Connie Xiaohua Zhang was born and raised in Beijing, China. She earned her BA in economics from Beijing University and MBA from Harvard Business School. She is the founder and CEO of Riley River Consultants, established in 2009. She helps North American green technology companies and medical device companies develop business in China. She is a renowned speaker and instructor who teaches about networking and marriage relationships across multiple key Chinese social media platforms. She is the author of Network Up (2019) and How to Raise Socially Intelligent Children (2020). She teaches online courses and gives talks to broad audiences in China about networking. She also holds a real estate license from the state of Texas, where she manages a broad portfolio of real estate. She enjoys international travel with her husband and two sons and oil painting in her leisure time.