Mr. Rui Au joined the Center for Foreign Affairs & Defense Policy in 2023 as Executive Vice President and Director of CFADP's Africa Center. He has ten years of management experience and is a graduate of George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. His focus areas are China-Africa relations, Russia-Africa relations, and African transnational security.

Mr. Au is an alumnus of the Washington Center and a Benjamin A. Gilman and Duttenhaver Scholar; he is also a Presidential Management Fellow and Harold W. Rosenthal Fellows semi-finalist. Mr. Au is a United States Navy Veteran and was awarded Sailor of the Year in 2017 and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal in 2018.