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Elizabeth Yang
Elizabeth Yang, CEO and Founder of Yang Law Offices, has been practicing law since 2007 and specializes in Family Law, including divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, asset division, prenups, and postnups; Intellectual Property Law, including patent, copyright, and trademark prosecution, and litigation; and Business Law, including corporate entity formation, contract drafting, contract disputes, and litigation. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
At the age of 19, Elizabeth she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley in two and a half years. She was admitted to the United States Patent & Trademark Office in 2007 and with her five years of engineering experience working at both Raytheon on the B2 Bomber radar system as well as at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab on the Mars Exploration Rover, her legal career began in the field of intellectual property.
Elizabeth was married in 2008 and had her daughter in 2009 and her son in 2010. After only a short one-and-a-half-year-long marriage, she ended up in a four-year-long divorce between 2010 and 2014. During this challenging period of time, she learned all about California family law from her own case, including child custody and child support issues, alimony, asset division, and
even domestic violence restraining order issues. Having personally experienced the complex divorce process in California, Elizabeth understands and can relate to clients who are also undergoing emotional divorces. She has represented family law clients both efficiently and compassionately at various stages of mediation, litigation, and trial. Elizabeth earned her mediation certification in 2015 from the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) and has assisted many combative litigants in resolving their issues through mediation and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR). She encourages her clients to do their best to save their marriages with counseling our relationships courses; if that fails, then to settle their divorce outside of court with mediation, and if that fails as well, then the last resort would be to litigation the issues before a judge.
From 2016 to 2023, Elizabeth was awarded the “Top 100 Civil Lawyers” award and the “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” award by the National Trial Lawyers Association. From 2017 to 2021, Elizabeth was recognized by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” ranking her in the top 2.5% of lawyers in California, in 2022-2023, she was recognized as a “Super Lawyer”. She was also presented with the Lawyers of Distinction award, recognizing her as the top 10% of lawyers in the United States.
Elizabeth is a best-selling author and to date, has published a total of 6 books. In 2017, Elizabeth published her first best-selling book, “The Big Secret” alongside Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. In 2018, Elizabeth published her second book, “Stress-Free Divorce” to assist parties going through this very difficult time of their lives. Her most recent books include: “The Authorities: Powerful Wisdom from Leaders in the Field,” “Women in the Modern Business World,” “Asian Women Who Bossup,” and “Social Marriage.”
Michelle Kuo
Michelle Kuo is the Founder of JumpSearch Recruiting. She has led talent acquisition and recruiting operations for multiple startups to public companies in the US including: Qualtrics, Chatbooks, Dwelo, Lucid, Health Catalyst, Disney, NFL.com, StreamNative, Taulia, Ascential, Chargeback, Thumbtack, WB and DirecTV to name a few.
Michelle currently hosts the Utah Executive Founders Roundtable and JumpSearch Job Seeker Webinar Series, and previously ran the Utah CFO Roundtable. She has a passion for building community both for tech executives and job seekers to connect. In the past, she led the Recruiting Planning Committee for the first Silicon Slopes Tech Summit. This event is held yearly and hosts 20,000+ attendees.
Michelle is committed to diversity and has taken both ParityPledge for women and people of color.
Jaya Mallik
An experienced DEIB practitioner and educator, Jaya Mallik centers her practice on community engagement, data-informed insights, and empowering others to lead and innovate. She is especially passionate about ensuring equal access and opportunities for women of color and other underrepresented identities.
Prior to launching Jaya Mallik Coaching & Consulting, Jaya led DEI efforts at Meta, Amazon, and Tandem Diabetes Care with a focus on the tech industry. As an expert in Learning & Development and K-12 education, Jaya is well-versed in teaching complex concepts to diverse audiences to ensure comprehension, connection, and action.
Jaya believes in a modern education for everyone — free from perfectionism, shame, or blame. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two children, partner, and dogs exploring the outdoors, drinking lots of coffee, and watching ghost shows with her friends.
Janice Mah
Janice is a trusted Senior Business Partner and Strategic Advisor supporting C-level Executives by empowering them with data-driven strategies for growth, digital transformation, and operational excellence. She breaks-down complex problems into pragmatic solutions with value-driven outcomes. Janice has built and led highly engaged and enabled globally disbursed service delivery teams. Her servant leadership encourages collaborative partnerships to achieving and exceeding personal and business performance metrics.
