Speaker Profiles

Adachi, Jeff

Jeff Adachi has spent nearly 18 years in the Public Defender’s office and two years in private practice, handling over 3,000 cases and trying over 100 jury trials. Hired as a deputy public defender in 1986, Adachi tried twenty-eight misdemeanor trials in his first 18 months in the office. He was then promoted to the felony division, where he began trying homicide cases two years later, and rose to a head trial attorney, assigned to handling the office’s most serious and challenging cases.

In 1998, Adachi was promoted to the Chief Attorney, the office’s second-in-command. He immediately modernized the office and introduced innovative new programs. In 2001, Adachi became the first public defender to receive the Mayor’s Managerial Excellence Award, an annual award presented to the city’s top mangers.

In 2001, Adachi declared his candidacy for Public Defencer. Through an unprecedented grassroots campaign effort, Adachi was elected on March 5, 2002, and assumed office on January 8, 2003.

Adachi was recently recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by San Francisco Magazine, and was featured in the nationally aired PBX Documentary Presumed Guilty (2002). From 197901983, Adachi worked to free a death row inmate who had been wrongfully convicted of murder, sparking his interest in public interest law. In the early 90’s, Adachi, whose parents were interned during WWII, became involved in efforts to win redress for Japanese American internees who were initially denied redress payments.

Adachi is a past board member of the Bar Association of San Francisco (2001-2003) and the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (2000-2002_, and served on the ABA’s Standing Committee for Legal Aid and Indigent Defense (2002-2004). Adachi is a member of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, the California Public Defenders Association, and the Northern California Criminal Trial Lawyers Association. He has also taught bar review for over 15 years and has published five books in this area. He is the co-author of Chapter 25: Immunity for Testimony in the California Criminal Law Procedure and Practice book, and has been a certified criminal law specialist since 1991.

Adachi also has a long history of community activism, serving as the president of the Asian American Bar Association (1991) and the Japanese American Citizen’s League (1992-1995). He also founded the Asian American Arts Foundation in 1995, which provides support to the emerging Asian American artists, and served as the president of the Asian American Theater Company.

In 1992, Adachi received the California State Bar’s Hufstedler award, which is awarded annually to a lawyer who has dedicated his career to pro bono work. In 1998, he received the Joe Morozumi Trail Lawyer award from the Asian American Bar Association. In 2006, Adachi was chosen to received the American Bar Association’s 2006 Dorsey Award, awarded annually to an outstanding public interest lawyer.

Adachi graduated from Hastings College of Law in 1985 and attended undergraduate studies at U.C. Berkeley. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Mutsuko, and daughter, Lauren.

Akutagawa, Linda

Linda Akutagawa is the Vice President for Resource and Business Development at Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP). She is responsible for LEAP's overall fundraising and business development. She also manages and maintains relationships with LEAP's diverse constituents ranging from Board members, program alumni, community organizations, corporations, student organizations, universities and employee network groups. Previously, Ms. Akutagawa was the Director of External Relations developing and implementing LEAP's marketing & sales strategy for it's programs and services.

Linda speaks and presents nationally on topics such as leadership, Asian Pacific American issues, employee network groups, diversity and networking and relationship building to a range of audiences such as corporations, student groups and community and professionalorganizations. Previous to joining LEAP, Linda was the Marketing Manager for Japan and Orient Tours, a tour operator specializing in Asia and the Pacific. In her 11th year at LEAP, Linda received her B.S. in International Business with a minor in Economics from California State University at Los Angeles.

Benavides, Vida

Vida is a co-founder and Chairperson of APIAVote, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels. APIAVote envisions a society in which all Asian Pacific Islander Americans fully participate in and have access to the democratic process.

Vida is a bridge builder and is often called to serve as a communication link and strategist between nonprofit entities, governmental bodies, political institutions, community and elected leaders for the purposes of empowering communities and advancing political and policy agendas. For 13 years, Vida has been a practicing political and public affairs consultant specializing in developing political, policy, public relations, communication and fund development strategies with a focus on developing diverse and alternative outreach approach to multicultural communities.

Vida is also seasoned expert on electoral politics and often consults and advise national, statewide, and local campaigns/initiatives on voter education and mobilization, political leadership and civic engagement. She's the first Asian American woman that have consulted Presidential Campaigns and one of the few Asian American women who consults in the area of political strategies on the national level.

She served as the Executive Producer and Co-creator with Actress Tamlyn Tomita, the first national public service announcement called "Voice Your Vote" that featured 21 Asian American and Pacific Islander Hollywood Actors and Actresses that aired in 10 major media and ethnic media markets throughout the country.

And for the last twenty years, Vida as served a tireless political and community advocate for Asian Pacific American community, youth, women and fellow minority communities in the area of civil rights, health access, and political participation. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards and volunteered her skills and talent in the area of leadership development for youth, young professionals, and women, as well as infrastructure development for organizations, and coalitions at the national levels

Vida is currently serving as the pro-bono Campaign Adviser and Strategist for the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity, a national coalition made up of local and national organizations committed to securing justice and equity for Filipino World War II Veterans who were denied their Veterans Benefits after WW II. She also produced a documentary called Second Class Veterans that features the lives of WW II Filipino Veterans who live in the San Francisco Tenderloin area that nationally aired on PBS in the past several years.

