When Asia Society's Rachel Cooper was at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1970s, she spent a semester on a cruise ship, stopping at various cities on a voyage that changed the course of her life.

Although she had studied dance since she was 5 and remained focused on the performing arts, her visits to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and other Asian ports sparked a passion for the region that eventually led to a career in promoting Asia-US cultural exchanges.

As director for global performing arts and special cultural initiatives at the Asia Society, she has developed and promoted an array of cultural projects and exchanges.