Janice’s superpower of storytelling with data is also used in her purpose driven stories. Sharing her and others lived experiences to educate and evoke social change. She is a passionate champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion to advance racial justice and accountability. As a workplace trauma survivor, Janice helps other Asians and racialized groups with mentoring and coaching to build resilience to overcome adversity.
Sharon Cho
“From kindergarten to 6th grade I was called “the oriental” in the classroom by my teachers because I was the only Asian American at my school.”
It’s not easy to feel like the black sheep, to feel like you don’t fit in.
The most inspiring thing about Sharon’s story was that she did not let that feeling of being an outlier growing up hold her back.
She’s not only had a very successful career as a leader in the DEI space but she’s also a renowned backup singer to famous artists, even earning her a grammy!
Nhi T. Tran
“Imposter Syndrome is something I’ve experienced, but I don’t let that hold me back.”
Senior Associate with a demonstrated history of working in SasS, Web3/Crypto, Healthcare, E-commerce/Retail, Spa/Health & Wellness, and Nonprofit industries. Skilled in Financial Statements, Budgeting, and Forecasting/Modeling. Strong accounting professional with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) focused in Accounting from University of New Orleans.
Khushi Yadav
Khushi has over 15 years of experience in software quality assurance, automation, and architecture, with a CSM certification and an MBA in IT. Her mission is to ensure the delivery of high-quality, reliable, and user-friendly web applications that empower consumers to make informed healthcare decisions.
In her current role, Khushi is responsible for Quality Assurance at Healthcare Bluebook, a leading provider of healthcare cost and quality transparency solutions. In this role, she leads a team of QA engineers and architects who are responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the QA strategy, framework, and processes for Healthcare Bluebook's web platform. By leveraging agile methodologies, CI/CD, and CT tools, she is able to facilitate efficient and effective testing, and to catch and resolve bugs quickly and proactively. Khusi also collaborates with developers, product managers, and stakeholders to align the QA vision and goals with the business requirements and user needs. Her passion is to create a culture of quality and excellence that fosters innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Lily Huang-Voronina
Mother Tongue Media is dedicated to providing innovative digital marketing solutions that promote diversity and cultural inclusivity. Our goal is to help businesses grow by connecting them with their target audience in a way that is authentic, respectful, and engaging.
We believe that a strong commitment to diversity and inclusivity is not only morally right, but it is also good for business. We are passionate about our work and strive to be leaders in our industry by setting the highest standards of excellence and professionalism.
Kristie Lee
Kristie is obsessed with understanding people, deep contemplation, and evolution… and also her 1-year-old son.
Kristie is an integrated marketing architect and a media nerd with experience spanning across marketing, sales strategy, media, and creative. She creates marketing campaigns that perform down the funnel (awareness to conversion) and across different channels (Earned, Owned, and Paid). She is a self-professed excel and data nerd who loves helping marketers & creatives understand what it all means. Because what is marketing without a story at the center?
Karen Park
Karen K. Park, Co-Founder and Partner of Advise RE, has over ten years of working with ultra-high net worth families, C-Suite executives, and investment funds.
Karen is a Certified Public Accountant and earned her B.A. in Business Administration with 1st Division and Second Honors from the University of Derby. Additionally, she holds a Master's degree in Business Taxation from the University of Southern California, where she was awarded the prestigious Hemphill/Redmond Tax Fellowship for her outstanding academic performance during her graduate tax programs. Along with her academic achievements, she also serves on the board of ACE NextGen, SoCal Chapter, a non-profit organization that provides resources to young Asian American entrepreneurs.
Le Anne Harper
Le Anne has 15+ years' experience as a DEI, TA & HR leader working in-house and consulting to global Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurial boutique firms across multiple industries. She is a lifelong learner who loves to face fears including a solo South Africa safari, competing on a TV game show, skydiving from 14,000 feet, singing backup for Barry Manilow, surviving off the grid in Alaska, and swimming with sharks.
Her professional mission is to help organizations and individuals discover and cultivate their talents, so they can grow, prosper, contribute in meaningful ways, and thrive.
Christie Chung
Less than 1% of College Deans are Asian American Women.
Dr. Chung is an award-winning academic leader, executive, keynote speaker, and professor in cognitive psychology. She has extensive expertise in cognitive aging research and is dedicated to mentoring and coaching administrative leaders, faculty, and students through a lens of compassion, integrity, and equity.
