Stephen J. Yates

Stephen J. Yates
President of Radio Free Asia
In office
December 2020 – January 22, 2021
Appointed byMichael Pack
Preceded byBay Fang[1]
Succeeded byBay Fang[2]
Chair of the Idaho Republican Party
In office
August 2014 – July 2017
Preceded byBarry Peterson
Succeeded byJonathan Parker
Personal details
Born1968 or 1969 (age 57–58)[3]
PartyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Maryland, College Park (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MA)

Stephen J. Yates is an American political advisor and government official who last served as the president of Radio Free Asia.[4] He previously served as the deputy national security adviser to the Vice President to Dick Cheney from 2001 to 2005[5] and chairman of the Idaho Republican Party from 2014 to 2017.[6] He has been the CEO of consulting firm DC International Advisory since 2006.

Early life and education

Yates attended Brigham Young University and served as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan from 1987 to 1989. He speaks fluent Mandarin and his Chinese name is "葉望輝" (Yè Wànghuī). He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese language and literature from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Arts in Chinese studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.[7][8]

Career

Yates worked for the National Security Agency under the United States Department of Defense; he served as a liaison officer to the Department of Commerce.[9] He was a senior policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation from 1996 to 2001,[10] and served as deputy national security advisor to the Vice President to Dick Cheney from 2001 to 2005.[5]

From 2005 to 2006, Yates served as a lobbyist and vice president of the global affairs practice[11] for Barbour Griffith & Rogers, whose clients included Taiwan, the Indonesian National Shipowners' Association, Moneygram International, Lebanon's National Dialogue Party, and the Republic of India British Nuclear Fuels, Plc. (via a contract with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan).[12][13]

Yates is the founder and CEO at DC International Advisory since 2006, a consulting firm advises on managing international political risk and business opportunity.[14][15] He is also a professor of the practice with the International Business Program at Boise State University.[16] Currently, he is a distinguished Fellow at the Hamilton Foundation.[17]

Yates served as a senior fellow and chair of the China Policy Initiative at the America First Policy Institute from 2022 to 2024 before returning to the Heritage Foundation as a senior research fellow.[18][19]

Political career

Yates advised the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign's Asia team. He served in the 2008 Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign as a senior Asia adviser.[20] He served in the 2012 Newt Gingrich presidential campaign as a part of the National Security Advisory team[21] and director.[22] He briefly ran for Idaho Republican Party national committeeman at the July 2020 convention.[23]

Idaho Republican Party chair

Yates was elected chairman of the Idaho Republican Party in August 2014[24][25] and was re elected in 2016;[26] he stepped down on April 24, 2017, to pursue the 2018 Idaho lieutenant gubernatorial primary election.[6] David Johnston (2014–2017)[27][6] and Lyndel Strong (2017)[6] were the executive directors.

Idaho lieutenant governor primary election, 2018

Yates sought and lost narrowly the 2018 Republican nomination for lieutenant governor of Idaho to Janice McGeachin.[28][29]

Days before the election, a flyer attacking Yates was mailed to Idaho voters, claiming hidden foreign influence and conflating support from democratic Taiwan with that from communist China. The flyer mailing was sourced to a PAC funded by three political opponents from Yates' past.[30]

Radio Free Asia

In December 2020, Yates was appointed by Michael Pack as the president of Radio Free Asia, a government–funded, nonprofit international broadcasting corporation.[4] In January 2021, he and other leaders associated with the prior presidential administration were fired by Pack's successor, acting CEO of U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kelu Chao.[31]

Personal life

Yates and his ex-wife Diana Kilbourn adopted two children.[9]

Election history

District 30 House Seat B – part of Bonneville County
Year Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct
2014 Primary[32] Stephen Yates 2,323 48.9% Jeff Thompson (incumbent) 2,431 51.1%
Idaho lieutenant governor Republican primary, 2018[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Janice McGeachin 51,079 28.9
Republican Steve Yates 48,221 27.3
Republican Marv Hagedorn 26,640 15.1
Republican Bob Nonini 26,517 15.0
Republican Kelley Packer 24,294 13.7