Byler, Eric

Eric Byler grew up in Hawaii and California before graduating from Wesleyan University in Connectitcut. Byler's mother is Chinese American and his father is German, English and Dutch. Byler's mixed ethnicity has effected him growing up and still continues to influence his work in film and his appearances as an APA activist.

His short film "Kenji's Faith" (1994) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win seven festival awards, such as "Best Amateur Entry" Canadian International Annual Film Festival, "Best Experimental" Chicago International Film Festival, and "Director's Choice Award" Thomas Edison "Black Maria" Film Festival, among many, as well as a nomination for "The Student Academy Awards" sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His first feature, Charlotte Sometimes (2002), received the Audience Award for First Films Narrative at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and the Special Jury Award at the Florida Film Festival. Theater directing credits include "Texas" & "Laughter Joy & Loneliness & Sex & Sex & Sex & Sex".

One of Byler's passion lies in transforming the way we are represented in mainstream media, and he talks about why he believes this cause directly correlations to transforming the way we are represented by our leaders. Byler has recently demonstrated how new media technologies such as YouTube allow the national APA community to unite under important causes, as they did in the 2006 Virginia Senate race in response to the George Allen "Macaca" incident and in the opposition against the Japanese denying their governmental role of "comfort women" during World War Two, featured by Yul Kwon and other actors represented in the 2007 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

Byler currently serves on the board of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.

Chakravarty, Atashi

Atashi is the Executive Director of Narika where she worked joined the organization as a volunteer in 1999 and has been involved with the agency in different capacities since that time. Atashi is a long-time Bay Area resident and active community volunteer. She currently serves as Chair of the East Bay API Coalition To End Domestic Violence Coalition (APIDVC), is a member of the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition's (BAIRC) Leadership Council, serves on the Advisory Committee of the Marin Human Rights Roundtable to End Hate Violence, and serves on the Management Team of the Alameda County Family Justice Center as a representative of the APIDVC.

Ms. Chakravarty graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 1994 with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science. She worked to develop the first women's magazine at UCR called Diva! and the first LGBTQ magazine called Dish! in 1992 to help create an expressive venue for the issues and debates of the day. She also created the award-winning first non-profit monthly newsletter for the Marin non-profit community, called the Leadership Journal, with current RFP and resource information for non-profits in Marin.

Chao, Cedric

Mr. Chao is a partner in the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster, a global law firm of 1,000 lawyers. He co-chairs the firm’s international litigation and arbitration practice, and focuses on commercial litigation, international arbitration, and white-collar criminal defense.

San Francisco Magazine, in its fall 2007 issue, includes Mr. Chao on its list of “Northern California Superlawyers.” Chambers USA 2007 names Mr. Chao as a “recommended lawyer” on its national list for international arbitration. Asia Law, based on its survey of lawyers practicing in Asia, includes Mr. Chao on its AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers 2007 list, for dispute resolution. California Law Business, in an earlier survey, named Mr. Chao as one of “California’s Top 25 Lawyers Under Age 45.” Mr. Chao is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the West, and Who’s Who in American Law.

Mr. Chao counsels a number of companies on an ongoing basis, and coordinates these companies’ outside legal services. He serves as lead counsel in high stakes disputes in multiple contexts, before U.S. trial judges, U.S. juries (civil and criminal), appellate courts, and international arbitration tribunals. This breadth of experience contributes to his ability to efficiently discern the “forest from the trees,” “size up” the parties’ competing strengths and vulnerabilities, assess the value of a case, communicate the client’s position effectively to varied audiences, and craft creative legal strategies and business solutions.

Mr. Chao has led litigation teams in significant international commercial arbitration proceedings around the world, including London, Singapore, New Delhi, Guam, New York, as well as California. He is listed on the panels of approved international commercial arbitrators maintained by the arbitration commissions in China and Singapore, and has served as an arbitrator for the Paris-based ICC.

Mr. Chao is active in the legal community. His current and former positions include: Committee Coordinator and Chair of the Dispute Resolution Committee, Inter Pacific Bar Association; Chair, Northern District of California Magistrate Judge Screening Committee; Chair, Litigation Section of the California State Bar; Board of Directors, San Francisco Bar Association; President, Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area; and Co-Chair, International Litigation Committee, Litigation Section of the American Bar Association.

Mr. Chao is also active in the business community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Association of Northern California. He previously served as president of the Singapore American Business Association and on the Boards of Directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the World Affairs Council of Northern California.

Mr. Chao received his B.A. degree in Economics from Stanford University (with distinction and departmental honors) and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable William H. Orrick, United States District Court, Northern District of California.

Chea, Kao

In 1981, Keo Chea arrived in the U.S. with her family as a political refugee escaping the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. She was raised in Fresno and Sacramento, California, and received a degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. Keo has been speaking out against the deportation of Cambodian refugees since her brother received a deportation order in 2001 based on his first and only offense at age 17. In May 2006, Keo graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She currently works with Cambodian refugees in the East Bay, providing public benefits assistance as a Shartsis Friese Public Interest Law Fellow at the East Bay Community Law Center.

Chiang, John

Controller John Chiang was elected in November 2006 to serve as California’s Chief Financial Officer.

As State Controller, he presides over the Franchise Tax Board and is a member of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) Board and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Board. These two funds have a combined portfolio of $300 billion.