Grace Yung Foster
Grace Y. Foster (she/her) is the Founder & CEO of The Inclusion Initiative, a tech platform for professionals that is closing the opportunity gap for transracial adoptees and foster care alumni.
As an immigrant orphan from Seoul, South Korea, foster care alum, and a transracial adoptee into a family of 21 in a predominantly white community with white parents. Grace left that family at 17-years-old, and her experiences of inequity, marginalization, and lack of access to wealth and opportunity has fueled her ambitions to create change.
Grace has 15 years of experience in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, and recently launched herself into her entrepreneurship journey to build The Inclusion Initiative.
Grace holds an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business with specializations in Sustainability in Business and Leadership & Change Management. She also holds a BA in Communications from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and an AA in Business Administration.
Darlene Harrold
Darlene Harrold, Compliance Specialist at Providence – System Compliance Services, has 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Her role collaborates with leadership to provide an effective compliance program including workforce orientation, development of compliance and privacy education, incident response and documentation, investigations, regulatory research, policy and procedure development, conflicts of interest disclosure, and compliance monitoring and program-related projects.
Darlene holds a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Business Administration from California State University, San Bernardino. Additionally, she has received extensive training with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve public awareness and promote disaster preparedness nationally. She is also a member of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA).
Angela Cheng-Cimini
Global executive Human Resources leader with over 30 years of comprehensive experience in both Generalist and Specialist competencies, partnering with C-suite leaders.
Proven contributor to the business strategy by helping leaders identify and build organizational capabilities. Industry experience in consumer products, high-tech, manufacturing, professional services and non-profit in non-union and organized facilities.
Comprehensive multi-site field and corporate background with expertise in change management, organizational development, talent acquisition, and DEI.
Rita Cheng
Marguerita (Rita) Cheng helps educate the public, policy makers, and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. The chief executive officer of financial advisory firm, Blue Ocean Global Wealth, Rita helps people meet their life goals through the proper management of financial resources.
She is passionate about helping them navigate some of life’s most difficult issues—divorce, death, career changes, caring for aging relatives—so they can feel confident and in control of their finances. She takes pride in her ability to make a difference in people’s lives. Rita also volunteers her time as a SoleMate, or charity runner for Girls on the Run, raising money to win scholarships for girls.
Michelle Ji-Yeun Kim
GSD: Get Stuff Done. Contagious Positive Energy. Advocate for Internal Teams. Customer Centric.
Michelle is a leader that happens to be an operator with experience in SaaS Sales, Marketing, Program Management, and Operations. Her professional mission is to develop positive relationships to optimize processes and improve the customer experience.
Michelle’s personal mission is to inspire women to be courageous in their careers. In Q4 2022, she achieved 100% against a self-imposed quota to interview one VP or C-level woman in tech per week. Since then, she has created a podcast called Breaking the Tech Ceiling where she speaks with female Go-To-Market Tech Executives about their path into executive leadership, their current aspirations, and practical advice they have for mid to late career women to continue Breaking the Tech Ceiling.
Mahalene Dulay
Representation in the money space matters -- for so long women+ of color have been waiting for a seat at the money table. Mahalene got tired of waiting and built her own to welcome a seat for WOC+ and allies at Modern Wealth Collective. Though her clients come from different walks of life, Mahalene is passionate about working with women+ of color who have the challenge of finding a trusted advisor who can relate to their money wins and obstacles. She strives to achieve this with three key core pillars to money management: wealth, impact and purpose.
Mahalene is a proud daughter of Filipino immigrant parents -- it was through their own resilience and big dreams that inspired her entrepreneurial journey. Shortly after graduating from the University of San Diego, Mahalene started her career in 2007; in 2018, opened her own financial services firm in her hometown of San Diego.
Yan Tan
Business Leader and Strategy Analyst, Yan is a self-driven and creative business leader with 12 years of experience in strategy and business analysis, focusing on marketing and sales analytics, product and brand management, and international (China & SE Asia) business strategy.
Able to demonstrate problem-solving ability with emphasis on drawing inferences from data and to conduct both high-level strategic thinking and juggle multiple projects. Strong people management (both directly and in cross-functional teams) and global experience (starting and leading business/brands).
Yan’s professional experience consists of two parts in two countries: US experience: Sales performance analysis and clinical analytics in the healthcare industry for five years. China experience: Brand builder, product manager, and brand manager in the consumer healthcare industry for seven and a half years.
