Zhou Yan is founder and executive Director of Greenroots Power, a China NGO founded in 2002 and dedicated to empower China grassroots activists, stimulate the development of China grassroots NGOs, involve ordinary people into the construction of Civil Society in China. Zhou Yan was Media and Communication manager of Greenpeace China from Sept, 2002 to June, 2004, she is directly responsible for strategic development and implementation of GP's communication, media works and public affair in Mainland China. She had also been a member of the executive board of Grassroots Community, Assistant Consultant and Communication manager for Wilson Learning China, and a teaching and research assistant in the Chinese University of Hongkong. She graduated from LEAD program in Apr 2004.

Yan graduated from Peking University with an MA in Economics (1999). She also has a BSc in computer science and a keen interest in literature and sport.