John brings extensive experience and fiscal leadership to the Office of the State Controller. He was first elected to the Board of Equalization in 1998. Since then, he has led with innovative and groundbreaking taxpayer-friendly services like the State’s free income tax return preparation service, ReadyReturn. As a member of the Board of Equalization, John represented 73 cities in Los Angeles County, including the City of Los Angeles. He was elected to his second four-year term in 2002. He has represented the Board of Equalization on the Franchise Tax Board and served as the chair of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project’s Board of Governors.

Strong in his belief that informed taxpayers make better decisions for the financial health of their families, businesses, and communities, John has sponsored innovative tax seminars to guide small businesses, non-profit organizations and religious institutions in understanding the state and federal tax codes. These programs provided access to information and services for those without the time, expertise, or resources to study the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to their circumstances.

He has also boosted small businesses by sponsoring events featuring experts from various government agencies to explain in clear and concise language compliance issues, the latest tax laws, policies, rules, and regulations. These seminars provide entrepreneurs with the tools to grow their businesses and prosper.

John has compiled an extraordinary record of public service going back decades. In recognition of his efforts, John has received numerous awards and distinctions such as the 2006 Award for Excellence by a Government Official from the Los Angeles County Bar Association, two Congressional Record tributes, the Leadership Vanguard Award from the Millennium Momentum Foundation, the Minorities in Business Magazine Multi-Cultural Prism Award, the City of West Hollywood Leadership and Service Award, and the Los Angeles Mayor’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Award.

John graduated with honors from the University of South Florida with a degree in Finance, and received his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. He began his career as a Tax Law Specialist with the Internal Revenue Service and served as an attorney with the Office of the State Controller.

Chiu, David

David Chiu is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Grassroots Enterprise. He previously worked as Democratic Counsel in the US Senate, and as a staff attorney with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.

David has served as board president of the Youth Leadership Institute, president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, chair of California's 13th Assembly District Democratic Committee, and a board member with nonprofits focused on affordable housing, domestic violence and civil rights.

David was also appointed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to the San Francisco Small Business Commission. In 2004, David was named one of the country's "Best Lawyers Under 40" by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

David graduated with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and also holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Chou, Gary

Gary Chou runs MANJA, a website promoting Asian American arts and culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2001, he has been active with several non-profit Asian American arts organizations, including Locus Arts, Kearny Street Workshop, and the Center for Asian American Media as an advisor, facilitator, curator, and volunteer. Originally from Chicago, Gary completed his undergraduate degree at Princeton University where he studied Molecular Biology, Photography, and Computer Science. Currently he helps organize Third Thursdays, a monthly dinner series for people in the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors interested in Asian American & Pacific Islander community issues and service opportunities. He was formerly Director of Product Management at social networking startup Tribe.net, and is now at work helping media companies enhance the content and entertainment experience for consumers via the newly formed Cisco Media Solutions Group.

Corpuz, Rudy

Rudy Corpuz, Jr., is a 30 year-old ex felon and founder of United Playaz—a gang to end all gangs. When Corpuz got out of prison he realized he wanted to stop violence instead of start it. In 1994, he became a counselor at Balboa high school in San Francisco, Back then Balboa had earned a dismal reputation as a troubled school.

At a post football game dance in 1994, the police were called to stop a brawl between Filipino and black students. In the aftermath of that violent confrontation, Corpuz brought the combatants together. Through his deft intervention, some of them decided to band together to stop gang violence. They would call themselves United Playaz.

de Tourreil, Sunita

Sunita de Tourreil grew up savoring chocolate—her Swiss father and Indian mother often indulged her with their childhood favorites. As an adult, she combined her love of the sweet treat with her desire to work for social justice. In 2005, she and business partner Greg Wolff founded Chocolate Dividends, an organization devoted to supporting fair-trade industries around the world.

Do, Christopher H.

Christopher H. Do is Vice President and head of The Do Group at Merrill Lynch in San Francisco. The Do Group is responsible for advising wealthy executives with their global financial needs. The Do Group is comprised of specialists whose expertise includes financial planning, tax minimization strategies, estate planning, residential & commercial loans, life insurance, and portfolio management.

Prior to Merrill Lynch, Mr. Do was Vice President of a successful private client practice at Bear Stearns. In addition, Mr. Do has held several senior positions on the institutional side with the top New York banks. His experience includes investment banking, sales and trading, and portfolio management. Notably, he personally managed an institutional investment portfolio in excess of $20 billion for the State of Washington Investment Board, All State Insurance, and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.

In 1992, Mr. Do began his career in the fixed income derivatives group at Salomon Brothers, which was directed by Myron Scholes, a Nobel Prize winner and developer of the Black Scholes option pricing model.

Mr. Do graduated in 1992 with three degrees. He received a Systems Engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania along with a Management degree and a Finance degree from the Wharton School of Business. Mr. Do is an active member of the Asian-American community. He sits on the Board of Trustees for the San Jose Repertory Theatre and is founder of the Northern California chapter of UPAAN (University of Pennsylvania Asian Alumni Association).

Fabunan, Eileen

Eileen is responsible for the research and development of brand extension strategies for the Media, Technology and Services group at Brand Sense Partners LLC in Los Angeles. She is an LA native, fluent in French, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Eileen co-founded UCLA's Women In Leadership Organization (WILO) and Le Cercle Francophone at UCLA and hopes to share her vision of growth and leadership with PbP this year. She loves food & wine and began volunteering with PbP in 2005 as a Steering Committee member on the Events team preparing for PbP's Food & Wine Tasting Benefit. Eileen served as the Volunteer Relations Director in 2006 and she is pleased to lead the 2007 So-Cal team for the 10th Anniversary of Project by Project.