Anne Forkutza
Anne Forkutza started her career in customer experience and digital strategy at the age of 18, delivering award-winning campaigns for big brands such as Starbucks, Electronic Arts, and Nike.
After years of working in digital strategy, Anne pivoted to the world of cannabis retail and has worked with some of the most influential cannabis retailers in the industry, including Cookies, Star Buds, SNDL, Circle K/Fire & Flower and Native Roots.
Tanya Dempsey
Tanya is an affordable housing expert with 15 years of experience working with housing authorities across the country to optimize financing strategies so that they can better meet their mission. She has extensive experience in financial structuring, operational evaluation, and strategic planning. She consistently delivers successful outcomes in challenging timeframes and demanding work environments.
Tanya chose a career in affordable housing to make a difference, impact policy and help others. Housing Authority officials work tirelessly to serve very low-income families, and she believes whole-heartedly in their mission to provide safe, decent housing to families. She loves finding value for her clients, whether that’s increasing their bottom line, improving their efficiency or building their capacity.
Tanya thrives on trying to figure out new financing structures and working on interesting housing transactions. Tanya is particularly proud of building her team and continuing to grow the practice at CSG Advisors.
Sandy Pham
A native of Southern California, Sandy attended the University of California, Irvine and studied abroad in Italy and Spain. A business administration major, Sandy worked for several Fortune 500 companies including Apple. During her time there, she was a part of the team that launched Apple's very first social media advertising campaigns and was responsible for managing millions of dollars in social media ads.
In 2020, she founded Social Medusa Media, a social media marketing agency for food and lifestyle brands. Social Medusa Media counts the iconic Mel's Drive In, Main Chick Hot Chicken, Tiato Kitchen & Garden Venue (apart of the House of AN Restaurant Group), and All Day I Dream Music Festival as some of their clients
Mai Truong
Mai recently launched a new business called Bo & Mei (www.boandmei.com) out of a desire to give her daughters and others pride in their Asian identity, instead of the opposite, which was her experience. But as a second generation Vietnamese American, she found that the traditions and celebrations of her heritage felt foreign, and despite her willingness, she didn't feel Asian enough.
Bo & Mei is trying to remedy this issue by curating kits that help people carry on time-honored Asian traditions—starting with Lunar New Year. Hoping to empower people to see their heritage as a source of strength not shame, Bo & Mei offers thoughtfully curated kits that provide essential items and guidance for celebrating fully and with ease. Check out the website here: www.boandmei.com.
Bonnie Maingault
Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, Bonnie made the United States her home in 1980 at age eleven. She is committed to “rocking the boat” and challenging the status quo. She advocates for a woman’s right to have a voice and not play small.
After more than 20 years in the financial planning industry, Bonnie created Spark to Freedom and began recruiting Spark Warriors on September 11, 2022. These warriors are women with children who are survivors of domestic abuse. She helps them dare to dream again by giving support as they discover their dreams, defy goals & aspirations, as well as equipping them to restore their dignity through financial, relational, and emotional freedom. Bonnie uses her personal experience and background in banking and wealth management to empower, educate, and engage women to make a generational
impact.
“I wish for a world where kids are free to be kids because their homes are free of violence.” Fighting domestic violence will help solve other social issues such as declining mental health and sex trafficking as well. Domestic tranquility starts with a warrior’s brave decision to protect herself. She and her children are worth the fight! Freedom is SAFETY, SECURITY, and the opportunity to make positive CHOICES and CHANGES.
Angeline Cheng
As a young litigator, Angeline was often mistaken for a court reporter or secretary and/or told her English was surprisingly good (despite her being born in America). She used these experiences to learn the power of using her voice and find strength in being underestimated.
While pursuing her in-house career path in aerospace and defense, she was often told by well-meaning individuals that if she wanted to make it as an Asian American female lawyer, she should pick a different industry or specialty. She discovered that when she was told there was something she could or should not do, she became even more determined to succeed in that effort. More importantly, she learned the importance of being seen and took to heart the responsibilities that come with being one of “the first and only” to uplift and empower others along the way. These experiences further instilled within her a lifelong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Angeline is now recognized for her expertise in cyber, national security, governance, compliance, and risk management and is known for developing sustainable frameworks for businesses in regulated industries. A disciplined and rational leader, she translates complex regulatory and technical requirements into actionable guidance and strategic direction that supports business objectives.
