Dr. Ann Kuo received a doctorate degree in Art Education from the University of Illinois,Champaign in 1986.  She was a professor and chair at the Graduate Institute of Fine Art at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan (1986-1993), and founder, professor and director of the Graduate Institute of Art Education, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan (1993-2002). Over the years, her research has focused on artistic and Aesthetic development, theory and practice in art education with a cross-cultural perspective, multiculturalism and art education, national policy development and assessment in art education, attitudes and beliefs about art, and art education curriculum development. She has published widely and given numerous keynote addresses at major international and national conferences and workshops. Ann is also an artist. Following the legacy of her famous father, Hsieh-Hu Kuo, Ann is one of a handful of female Gouache artists in Taiwan. Her art pays homage to her childhood, simple but elegant. To many Asian nations, Ann Kuo has been a pioneer and a pillar for the field of art education. She laid the foundation of visual arts standards for school year 1-9 Public Education policy reform in Taiwan. She founded the first and only bi-lingual art education research journal, International Journal of Arts Education. She established summer exchange program for graduate students to learn from the masters such as Arthur Efland, Michael Day, and Michael Parsons. She translated major art education texts such as Elliot Eisner’s Educational Imagination (2008) to encourage art teachers to link theories into practices, to connect art-skill learning with life experience. She inspired and guided her students to understand why and how art education is important to every child. Ann Kuo’s influence is not only locally or regionally but also internationally/globally. Ann was the founder and president of Taiwan Art Education Association (1994-2013), the founder and president of Cross Strait Art Education Association (1989-2006), the founder, president, and honorary president of World Chinese Arts Education Association (2008-2016), and President of InSEA (2006-2009). Dr. Kuo was committed to developing positive and active collaborative efforts across different arts education organizations. Her emphases on cultural diversity and interdisciplinary teaching have made the field of art education more inclusive and sensitive. During her terms with different organizations, Ann fostered opportunities in international collaboration and exchanges in art and art education. Ann was the bridge to partner and collaborate with art educators from many nations: actively engaging, sharing, and learning from one another. Ann’s leadership is visionary. Sensing the need to advance research, teaching, and learning in art education beyond Taiwan boarders, in 1998, Ann founded Cross Strait Art Education Association. It was the first of such educational focused, non-profit association that transcends political constraints and ranks in academia, driven to create opportunities for dialogue and understanding among art teachers from Taiwan and China. The association grew; members from Malaysia, Macau, Singapore, Hong Kong, joined in, and it eventually became the World Chinese Art Education Association (WCAEA) in 2008. Since then, WCAEA has held bi-annual conferences, inviting international scholars to provide face-to-face interactions with Chinese art educators. WCAEA has become a confluence platform that is beneficial to art educators and children. For decades, Ann built the foundation of art education research and teaching in China. Through her, art education theories such as DBAE, visual culture, art for life, social justice, and inclusive art education were able to blossom in Asia. She opened opportunities for many Taiwanese students to study at major art education programs in United States. These students have become the leaders in art education in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Macau. Ann has been the recipient of the following awards: 2002 International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) El Bassiouny Award; 1999 Outstanding Achievement Award in the Promotion of Art Education, Ministry of Education, Taiwan; 1999 Cultural Education Award for Achievement in the Development of International Art Education, Ministry of Education, Taiwan; and 1997 USSEA Edwin Ziegfeld Award, United States.