Fan, Roger

Roger Fan has been impressing audiences with his range and versatility since his remarkable one-two punch at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. While co-starring as the charismatic and manipulative Daric Loo in Justin Lin's breakout indie feature "Better Luck Tomorrow," Fan also starred in, co-produced, and co-wrote the racy 17-minute short subject, "The Quest For Length," one of the surprise hits of the festival. Fan most recently wrapped up the mockumentary comedy "Finishing the Game," directed by Justin Lin, as the character Breeze Loo, who auditions for the role of Bruce Lee.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Southern California, Fan graduated from Brown University with a degree in Economics. He initially worked on Wall Street and in San Francisco as a financial consultant, but found time to create inspiration and excitement in local theatre. Gifted with a natural ability to perform and a uniquely handsome, leading-man style, Fan incorporated his love of the performing arts with his entrepreneurial flair and quickly parlayed them into a successful film and television career, leaving the financial world behind.

Today, Roger Fan is one of the industry's most interesting and exciting young actors, redefining the leading man aesthetic through a wide variety of projects and roles on film and on stage. Rave reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert, Richard Roper, Peter Travers, and Elvis Mitchell have pointed out that Roger Fan is a "charismatic and fearless actor" with a limitless future.

Hokoyama, JD

J.D. Hokoyama is the President and CEO of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP), Inc. As LEAP's chief executive officer, he is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the organization. Mr. Hokoyama has been with LEAP for nearly 20 years – first as a founding Board member, then as President and Executive Director – and is a lead trainer, speaking around the country on leadership, diversity, and Asian Pacific American issues.

Mr. Hokoyama is also nationally recognized for his leadership and service to the Asian Pacific American community. In 2000, he was named one of the “100 Most Influential Asian Americans of the Decade” by A. Magazine, and has received numerous awards, including the “Executive Development Institute Service Award” by the Seattle Japanese American Chamber of Commerce and the “Community Leadership Award” by Asians for Corporate and Community Action at Pacific Bell.

Mr. Hokoyama has dedicated his professional life to educating others. A former Peace Corps volunteer serving in Ethiopia, Mr. Hokoyama has served as a high school teacher, an elementary school principal, and Director of Asian Pacific American Student Services at University of Southern California. He was also the Acting National Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the largest and oldest Asian Pacific American civil rights organization in the U.S.

In addition to growing leaders in Asian Pacific American communities, Mr. Hokoyama is committed to raising the visibility of Asian Pacific Americans. His current affiliations include board positions in organizations such as: Independent Sector, Alliance for Nonprofit Management, National Immigration Forum, National Diversity Network, Volunteer Consulting Group, and the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.

Huq, Farhana

Farhana comes from a family of self-made entrepreneurs of the South Asian Diaspora. In 2000, she founded C.E.O. Women, the 3rd start-up venture she has been involved with, after being inspired by the enterprise revolution in her father’s native Bangladesh and by the struggles that poor, single women in her own family faced to become self-sufficient. Farhana has always admired the creativity and freedom of micro-entrepreneurs. She envisions a world where the most powerful and unlikely relationships come together to connect women in meaningful ways.

Farhana created "Micro-enterprise in Action", a self-initiated audio documentary on the lives of women entrepreneurs from around the world. She was recently recognized as one of the “40 Under 40” up and coming business professionals to watch by the East Bay Business Times. She was named the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 National Finalist in the Supporter of Entrepreneurship Category. Most recently she was elected an Affiliate to The Ashoka Fellowship, the most prestigious fellowship for leading social entrepreneurs around the world.

C.E.O. Women’s work has been featured in prominent media outlets such as ABC News Now, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Tufts Alumni Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Oakland Tribune, and The Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Magazine. C.E.O. Women has won the 2005 Innovation Award for micro-enterprise development in the U.S. and the 2004 Isabel Allende Espiritu Award for the Empowerment of Women.

Farhana serves on the Board of Directors for the Chhandam Institute of Kathak Arts in Boston and was a Community Fellow of the Full Circle Fund, a San Francisco-based organization dedicated to addressing public problems through engaged philanthropy and public policy advocacy. Farhana also served as an Americorps*/ VISTA in the micro-enterprise field. Farhana holds a BA from Tufts University in Economics and Philosophy.

Hyun, Jane

Jane Hyun, President and Founder of Hyun & Associates, is an executive coach and leadership strategist to Fortune 500 companies, universities, and non-profit organizations. Her coaching programs have garnered praise from organizations in a variety of industries. In addition to coaching Asians and multicultural professionals maximize their potential, she advises diversity councils and senior management teams to raise awareness about the critical role that the global talent pipeline plays in today’s multicultural workplace.

Previously, she was a Vice President of Human Resources at JP Morgan, and Director of Recruiting at Deloitte & Touche and Resources Connection.

A graduate of Cornell University, she is active with the Cornell Women’s Alumnae Council. She serves on the Board of the Johnnetta B. Cole Diversity and Inclusion Institute at Bennett College and as an Advisory Board member of NAASA, the National Asian Society of Accountants. She is an advisor to the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force/Center for Work Life Policy.

