Trump administration, which adopted policy recommendations by AACE on college admissions in 2018. Additionally, they filed a lawsuit against Yale University in 2020 in response to AACE’s complaint

In 2022, Zhao released a thought-provoking book titled “Critical Race Theory and Woke Culture: America’s Dangerous Repeat of China’s Cultural Revolution.” Drawing from his own experiences and insights, the book reveals how the radical left is employing a Maoist playbook to destroy the very fabric of America.

Beyond his book, Zhao has contributed numerous columns to media publications such as National Review, Washington Examiner, Daily Caller, and Orange County Register. In these writings, he fearlessly fights against socialism, critical race theory, woke culture, and other elements of the radical left agenda.