LAB’s programs are led by Dwight Clark, who first began introducing Asia to university students when he was Dean of Freshmen Men at Stanford University.

He founded VIA and served as its President for 40 years; under his leadership, VIA has sent thousands of American students to volunteer in Asia and has brought thousands of Asian students to Stanford University for such programs as American Language and Culture (ALC).

Upon retirement from VIA in 2004, he started Learning Across Borders, a non-profit educational organization which offers international study programs.  He has led study programs to Southeast Asia for Japanese and Taiwanese university students each year since 1992 and shares his time between Stanford and Asia.

Past participants, notably including Shugo Yanaka, Yukiko Imanaka and Sotaro Hata maintain LAB’s extensive alumni network and play an important continuing role in LAB.