Her work has received international recognition, and she has appeared in a variety of media outlets, including CNN, CNBC, National Public Radio, Time, Fortune, CEO, Working Mother, DiversityInc, and Crains. In 2005, HarperCollins released her groundbreaking book, "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: The Essential Guide to Getting In, Moving Up, and Reaching the Top.” Jane lives in New York City with her family.

Jeong, Stephen

Stephen is an Associate Project Director at Towers Perrin-ISR’s San Francisco office. Stephen has over 8 years of project management experience related to test construction and validation for employee selection and certification. Prior to joining Towers Perrin-ISR, Stephen worked as a Senior Program Manager for Ohio State University’s Center for Education and Training for Employment (CETE). During his tenure at OSU, he was the primary consultant to Ohio Department of Education (ODE) for the design, implementation and validation of Ohio ’s Career Technical Competency Assessment (OCTCA) – a State-sponsored certification system administered to 42 vocational education areas.

Stephen partners with a variety of global organizations in high technology, pharmaceutical, energy, and construction and engineering firms to enhance organizational effectiveness through the development of superior and legally defensible human capital systems. His current clients include Texas Instruments, BP, Monster.com, McKesson, and AECOM. Stephen holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Jue, Clayton

Mr. Jue founded Leading Edge in August 2005 with the objective of bringing new and emerging investment strategies and managers to institutional investors. He was formerly Managing Director and Executive Vice President at Northern Trust Global Advisors (a subsidiary of the Northern Trust Company) (“Northern”) where he managed the San Francisco office and the Emerging Manager business which grew from $1.5 billion in assets to $3 billion under his direction. Mr. Jue was also a member of Northern’s Hedge Fund Investment Committee and Trust Investment Committee which oversaw all of the firm’s $25 billion in assets.

Prior to joining Northern Trust in 2002, Mr. Jue was a co-founder of Progress Investment Management, and Chief Investment Officer there for 11 years. During his tenure, the firm grew from 3 employees and $45 million in assets under management to 26 employees and $4.5 billion in assets across several asset categories that included domestic equity, fixed income, international equity, private equity and hedge funds. As a hallmark of success, the firm was sold to Liberty Financial Company (a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Insurance) in 1998.

Mr. Jue began his investment career at Callan Associates in 1986 and co-founded Callan’s International Consulting group in 1989. He is a member of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP), the New American Alliance (NAA), the CFA Society of San Francisco and the CFA Institute. He is a founding Board member of the Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM). Mr. Jue is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds dual BA degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and a MBA from San Francisco State University.

Kamisugi, Keith

Keith Kamisugi is the director of communications at the Equal Justice Society. He is responsible for the organization’s media relations, new media strategies, IT and telecom. He was previously a consultant to EJS.

Keith brings to EJS more than 10 years of public relations experience, including positions as a regional spokesman for Verizon Communications, account manager for technology PR agency Niehaus Ryan Wong and serving a diverse portfolio of companies as an independent consultant. He also served for four years on the executive staffs of Hawai’i governors John Waihee and Benjamin Cayetano.

He has presented talks on public relations, online strategies, politics and business for numerous organizations, including: University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, University of San Francisco, Golden Gate University, The Anderson School at UCLA, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Marin County Youth Commission, staff of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the Public Relations Society of America, the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, Greenlining Institute, EEOC Quad Council and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network.

Keith’s legal and nonprofit public relations background includes consulting law firms such as Minami Tamaki LLP on PR and marketing related to class action and civil cases, the Asian Law Caucus on voter education, the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans political action committee, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.

His efforts involving journalists of color include managing communications for several AAJA national conventions and serving as communications director for the UNITY 2004 convention, which was attended by more than 7,000 journalists of color in Washington, D.C. He also helps coordinate the community media training workshops for the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles chapters of AAJA. Keith received AAJA’s national award for Member of the Year in 2004, the only non-journalist/media professional to receive that recognition.

Keith has served on the boards of numerous nonprofits and now serves on the board of the San Francisco Japantown Foundation and as a trustee and board secretary for Chinese for Affirmative Action, one of San Francisco’s leading APA civil rights organizations. He also runs hapihour.org, a seven-year-old community happy hour series that benefits APA community organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.

He previously served as president of the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce (where he founded the Young Business Roundtable) and on the boards of the Asian American Theater Company, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and the Hawai’i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California.

He was also a past chairman of the Young Democrats of Hawai’i and was a member of Hawai’i’s delegation to the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

Keith was born in Hawai’i and attended the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, where he served as student body president and as co-founder and co-chair of the University of Hawai’i Student Caucus, a coalition of organizations representing more than 44,000 students of the university system’s ten campuses.

He also co-authors a column in the Nichi Bei Times, a Japanese American weekly newspaper.

Kang, Michael

Michael Kang is a Korean American filmmaker based in New York and Los Angeles. His feature film directorial debut The Motel which was produced by Indie veteran director Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is currently on DVD through Palm Pictures. The Motel is the recipient of the Humanitas Prize as well as the top jury prizes from the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival,The San Diego Asian Film Festival and The VC Film Festival.

