朱棣文原先是伯克利大学和斯坦福大学的物理学教授，劳伦斯·伯克利国家实验室主任。 而骆家辉是前华盛顿州州长，长期以来一直致力于中美贸易关系正常化。
Chu is a former Berkeley and Stanford professor of physics and head of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, while Locke is a former Washington State governor and a long-time supporter of US-China commercial exchanges.