References

  1. ↑ "Bay Fang Named Radio Free Asia's New President". RFA. November 20, 2019. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Who We Are — About Radio Free Asia". Radio Free Asia. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  3. ↑ Guilhem, Matt (July 14, 2017). "Idaho's Former GOP Boss To Begin Lt. Governor Campaign". KBSX News. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Stephen Yates joins U.S. international broadcasting as President of RFA". U.S. Agency for Global Media. December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "The 2016 GOP Platform". United States Department of State. July 20, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 John Sowell, Idaho Statesman. "Idaho Republican Party Chairman Will Step down, May Run for Lieutenant Governor." Idaho Statesman, The (Boise, ID), 2017.
  7. ↑ "Meet Republican Steve Yates". yatesforidaho.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. ↑ ROCKY BARKER, Rbarker@idahostatesman.com. "Rocky Barker: 377-6484: Idaho GOP Emerges from Turmoil – After a Fiasco of a State Convention and Infighting, a New Chairman Helped Build a Well-Oiled Machine." Idaho Statesman, The (Boise, ID), 2014.
  9. 1 2 Bill Dentzer, Idaho Statesman. "Steve Yates' Curious Journey from Taiwan to Idaho Falls, via the White House." Idaho Statesman, The (Boise, ID), 2016.
  10. ↑ "Stephen Yates and Christian Whiton". HuffPost. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ "APPOINTMENTS". The Washington Post. October 3, 2005. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Lobbying Spending Database Yates, Steve, 2006 | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Lobbying Spending Database Yates, Steve, 2005 | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Stephen J. Yates, Chief Executive Officer". DC International Advisory. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  15. ↑ Bill Dentzer, Idaho Statesman. "Idaho GOP Chairman Yates: I Didn't Arrange Trump's Taiwan Call." Idaho Statesman, The (Boise, ID), 2016.
  16. ↑ "Professor of the Practice, Stephen Yates Will be Working with International Business Program Students". Boise State University. August 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Stephen Yates". Boise State University. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Our Team: Chairs". America First Policy Institute. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Heritage Welcomes Steve Yates as Senior Research Fellow for China and National Security Policy". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on October 2, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Rudy Giuliani: Press Release – Rudy Giuliani Unveils Foreign Policy Advisors". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Gingrich Announces National Security Advisory Team | Newt Gingrich 2012". February 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  22. ↑ Whiton, Christian (September 30, 2013). Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War. Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 9781612346199.
  23. ↑ columnist, ANTHONY TIRINO | Republican (July 1, 2020). "Republican convention unites in support of Trump". Post Register. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  24. ↑ Sven Berg, Sberg@idahostatesman.com. "Sven Berg: 377-6275: Yates Settles into Role as Idaho Republican Party Chairman – The Former Dick Cheney Aide Has Political Experience, If Not Age, on His Side." Idaho Statesman, The (Boise, ID), 2014.
  25. ↑ "New GOP Chairman Hopeful Emerges, Fox News Regular and Former Cheney Aide." Idaho Statesman, The: Blogs (Boise, ID), 2014.
  26. ↑ "Idaho GOP convention smoother this time around". Spokesman.com. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Former Idaho GOP director signs on as campaign manager for Ahlquist for governor campaign". Spokesman.com. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  28. ↑ Russell, Betsy Z. (July 18, 2017). "Yates launches lt. gov. campaign, joining crowded race". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  29. 1 2 Almukhtar, Sarah; Andrews, Wilson; Bloch, Matthew; Bowers, Jeremy; Giratikanon, Tom; Lee, Jasmine C.; Murray, Paul (May 17, 2018). "Idaho Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  30. ↑ Russell, Betsy Z. (May 10, 2018). "Smear flier targets GOP lieutenant governor hopeful Yates". Idaho Press-Tribune. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  31. ↑ Folkenflik, David (January 22, 2021). "USAGM Chief Fires Trump Allies Over Radio Free Europe And Other Networks". NPR. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  32. ↑ Ysursa, Ben. "May 20, 2014 General Election Results: Legislative Totals". Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
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