Most recently, The Motel was nominated for Best First Feature Film by The Independent Spirit Awards. Recently, Michael was honored with a National Endowment for the Arts Artist’s Residency Grant at The MacDowell Colony. Michael is recipient of the Geri Ashur Award in screenwriting through the New York Foundation for the Arts. Michael also received a fellowship through the ABC / DGA New Talent Television Directing Program.

Michael recently premiered his second feature West 32nd, produced by Teddy Zee (Hitch, Saving Face) and featuring John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle), Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica) and Jeong Jun Ho (My Hero, My Boss) at The Tribeca Film Festival.

Kang, Chancellor Steve

Sung-Mo (Steve) Kang has been Chancellor and Professor of Engineering at UC Merced since March 2007. He serves on the UC President's Science and Innovation Board, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board, MentorNet Advisory Board, and as chairman of the Board of the Great Valley Center.

From Jan. 2001 to Feb. 2007, he was Dean of Baskin School of Engineering and Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He initiated several interdisciplinary programs such as the Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Information Systems and Technology Management program, NSF Engineering Research Center for Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems, and collaborated with partner campuses for California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3) which includes bioinformatics, California Institute Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), and NASA's University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) which has $330M budget over next ten years.

From August 1995 to December 2000, he was Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. From August 1985 to December 2000, he was Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Research Professor of Coordinated Science Laboratory and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was named the first Charles Marshall Senior University Scholar, an Associate in the Center for Advanced Study

Until 1985 he was with AT&T Bell Laboratories at Murray Hill and Holmdel, and also served as a faculty member of Rutgers University. He led the development of world's first full 32-bit CMOS microprocessor chips and their peripheral chips as supervisor of high-end microprocessor design group.

He received his B.S. degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ in 1970, M.S. degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1972, and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1975, all in electrical engineering.

Dr. Kang is Fellow of IEEE, ACM and AAAS, and is listed in Who's Who in America, Who’s Who in Higher Education, Who's Who in Technology, Who's Who in Engineering and Who's Who in Midwest. He is recipient of the Chang-Lin Tien Education Leadership Award (2007), IEEE Mac Van Valkenburg Award (2005), Outstanding Alumnus Award in Electrical Engineering, UC Berkeley (2001), IEEE Third Millennium Medal (2000), SRC Technical Excellence Award (1999), IEEE CAS Society Golden Jubilee Medal (1999), KBS Award in Science and Technology (1998), IEEE CAS Society Technical Achievement Award (1997), Humboldt Research Award for Senior US Scientists (1996), IEEE Graduate Teaching Technical Field Award (1996).

He’s current research interests include low power VLSI design; optimization for performance, reliability and manufacturability; mixed-signal mixed-technology integrated system, and nanobioelectronics.

Kang, Sung

Originally from Gainesville Georgia. Sung Kang migrated to the west in the early 90's and began working on experimental theater with the F.A.T.E in Los Angeles under the guidance of method based director Sal Romeo. He credits this theater experience for teaching him the value of ensemble and collaboration. Taught a collective approach to acting Sung Kang has challenged conventional one dimensional Asian American roles and been fortunate to work with film makers with the same objective. Some of Sung Kang's film roles include Better Luck Tomorrow, Antwone Fisher, Pearl Harbor, the Motel, and most recently, Finishing The Game.

Kazi, Sumaya

Sumaya Kazi, 25, was recently recognized by BusinessWeek Magazine as one of America's Top 10 Entrepreneurs Under 25 and the only solo woman featured in its Global Top 75 Entrepreneurs list. Sumaya was also spotlighted in 2007 by CNN as a 'Young Person Who Rocks'. She currently serves as the Executive Director and Founder of TheCulturalConnect.com , a burgeoning media publishing company that publishes five weekly e-magazines dedicated to young, driven and forward-thinking adults around the world. To date it receives more than 500,000 hits to their site monthly with a readership that spans 100 countries. The CulturalConnect has been widely regarded as a refreshing and important young professional destination. She also serves as the Executive Director and Founder of the iGIVEadamnnetwork.org , a new non-profit organization that was started to create a young adult and professional movement towards awareness, giving and change. Aligning her team with the United Nations Millennium Development goals, her team has architected an innovative technology model to make it successful. Additionally, she works full-time as a Marketing Manager for the Global Communications group at Fortune 500 Company Sun Microsystems, the youngest in her division. In her spare time she is a Business mentor for Businesses United in Investing, Lending and Development (BUILD), a non-profit social venture that empowers underprivileged high schools with an education in entrepreneurship. Sumaya graduated from the University of California-Berkeley in Marketing and Strategic Planning. She is a Bangladeshi-American residing in the San Francisco, Bay Area.

Kim, Elaine

Elaine H. Kim is Professor of Asian American and Comparative Ethnic Studies and former Associate Dean of the graduate division at UC Berkeley. She has written, co-authored, and edited ten books, from "Asian American Literature: an Introduction to the Writing and its Social Context" in 1982 to "Fresh Talk/Daring Gazes: Conversations on Asian American Art" in 2003. she has produced and helped produce several video documentaries, from "Slaying the Dragon: Asian Women in U.S. Television and Film" in 1987 to "Labor Women" in 2003. Currently, she is working on a sequel to "Slaying the Dragon". Kim is Co-Founder of Asian Women United of California, the Korean Community Center in Oakland, and Asian Immigrant Women Advocates. She is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the University of Massachusetts and an honorary doctorate of laws from Notre Dame.