She currently serves as General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer for MarkLogic Corporation (a Progress Software Corporation company) and is a director on the board of Stantec, Inc., a public Canadian company. She has over thirty years of legal, business and C-Suite experience predominantly in the aerospace and defense industry spanning service in executive management roles, service as a director for several private company boards, and DEIJ leadership roles in multiple organizations. Angeline has previously served as an adjunct professor at the Antonin Scalia School of Law, and as an Executive-in-Residence/ professor for the University of Maryland Global Campus’ M.B.A. program. Currently, she is the President Elect of APABA-DC, a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security, and an Advisory Board Member of Women, Influence, Power & the Law. Angeline holds a B.A. and J.D. from Villanova University, an LL.M from Georgetown University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. She is currently pursuing an [M.Sc] in Cybersecurity from Brown University.
Kristine deGuzman
Kristine’s core values are leadership, authenticity, personal development, and not being an asshole. A good friend of hers who passed away in 2020 wrote in his Instagram bio, "it costs $0.00 to be a nice person," and it's a mantra she has since adopted in his honor. Kristine believes that kindness is a rare resource that we can offer freely, generously.
Kristine built her career in the agency world, managing global teams and overseeing the execution of social media strategies and integrated campaigns for enterprise tech companies. She attributes much of her success not to her marketing prowess (though she has some of that too), but to her ability to build relationships, foster connection, and give a genuine shit about the teams that she leads. Kristine believes that teams thrive when measures of empathy are prioritized over measures of productivity, and it's her goal to create environments where everyone feels safe bringing their full selves to work. She does this by mentoring others and leading by example - by bringing her full self to work, including all of the hobbies and identity markers that make me her who she is.
Kristine is a firm believer in setting boundaries and maintaining a healthy work/life balance, and she has a full life outside of work - as a 200-hr certified yoga instructor, she has also competed and won first place at a national pole dance competition and is a published writer.
Chie Schuller
As a bilingual cross-cultural consultant and trainer, Chie helps Japanese companies create a positive and inclusive cross-cultural environment for their employees, Japanese expats, and their families, enabling them to succeed in diverse environments. With over two decades of experience across education, nonprofit organizations, and manufacturing sectors, her unique background equips her with a deep understanding of the global challenges that businesses and their employees’ encounter.
To address these, Chie offers comprehensive guidance tailored to the individual needs of each company and its staff. Her focus on cross-cultural communication equips businesses and their employees with the skills and knowledge they require to succeed in diverse environments. Moreover, Chie appreciates the crucial, yet often overlooked, role of expat family well-being in a company’s performance. Insufficient support for these families can negatively influence an expat’s effectiveness and induce stress, affecting the entire organization.
Therefore, Chie extends her services to provide expat family members with the essential tools and resources they require to adapt and thrive in their new life in the U.S., safeguarding both individual well-being and organizational success.
Ashley Lam
Ashley Lam is a program director at BNP Paribas. She is an accomplished risk & control specialist and strategic advisor with 14+ years of experience developing, executing and performing risk assessment programs for various global financial institutions. She has made her impact in building enterprise programs on compliance, regulatory and operational risk. Ashley holds a B.A in Economics and Politics from New York University.
Ashley serves on the iMentor Young Executive Leadership Board and is a committee leader for her company’s Asian employee resource group as well as Women’s employee resource group. She is an advocate for first- generation students, Asian American leadership, and women's leadership. She has also founded a scholarship for first generation BIPOC high school and college students.
When she is not working, you’ll find her spending time mentoring, engaging in AAPI organizations and initiatives throughout NYC, meeting new people, keeping up with her kids & dog, and pursuing her breakthrough venture in entrepreneurship.
Megan Miyamoto
Meet Megan Miyamoto, a dynamic leader with over 15 years of experience focused on driving transformation and adoption in various industries, both in management consulting and at Bay Area tech companies. Megan is driven by a passion to activate and enable lasting and meaningful business outcomes at scale. Currently she is serving as the Director of Adoption and Change Transformation at Docusign.
With a career characterized by impact and innovation, she is excited to found Miko, an eyewear company focused on stylish, low bridge/Asian fit eyewear for kids: Miko Eyewear (http://mikoeyewear.com/).
In her own words “I am thrilled to be joining The Authentic Asian and finding my tribe in fellow Asian female leaders and entrepreneurs.
