Speaker: Anthony Ng

Moderated by Chuck Ng, Director of Community Outreach and Development for Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA), this panel focused on the importance of civic leadership at local, state and national levels.  C.C. Yin, Founder of APAPA (Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs), which is currently strongest in California, is actively expanding his organization to additional states. Anthony Ng, Executive Director of CLUSA, emphasized that social enterprises must make money to provide scalability, even if they are non-profits. Amy Kwok, Founder and CEO of PenguinSmart, spoke about using medical technology to do social good in her work with children who have communication delays. Margaret Conley, Executive Director of Asia Society Northern California, organizes events in 14 centers worldwide to bridge understanding between Asia and the U.S, despite the headlines in the news about China-U.S. relationships. David Wu, the former congressman from Oregon, described the government as “not very good at innovation,” and cited the involvement of the private sector in the successful rollout of Obamacare.

The energy level at the conference was high, with the noticeable buzz in the hallways and conference rooms. The attendees “loved the agenda” and the opportunities to network with entrepreneurs and investors, and looks forward to an even larger vent next year.