Kim, Jane

Jane Kim is a Commissioner on the Board of Education in the City and County of San Francisco. Jane was the highest vote getter in a field of 15 candidates this past November 2006 thanks to a volunteer-based, grassroots field campaign primarily led and organized by young people of color, 15 to 35 years old.

She is currently the youngest elected official and first Korean American elected in San Francisco.

Before being elected to the Board of Education in November 2006, Jane was the Youth Community Organizer at the Chinatown Community Development Center, a 28 year-old affordable housing nonprofit that also engages in community organizing, education and planning. For six years, she worked with over 200 San Francisco high school students developing youth leadership, organizing, advocacy and civic engagement through youth-initiated community service projects.

Previously, Jane was a fellow at Greenlining Institute, where she advocated for a range of issues, including consumer protection, access to higher education and universal life line issues, for low-income communities of color and immigrant communities.

She is also a co-director and co-founder of Locus Arts, a volunteer-run performance venue in San Francisco that showcases emerging musicians, writers, filmmakers and actors. Now, in its sixth year, Locus has showcased over 450 artists and reaches over 1500 audience members.

Kobara, John

January is National Mentoring Month and nobody knows mentoring like John Kobara, President and CEO of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. For most of his life, Kobara has been involved in youth development, mentoring and community service. He has experienced both sides of mentoring, acting as a mentor and a "mentee".

Kobara was a Big Brother for 10 years, watching his Little Brother cultivate from an eight-year-old boy into a high school graduate and a man. A revelation about mentoring was made when his Little Brother, who was 10 at the time, stumped him with a question about God. "The power of mentoring wasn't about me telling him answers, but about me listening," said Kobara.

Another of Kobara's memorable mentoring moments came as he was contemplating a career change. This time, he was on the receiving end. While debating between two career options, Kobara went to seek advice from one of his mentors. To his surprise, his mentor advised him to go with neither and to broaden his "perspective on what's possible and what's real."

"People can't grow and learn by themselves," said Kobara. The mentoring process allows individuals to "benefit from other people, minimize mistakes and helps pave a direct path to your goals."

While some people believe that the success of mentoring can bemeasured through a structured or formal program, Kobara believes "…the power of mentoring can be done in a moment...A mentor and a mentee build a bond of trust to communicate freely. It's not a one-way, but a two-way trusted bond. Mentoring takes time and trust to be
successful."

When seeking to be involved in mentorship, Kobara suggested following one's heart. "Don't do it randomly. Start with a common and comfortable place. Mentoring possibilities are everywhere; mostly in front of them."

There are numerous mentors in Kobara's life, but his mother and his wife are some of the most influential ones. "My mother continues to be my mentor. I learn something new every time I talk to her." Thanks to his wife, who has supported him through all his endeavors, success hasn't gotten to his head. "My wife keeps me grounded and humble."

Kobara's passion for youth development, mentoring, and community service began early in his career as a counselor for juvenile felons in maximum security institutions. He later ventured into the cable industry, helped pioneer online education and contributed to higher learning at a public university. Although he has been in several emerging industries and organizations, his commitment to helping others and building a better future for children ultimately led him to his current role.

Kwok, Glen

A native of Washington, D.C., Glen Kwok moved to Indianapolis in 2000 to be the Executive Director of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. When he is not busy with his administrative duties running the competition, Mr. Kwok remains active as a violinist, performing with various ensembles and orchestras including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

Prior to moving to Indiana, Mr. Kwok was an Assistant Professor of Music and Director of the D'Angelo School of Music at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. He also served on the faculty of the Pennsylvania Governor's School of the Arts, from whom he won an award for his "Distinguished Service to the Arts." He has performed extensively throughout the United States and Canada, including performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Kwok received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University, where he studied with Henryk Kowalski and Josef Gingold.

Mr. Kwok is a member of the Board of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, based in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also active in the local community and is proud to serve on the Boards of the Asian American Alliance and the Indiana Chinese Professional Association. He was in the Stanley K Lacy Executive Leadership Series Class XXIX and was a recipient of the "Forty Under 40" award by the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Kwok, Wei Tai

With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and globalization issues, Wei-Tai Kwok plays a dual role at Ion Global as managing director of the San Francisco office and head of the company's globalization practice. Under his leadership, the company has attracted and developed long-term relationships with many high-profile global brands such as Apple Computer, MCI, Wells Fargo, Southwest Airlines and McAfee Security.

A well-known expert in the area of website globalization, Wei-Tai has chaired and spok en at numerous international conferences on the topic since 1997. He has been with Ion Global and its predecessor firm, Dae Advertising, for more than 14 years. His client base has included leading companies within a broad range of industries, including financial services, telecommunications, retail, packaged goods, technology, entertainment and others.

Previously, Wei-Tai worked as a marketing associate for a Silicon Valley consulting firm and also a case manager and legal translator for a law firm in Shanghai and New York. He has also served as a Chinese interpreter for the International Fencing Federation at the 1984 Olympics. A native of Washington DC, Wei-Tai holds a degree in economics and political science from Yale University and speaks fluent Chinese and English and a little French and Latin.

Kwon, Yul

Yul Kwon was born in Queens, New York to parents who emigrated from South Korea. The family moved to the West Coast when he was six years old and he was raised in Concord, California. He attended high school at Northgate High in Walnut Creek, California, where he played varsity water polo and track and graduated valedictorian.

