OUR BOARD
WAI-YAN SANDY CHAU
Chairman
- Sandy Chau
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Chau has started numerous successful technology companies. He is a long time venture capitalist and real estate investor and was a founder of the Acorn Campus, a technology incubator that provides early round seed funding. He has more than 40 years of business experience in the United States, Taiwan, China, and elsewhere in the Pacific Rim.
Mr. Chau is a philanthropist and focuses on social justice issues. In addition to the Civic Leadership USA, he is the board chair of Vision New America and executive board member of Shin Shin Education Foundation, an organization dedicated to educational equity in China.
Mr. Chau was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong and Vietnam. He received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and MBA from UC Berkeley.
ANTHONY C. NG
Executive Director
- Anthony Ng
Executive Director and Member of the Board
Mr Ng has over 25 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations. He has provided services including strategic planning, management consulting, program development and evaluation, fundraising, and public relations. He has worked with numerous nonprofits including the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, the Pew Charitable Trust, Nueva Esperanza, and the Latin American Economic Development Association.
Mr Ng graduated from Drexel University with a Masters Degree in Art Administration focusing on nonprofit organizations. He grew up in Hong Kong and is an award-winning composer and a gourmet cook.
HSING KUNG
Director, Treasurer
- Hsing Kung
Director and Treasurer
Mr Kung is a successful entrepreneur and venture capital investor. He is a philanthropist both in America and in China. He has funded internships and scholarships for Asian American students and supported programs to increase Asian American civic participation. He has founded elementary schools in low-income regions of China and donated the school supplies and clothing needed by impoverished students to succeed in school.
Mr Kung was raised in Taiwan and received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Santa Clara University.
DAVID WU
Director, Vice Chair
- David Wu
Director and Vice Chair
Mr. Wu is a former member of Congress who represented the First Congressional District of Oregon for seven terms. He was the first member of the US House of Representatives of Chinese descent. He served on the Education Committee and the Science Committee. Prior to his election, he was a technology lawyer in Portland Oregon and donated substantial amounts of time to education causes. After his congressional service, Mr. Wu has been active in Asian American affairs and speaks to student audiences in both China and the United States.
Mr Wu immigrated from China at age seven. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University, attended Harvard Medical School, and a JD from the Yale Law school.
OUR STAFF
- Anthony Ng
Executive Director and Member of the Board
Mr Ng has over 25 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations. He has provided services including strategic planning, management consulting, program development and evaluation, fundraising, and public relations. He has worked with numerous nonprofits including the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, the Pew Charitable Trust, Nueva Esperanza, and the Latin American Economic Development Association.
Mr Ng graduated from Drexel University with a Masters Degree in Art Administration focusing on nonprofit organizations. He grew up in Hong Kong and is an award-winning composer and a gourmet cook.
ANTHONY C. NG
Executive Director
- Julia Wu
Director of Marketing and Administration
With a Master’s degree, majoring in marketing, Julia Wu has over 15 years of acumen experiences in sales, marketing, and management in corporations. She has successfully expanded the brand and market share globally by establishing and executing an integrated sales, marketing, and purchasing strategy and plan while reshaping organizational management further to sustain its operation effectively Management and utilization of multiple social media channels, both paid and organic, distribute the promotional materials and educational content across all platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and WeChat to increase brand awareness/influence, audience/viewers engagement, and drive the company’s website traffic internationally.
JULIA WU
Director of Marketing and Administration
Peer Review Committee Members for 2021 Internship Grant Program
Andrea Hyde is a Bay Area native and with 8+ years experience in local and state government, health policy and advocacy, and civic engagement. As Advocacy Manager for AACI (Asian Americans for Community Involvement), she designed and led the organization's high school leadership and civic leadership program for four years. Prior to her time at AACI, she led the high school and college internship program for a member of the California State Assembly. Andrea cares about increasing representation of women, APIs, and people of color in decision-making roles, and empowering our next generation to become thoughtful and empathetic leaders in advocacy, social justice, and public service. She is an incoming graduate student at the University of San Francisco's School of Nursing and Health Professions.
Carissa Villacorta is the author of Surreality, a collection of essays about life in NY from the perspective of a young Filipina publicist. She became the only Filipino author to have had a book launch and signing at a Borders book store in 2006. In 2013, she joined Ogilvy PR to represent the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, helping to boost the popularity of Cebuano entrepreneurs, from the founders of startups to industry leaders. In 2018, she created ReachUs, LLC and staged #PHTimeIsNow at the Harvard Club in NYC.
