Dr. Lily McElwee serves as President and CEO of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations. With historic family ties to Arizona, she is passionate about subnational diplomacy and elevating the state’s role on the global stage.

Lily was previously deputy director and fellow in the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, and is a recognized expert in China’s foreign policy and relations with the United States, European Union, and the Global South. She has completed fellowships with the American Council on Germany, the CSIS-USC U.S.-Korea NextGen scholar program, the QUAD Task Force on China’s Strategic Futures organized by ORF America and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Lily has spent significant time living in the United Kingdom, China, and Germany.

Lily concurrently serves as an Adjunct Fellow at CSIS, and is publishing a book on the history of U.S. investment gatekeeping amid the rise of China as a Strategy and Policy Fellow with the Smith Richardson Foundation. She holds a DPhil in China studies and an MSc from the University of Oxford, and a BA with honors in political science from Stanford University.

Maria Monserrat Apud de la Fuente began her career as a photojournalist Intern at the Arizona Republic in Phoenix, where she got to know the Phoenix community at large and developed visual stories for readers all across the valley, ranging from politics to arts. She then worked as a Global Programs Coordinator at Thunderbird for Good, managing initiatives to support women entrepreneurs worldwide, with a focus on Latin America. Most recently, Monserrat served as a Brand Consultant at manaomea GmbH in Höllswang, Germany, where she helped develop market entry and brand strategies and optimize digital assets.

Monse is originally from Mexico City but now calls Arizona home. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from Arizona State University and a Master’s degree in Global Management, specializing in Digital Transformations and Global Business Marketing, from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU. Recently, she expanded her professional repertoire by assisting in researching and drafting a family business case study, a collaborative effort between the Thunderbird Masrin Center and the University of Dublin.

Besides connecting with people from diverse backgrounds, Monse loves exploring new places, ice skating, and storytelling through all mediums, especially photography.

Luke Wenz serves as Deputy National Outreach Director, West and Military for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), a broad-based bipartisan coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs that advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy, alongside defense. In addition to his work with USGLC, Luke is the President of Big Stick Consulting, LLC, an Arizona-based strategic consulting firm, focusing on public relations and government affairs consulting.

Luke also serves as the Chair of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations and sits on the Advisory Boards of Global Ties Arizona and WorldPix, Inc. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Pacific Council on International Policy, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and was previously a fellow at the Shafik Gabr Foundation's "East-West: The Art of Dialogue" initiative and the African Middle Eastern Leadership Project. He also volunteers on numerous other local boards and committees in the nonprofit and business sectors and is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s 2023 Millennium Leadership Network.

Earlier in his career, Luke served on Capitol Hill and later as Deputy District Director and Campaign Manager for U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska. He also spent time living and working in Amman, Jordan and with the Kayany Foundation in Lebanon, working in refugee camps whilst studying the geopolitics of the Levant. A native Phoenician, Luke attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, studying political science and religious philosophy.

Caroline Lynch is the founder and owner of Copper Hill Strategies, LLC, providing client-focused government relations, strategic planning, legislative, and business development services. Caroline launched Copper Hill Strategies in 2017 following an extensive career on Capitol Hill, including a decade with the House Judiciary Committee, where she served for eight years as the Chief Counsel of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Caroline was at the forefront of developing some of the most high-profile privacy, cybersecurity, national security, and criminal laws of the 21st Century.

Prior to joining the Judiciary Committee, Caroline served as Chief Counsel of the House Republican Policy Committee, Deputy County Attorney for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and Clerk for the Arizona Court of Appeals. She previously served in the personal office of former Congressman John Shadegg from 1996 to 2000.

Caroline is Vice Chair of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation board, Vice Chair of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations board, and a member of the Arizona Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, the Arizona Technology Council, and the Phoenix Sister Cities program. She has guest-lectured at the ASU, Texas A & M, and George Mason law schools, and is a Visiting Fellow at the George Mason Law National Security Institute. Caroline is also a Distinguished Fellow at the ASU Masters in International Affairs and Leadership program and a 2003 graduate of the ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.

Claire Sechler Merkel serves as Chair Emeritus of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations.

During her 23 years in Washington, DC, she worked in government, with NGO’s, and on four Presidential campaigns including as Chief of Staff and Director of Friends and Family to Mrs. Cindy McCain during Senator McCain’s 2008 Presidential election campaign. Previously, she served as legislative assistant for foreign affairs and special assistant to U.S. Senator John McCain and campaign coordinator for John McCain’s first U.S. Senate campaign.

Sechler Merkel served as Associate Director in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs for President George H.W. Bush, and Regional Director for Eastern and Central Europe at the International Republican Institute, where she was responsible for democratic development programming in Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia.

She also worked with Congressman Jim Kolbe, and on the Bush/Quayle ’92 campaign, the 1988 Republican National Convention and 1989 Presidential Inaugural Committee.

She founded Sechler Merkel International to provide strategic advice to companies and foundations focusing on projects in the United States, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Russia. She served as a consultant to the Millennium Challenge Account at its inception.

She lived for two years in Malmo, Sweden and traveled extensively throughout Europe with her husband and children. Claire holds a degree in Public Policy, with distinction, from Stanford University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Melikian Center Advisory Board. Claire served as PCFR President from 2021 to 2023, and currently serves as Chair.