Yul then attended Stanford University and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in symbolic systems (theoretical computer science). While at Stanford, he received the James Lyons Award for Service, attended officer candidates school for the U.S. Marine Corps and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Yul went on to receive his Juris Doctor Degree from Yale Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal.

Yul has enjoyed a diverse career straddling both the private and public sectors in law, business and technology. He practiced a mix of litigation, appellate, transactional and regulatory work at several law firms. He also served as a judicial clerk to a federal judge on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Additionally, he worked as a legislative aide to Senator Joseph Lieberman in Washington, D.C., where he helped draft sections of the Homeland Security Bill and other technology-related legislation. Several years ago, Yul decided to switch careers and become a management consultant at McKinsey. From there, he joined Google's business strategy group.

On his way to winning Survivor: Cook Islands, Yul led a multiethnic team to victory against overwhelming odds, earned the nickname "The Godfather" for his skillful maneuvering, and smashed stereotypes about Asian American men in the media. Since then, Yul has been active in supporting charitable causes, raising the profile of Asian Americans in media (including hosting a series for CNN focusing on issues within the Asian American community), and encouraging youth to become active in their communities and in politics. Yul was recently named in People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue and People Magazine's Hottest Bachelor's issue, and was profiled on EXTRA TV as one of its Most Eligible Bachelors.

Kyson Lee, James

James Kyson Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, then moved with his family to New York City at the age of 10, where he later attended Bronx H.S. of Science. He studied Communications at Boston University and New England Institute of the Arts, where he also began performing in music, dance, and improv.

In summer of 2001, James sold his used car for $1800, packed one suitcase, purchased a one way ticket, and jetted off to Los Angeles. There he began training in jazz singing, musical theater, and for the first time - acting. In his first ever Television audition, he landed a guest-starring role on CBS' "J.A.G.", and since has appeared on NBC's "Las Vegas", "The West Wing", "Heist", as well as ABC's "Threat Matrix", and Fox's "All About the Andersons".

In addition to "Heroes," James will be starring in four feature films in 2008, including 20th Century Fox's "Shutter" with Joshua Jackson & Rachael Taylor, "Do Over" with Kuno Becker & Al Santos, "The Roel" with Shalim Ortiz & Ginuwine, and "Sleeping Room Only" - directed by David Boyle.

He will also be starring in the upcoming action-thriller video game: "The Darkness", for Playstation 3 & Xbox 360.

His middle name, Kyson, comes from the first letters of his parents' surnames (k & y) and the word "son". It also means "Child of the Spirit".

James is also a student of improvisation & sketch comedy, performing at I.O. West and Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. When he isn't working, he enjoys playing basketball and the piano, as well as reading biographies, and watching documentaries.

He stars on NBC's Golden Globe nominated hit drama "Heroes." On the show James plays 'Ando Masahashi,' sidekick and best friend to 'Hiro'. Traveling from Japan to the states, 'Ando' begins his journey as a realist and is soon transformed into a believer, as he comes across supernatural events and begins to claim his place on the mission to save the world.

James currently resides in Los Angeles.

Lakshminarayanan, Dhaya

Dhaya Lakshminarayanan is currently an Investment Manager at the Omidyar Network, a mission-based investment group established by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. Omidyar Network is investing in two funds: a venture fund (which invests in companies which profit only by creating positive social impact) as well as a philanthropic fund. At Omidyar Network, Dhaya sources, executes and manages investments that enable individuals to effectively pursue their own interests by collaborating with others.

Prior to joining Omidyar Network, Dhaya consulted with small businesses and entrepreneurs on strategy planning and operations. In late 2004, she received a research grant to study sustainable development and renewable energy entrepreneurship in Cuba.

From 1999 to 2003, Dhaya worked at Booz Allen Hamilton, a global management consulting firm. She also worked in asset management for Parnassus Investments, a $1 billion socially-responsible mutual fund from 2003-2004.

Dhaya received a Bachelor of Science and a Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999. Her graduate work focused on energy economics and infrastructure finance in Puerto Rico. She helped teach negotiation theory and practice at the Sloan School of Management.

Dhaya is active in her community. She is a member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a national community of business people who believe in protecting the environment while building economic prosperity. She holds elected office in the MIT alumni association. She has been an invited speaker at National Women's Political Caucus of San Francisco and at the Coro Foundation where she was asked to teach a course on negotiations, facilitation, and mediation for the 2005 public policy fellows.

She has been active in Democratic politics after her participation in the United States Senate Youth Program in 1992. In college, she volunteered on the Clinton-Gore campaign and attended the Inauguration of William Jefferson Clinton. She was active in campus politics and held elected office while an undergraduate. After graduation, she settled in San Francisco. She was appointed to the Urban Forestry Council by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and served a year term. She is a graduate of Emerge, a political training program for Democratic women in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dhaya has volunteered and fundraised on many campaigns including the 2004 Presidential campaign. She attended the Democratic National Convention as a journalist.

Lantos, Tom

Tom Lantos is serving his thirteenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was first elected to Congress in November 1980 - the only Democrat to defeat an un-indicted incumbent Republican in the year of the Reagan landslide. He won his seat by the lowest plurality of any Member of Congress elected that year - 46% to his opponent's 43%. Through excellent constituent service, careful attention to his district's needs, and hard work in the Bay Area and in Washington, Tom has been reelected repeatedly by large