WANG Zhenyao

Wang Zhenyao is the founding Dean of the China Philanthropy Research Institute at Beijing Normal University. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and a Doctorate in Law from the School of Government, Peking University. He is also the recipient of the 14th Compassion Award in 2019.

He has worked for 22 years at the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China, where he served as the Acting Director-General of the Department of Base-level Government and Community Governance, Director-General of the Department of Disaster Relief, and Director-General of the Department of Social Welfare and Charity Promotion. In his post, he participated in the implementation of the direct election system in rural China, the development of the urban and rural minimum living allowance system, and the formulation of the four-tier National Emergency Response System for Natural Disasters. He also spearheaded the establishment of several foundational national social welfare policies, including social allowances for orphans and pensions for senior citizens.

In recognition of his efforts towards the relief work arising from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, he was named as an exemplary example by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission. In 2010, he was appointed by Beijing Normal University to establish and to lead the China Philanthropy Research Institute as Dean.