Ginny Cheng
Being a 1.5-generation immigrant to the States has been a journey filled with opportunities and, I must say, a few career pivots that keep life interesting.
From PR/sponsorships to product marketing to now being in the dynamic space as a global talent acquisition leader and career coach, each move had its "yes and" moments, even when that sneaky imposter syndrome tried to crash the party.
This adventure jet-set me across the globe, with stints in APAC (Taiwan, China, and Singapore) and EMEA ( London, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Germany, Copenhagen, and Helsinki). I've had the privilege of working for several memorable global brands and now, I'm leading the TA function at Oura. We're all about giving a voice to "Every Body" through our wearable tech and championing proactive health(care).
As a career coach and speaker who's been featured in WSJ and CNBC, I'm learning just as much from others along the way, and I'm loving every bit of it. I believe If you treat every project and every company like it's a "dream," you'll be learning with joy, fulfill your intellectual curiosity, and make an impact even bigger than you ever imagined.
Denise Lee
Denise Lee is a driven and passionate entrepreneur and the founder & CEO of Alala, an apparel brand launched in 2014, that is building the go-to wardrobe for vibrant women with sophisticated style.
Prior to starting Alala, Denise received her MBA from New York University and proceeded to spend years at the side of retail legend, Chris Burch, learning the ropes of launching companies, making great product and growing brands, building a strong foundation for her next chapter.
As the founder & CEO of Alala, Denise’s vision is to build a brand that not only brings joy to women through sophisticated, high quality clothing, but also seeks to advance dialogue around body positivity and diversity. Denise is very proud to have built a talented team of women to work alongside her, and together, they have turned Alala into a thriving self-funded brand.
In addition to running Alala, Denise sits on the board of Take The Lead, a non-profit organization that gives professional women the tools to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions. As an immigrant and women of color, Denise is also committed to mentoring aspiring female founders in their journeys and believes that there is room at the top for all of us. Her dedication to helping women live their most fulfilled lives is at the heart of everything she does.
In her free time, Denise loves spending time with her rescue Pomeranians, Rudy and Alfie, and is an ardent supporter of animal rescue. She is also on a journey of personal development and wellness in the pursuit of living her best life and is an eternal student of the world. Denise is so grateful for the opportunities that have come her way and is excited to see what the future holds for Alala and for herself.
Viravyne Chhim
Viravyne has nearly two decades of experience as a lawyer in the credit industry and is currently the Deputy General Counsel and CCO at MGG Investment Group, a private investment firm that provides bespoke investment solutions to mid-size and growing lower-middle market companies. As a child of genocide survivors, Viravyne devotes her spare time to issues impacting the Southeast Asian refugee community. She also mentors up-and-coming leaders in the finance industry, especially women.
Nancy Masuda
Nancy believes that life is a journey of constant growth and learning, fueled by the desire to better oneself and become stronger through every experience. Nancy’s journey began with her upbringing as a child of first-generation immigrant parents from South Korea. At an early age, Nancy learned the importance of advocacy—giving voice to those who would otherwise go unheard—as she fought for her parents’ rights and navigated the healthcare system on their behalf. Their sacrifices and work ethic motivated her to achieve things they could only dream of. Achieving their dream became her dream, and these lessons learned have guided her career of impact and service.
Nancy is a lawyer by background and has used that foundation to pursue high-impact roles in the nonprofit sector, where she has been able to lead as an advocate, policymaker, and social impact strategist. Over 15 years of diverse experience, she has accumulated expertise in healthcare policy, compliance, and government relations. This included working in senior healthcare services and advising the former Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer of Kaiser Permanente. Currently, Nancy is the Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications at Stanford University School of Medicine, Asian Liver Center where she had the privilege to help lead and secure the passage of a life-saving legislative bill, AB 789, which became law in 2022, making California the first state in the country to require primary health care facilities to offer free, voluntary hepatitis B and C screenings.
Regina Jiron
As an accomplished Strategy and Operations Executive, Regina is dedicated to fostering growth, enhancing operational efficiency, and nurturing talent in both the nonprofit and corporate realms. Her strategic acumen has catalyzed innovative organizational redesigns, operational overhauls, and the integration of digital solutions, all while prioritizing lean operations, improved performance, and mitigating risks. Her proficiency in revamping operational systems, infrastructure, and processes has been instrumental in driving revenue growth, streamlining operations, and developing talent.