Now, she is elated and hopeful to continue doing purposeful work for the Filipino American and Asian American community as she joins the National Federation of Filipino American Associations as Executive Director.
Hong Qi was an assistant professor at Beijing Language University before coming to the U.S. In 1988, she continued her education and later obtained her MA in Saint Martin’s University in Washington State. In 1992, she started working for the Washington State Department of Human & Health Services, managing the statewide language testing and certification program. From 2006 to 2012, Ms. Hong Qi was a program coordinator for King County Elections Department. Currently, Hong Qi is the founder and managing partner of Pacific International Education, dedicated in building a platform to bridging the US and China’s education. She also serves as the secretary of United Chinese Americans of Washington and youth program coordinator of United Chinese American.
Kevin Xu is an experienced engineer, project manager, and veteran. He was an activity duty Civil Engineering Corp Officer at United States Navy since 2006, He was responsible for multi-million dollar construction projects for military facilities, and piers. After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 2010, Kelvin started to work at Navy Cyber Command as a senior enterprise engineer. He managed an emergency power program to support the Navy's data centers worldwide. In 2018, Kelvin joined NOAA as the Chief Engineer for the NWS ASOS program to lead a multi-million dollar weather observation program and NOAA enterprise facility construction & renovation project as a senior project manager. Kelvin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from New York State University at Stony Brook and a Master of Business Administration from Strayer University.
Dr. Liang Chao was elected to Cupertino Union School Board in 2016 and then elected to Cupertino City Council in 2018 to serve a 4-year term. In 2020, she was appointed to the Environmental Quality Policy Committee for the League of California Cities.
Dr. Chao co-founded Better Cupertino in 2015 to put power into the hands of local residents and co-founded Young American Policy Advocates in 2019 to empower youth for democracy. She advocated for parents on school issues and eventually brought a change in leadership in the school district to be more open to parents’ and teachers’ concerns. Through grassroots campaigning, she motivated citizens to take charge of the course of Cupertino’s future though initiatives, referenda, and elections.
Marilyn Nielsen was a government executive for more than 30 years serving in the Administration of every California Governor since Governor George Deukmejian.
Marilyn retired as the Interim Director and Chief Deputy Director of the California Arts Council in 2012. Prior to the Arts Council, she was CEO of the California Acupuncture Board, the Assistant Deputy Director for the Department of Consumer Affairs, and held a variety of other State management positions.
For more than twelve years, she also served as a Director of two County Fair Boards for Yolo and Tehama. Marilyn and her husband, Senator Jim Nielsen, are founding members of APAPA. Since 2014 she is the National Deputy Executive Director of APAPA, working with corporate sponsors and elected officials.
Mimi Nguyen is a San Jose native, born and raised by Vietnamese immigrant parents. As a product of the East Side Union High School District, she went off to the University of California, Davis to receive her B.A. in Economics and Communications and a Minors in Managerial Economics. She then received her J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.
She is currently an immigration attorney with Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, serves on the board of Step Forward Foundation, the Vietnamese American Roundtable, and the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California. In 2020, Mimi and her husband, Vietnam Nguyen, welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Sophia. In her free time, she enjoys calligraphy, weightlifting, traveling, and spending time with her two Shiba Inu dogs.
Tavae Samuelu is the daughter of a pastor from Leulumoega and a nurse from Saleimoa. As the Executive Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), she's a passionate advocate for Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders and is committed to liberation for all. Tavae was born and raised on Tongva land and credits her time on the unceded Ohlone territory for her political identity and consciousness. Before joining EPIC, she served as the Development Director for the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond and has since become a member of RYSE's Board of Directors. Tavae is also the Vice President of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON). The pandemic has taught her that her most important title is Aunty Vae.
Since coming from Yemen to the US in 1988, Mr. Wajdi Said has worked with the Muslim community as well as the larger community to promote a better understanding of Islam. He has been involved in numerous interfaith committees and panels throughout the years. He is one of the founders of the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland, an organization which came together as a result of 9/11, as well as one of the founders of the Arab, Jewish Muslim Dialogue, The Institute for Christian Muslim Understanding, Islamic Social Services of Oregon State, and the Beloved Community Coalition. Mr. Said is a commissioner with the City of Portland New Portlander Policy Commission and serves on the board of Neighborhood House, Portland State University Middle East Studies Center, and the Arab and Muslim Police Advisory Board. Mr. Said has spoken at countless colleges, high schools, organizations, and churches, promoting a better understanding of Islam and Muslims. He currently serves as the President of the Muslim Educational Trust, (MET) which he co-founded in 1993.
