Dawn Vermilya received a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Wharton Business School. Dawn worked for the World Bank, including its China office, where she traveled extensively throughout the Chinese countryside visiting villages with architecture reminiscent of the China Folk House Retreat. In 2002, she and her husband Jinyong Cai established Daystar Academy – a bilingual school in Beijing – which she directed until 2010 and currently serves as a board member.