Regina is a fervent champion of diversity and inclusion, diligently cultivating an environment of creative growth and learning. She is committed to empowering underrepresented voices, providing them a platform to share their perspectives and contribute meaningfully in the workplace.
Her extensive industry experience, coupled with her creative resilience and foresight in addressing latent challenges, distinctly characterizes her professional approach. This unique combination not only delineates her identity but also cements her status as a leading figure in strategy and operations.
Qieer Wang
Qieer Wang is a Creative Studio Founder and a Chinese Visual Artist currently working and living in New York. If you're wondering, ‘Qieer’ is pronounced as Chair (I promise you aren't the first one!). With over 7 years of experience in Art Development, Animation Filmmaking, Advertisement production and Editorials, her shortlisted clients include A24, Adult Swim, Adobe, Google, GIPHY, HULU, Lilith Games, NPR, Netflix and Warner Media.
Qieer believes that loyalty, delicacy and competency can create healthy and sustainable partnerships with her clients and all-round collaborators. She has been carrying this spirit from her early freelance years all the way to her own studio works. She helped her client’s animated social campaign series win Golden Awards at Promax, 2022; she also successfully maintained a collection of timely live-action Ads products for her (video game developer) client and achieved over 5% of CTR that reflected in Q4, 2022.
Qieer also believes that visual arts can not only tell a beautiful story, but also unstigmatize subjects that are difficult to talk about in order to connect lost souls. She embraces her personal journeys in childhood and brings acceptance and the intention of healing into her later works. She presented Healing In Motion Arts: Utopia In Dystopia, along with Karan Kverno (John Hopkins practitioner and professor in psychiatric fields) to MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She’s humbled to have spoken and shared her stories at AIGA EoD conference, and numerous prestigious art institutes such as SVA, Parsons, KCAI, OTIS and MICA.
Aside from raising awareness in showcasing tenderness in mental health with her studio’s in-house works like ODDD (aka "Odd Damn Difficult Days''), she’s always rooting for those who are trying to create good in this world and are overcoming their own barriers in immigration too, by providing them a stage at her studio: QIE.
When she’s not AfterEffecting, Photoshopping or GoogleSheeting in her studio, you can find her writing new stories on the rooftop with a cup of Jinjunmei tea; or showing her friends about the new Hotpot place she finds. And most likely you can catch her on Duolingo completing quests in German lessons; or watching a Blender new add-on video and getting totally geeked out.
In Between the puzzled combo of artist-biz owner, Qieer finds a way to share her drawing obsessions on her new YouTube channel, every Tuesday, @qieerdraws. Because she believes that only if the process of creating is fun, the outcome can be inspiring.
Kat Richards
Kat is passionate about collaboration between business strategy, technology, and customer experience to bring diverse perspectives together. She is a systems thinker, creating solutions people love by connecting the dots through an inspiring vision and roadmap.
Kat is the intersection between intuition and framework, design and psychology, art and analysis. She makes sense of contradictions. She thrives in finding clarity in chaos and communicating it to others with a clear and concise goal that teams can get behind.
People are at the core of everything Kat does. Her passion is creating human-centered solutions that challenge the status quo and yield measurable results.
Yulee Lee
Dr. Yulee Lee is the Chief Operating Officer at Stuff You Can Use, where her dedication to fostering a positive workplace culture and organizational excellence fuels business growth and societal impact on the next generation. As the Founder and Chief Change Strategist of the Change Leadership Institute, Yulee is committed to helping executives navigate change processes that prioritize positive levers, fostering an environment where people not only adapt but thrive.
Beyond her corporate leadership, Dr. Lee generously imparts her knowledge as a visiting professor of Organizational and Change Leadership at esteemed institutions nationwide. Her passion for academia is complemented by extensive research, providing valuable insights that guide clients in the realms of organizational leadership and change strategy. Driven by a caring ethos, Yulee authored the transformative book, "Leading Change While Loving People," encapsulating her belief in the power of compassionate leadership to drive meaningful transformations. In every facet of her multifaceted career, Dr. Yulee Lee seeks to integrate a powerful blend of leadership savvy and genuine concern for the well-being of individuals and organizations alike.
Dr. Lee received her BA in Political Science from Tufts University, her Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and her Ph.D. in Educational Studies / Organizational Leadership from Trinity International University. She also holds multiple certifications from globally recognized institutions and is regularly asked to speak at national conferences and events.