Volunteers
Amy Wang, PR team member, manages social media channels promotion
I am currently a student at Northwestern University interested in exploring the intersections of technology, data science, and medicine. I enjoy learning about public health and medicine, and recent exposure to the social determinants of health has drawn me toward issues regarding social justice and equity. Through the events of the past year, I’ve witnessed the power that youths have in advocacy and civic engagement. Inspired by my peers’ tireless efforts, I hope to help reach more AAPI youth through my current work as a volunteer. In my free time, I enjoy reading from all genres, from poetry to the classics and Asian American literature.
Though many things could change after 10 years, I hope that increasing equitable access to health and other fundamental rights is at the forefront of my work. I expect to continually learn and discover new passions, picking up skills and knowledge to better understand how I can uniquely help the people around me. In whatever I’m involved with, I hope to meet others where they are and find ways to bring them to a better position. In addition, I am optimistic that I will have finished more books in my to-read list, tried many new foods, and become a proud cat owner.
Joyce Zhau, PR team member, manages social media channel promotion
My name is Joyce Zhao, and I am a current rising sophomore at Emory University studying Chemistry. My passions with AAPI advocacy started one summer in high school, where I served as an intern in MN State Senator Foung Hawj’s office. Since then, I’ve made a point of involving myself in several projects such as participating in the PR team for “Young Leaders For America: Summit 2020”, working with CLUSA on a directory for local AAPI leaders, and translating articles for usdandelion.com. In my free time, I love reading books, taking walks, and enjoying boba!
In ten years, I should be (hopefully) in the middle of medical residency. Just as I value giving back to my AAPI community, I hope to give back to others through working in healthcare. It’s also been my longtime dream to own a cat, and I aspire to collect as many nonsensical art prints as I can. I am a violinist of thirteen years, so I expect that the same violin I own now will accompany me ten years into the future as well, filling my life with music.
Grace Li, PR team member, designs graphics for events
I am a junior at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a degree in Marketing and Plan II Honors. My knack for effective communication and creative solutions led me to focus my business education on Marketing, which I hope leads to a career in digital product marketing or partner strategy. In addition, I am passionate about public service and corporate sustainability. The Plan II Honors Program feeds my curiosity in a wide array of subjects— from world literature to logic and critical thinking. I am blessed to have the opportunity to read, write, and collaborate with my peers who are passionate in these areas as well.
Outside of the academic sphere, you will find me at quirky Austin coffee shops, bouldering at the local climbing gym, or volunteering with my local church. Feel free to connect with me and check out the rest of my page to learn more about my previous experiences and my story!
Philip Chiu, PR team member, creates promotional content
My name is Philip and I am currently a student at Monta Vista High School. I have an interest in policy advocacy, government, and business. From clubs and competitions like DECA, speech & debate, and mock trials, I learned the importance of professional communication as well as the tools needed for digital and in-person marketing. I also love playing basketball and reading about political philosophy. During quarantine, I found myself without an iota of entertainment, so I have started learning about iOS app development, website design, and poker. My goal for the future is to make a difference on a wide scale through policy and give back to my community. Although my mandarin is a work in progress, I also want to embrace my Chinese background through the organizations I participate in and am very lucky to find CLUSA where my passion and goals are perfectly aligned.
Katie Xu, PR team member, creates the promotional videos
I am a first-year student at Duke University. I have yet to determine my major, but my current interests lie in computational media and economics. For the past couple of years, I have led a youth organization called Asian American Civic Scholars (AACS), based in my hometown, St. Louis, Missouri. We have been working to build a network of civically engaged Asian American youth by creating a platform that informs, engages, and advocates for the AAPI community. AACS has been central to both my identity as an Asian American woman and my values as a politically engaged citizen and has thus led me to numerous opportunities, including introducing me to the CLUSA team.
It has also been the compass that directs what I plan to do in the future, as exposure to the incredible work of so many AAPI organizations and especially AAPI youth has shown me just how valuable Asian American representation in both media and government can be. Though I have a small sense of where I will be ten years from now, what I do know is that I will continue to advocate for multi-dimensional and influential forms of representation—ones that show the next generation that they truly can be whoever they want to be.
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