2012 CAPAL BOARD BIOGRAPHIES
PRISCILLA BAEK, CHAIR
Priscilla Baek works at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where she is the Associate Manager of Policy and Research for the US-Korea Business Council and Japan Program. She supports the Council’s policy initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea FTA Business Coalition, and the U.S. Chamber’s Japan program of work through policy research, briefings, position papers, press releases, and other materials. She is also responsible for organizing seminars and meetings between senior-level U.S. and Korean government officials, business leaders, and Chamber members on topics related to business and the economy. Prior to joining the Council and the U.S. Chamber, Priscilla served as a Publications Assistant for Yeosu Expo 2012, a global conference on sustainable growth in the ocean and coast, where she organized the international section of the expo’s official publication and interviewed senior level environmental experts. Previously, she worked at Yonhap News Agency in Korea as an Editorial Assistant. At Yonhap News Agency she was responsible for writing and editing articles on North and South Korean economic, political, and security issues. Priscilla graduated from the University of Hawaii-Manoa with a masters degree in Korean, and graduated from Duke university with bachelors degrees in Public Policy and Spanish. She has also studied at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. Priscilla is a recipient of the Robertson Scholarship and the National Security Education Program’s Language Flagship Fellowship. She speaks English, Korean, and Spanish. Contact Priscilla
REBECCA LEE, VICE CHAIR
Rebecca Lee is a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she works on the strategic health communications team. Working at Booz Allen Hamilton she specializes in campaigns, branding, and consumer research for federal health clients. Rebecca graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Public Health degree and from Cornell University with a bachelors degree in Policy Analysis and Management. At Cornell, Rebecca led a diverse coalition to found the Asian and Asian-American Center (A3C). She also co-founded Cornell’s Asian and Asian-American Forum, a mental health advocacy and outreach organization. Rebecca continues to support Cornell’s diversity and mentoring initiatives as an active alumna in the Washington D.C. area. Prior to joining CAPAL’s Board of Directors, Rebecca was a 2010 CAPAL Scholar at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she coordinated public engagements for the Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Howard Koh, and the Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Regina Benjamin. Rebecca has also served as the research assistant to the President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation and has interned at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum. Contact Rebecca
ANDREW KIM, SECRETARY
Andrew Kim serves as Country Director for Korea in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon where he supports senior-level exchanges and dialogues between the U.S. Department of Defense and ROK Ministry of National Defense on U.S.-ROK Alliance issues. Early in 2012 he will be moving to the State Department’s Bureau of East Asia Pacific Affairs as the political-military affairs officer at the North Korea desk. Originally from New York, Andrew graduated from Princeton University in 2010 with a concentration in the Woodrow Wilson School and a certificate in East Asian Studies. While at Princeton he worked, traveled, and conducted research in China and Korea. Andrew was involved in Asian American and Korean American student groups as well as Princeton’s Chinese Theatre. He was selected as a fellow in the Woodrow Wilson School’s Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative (SINSI), and will be returning to Princeton after his rotations in the Pentagon and State Department to complete a Masters program in Public Affairs. Contact Andrew
ALEXANDER WONG, TREASURER
Alexander Wong is a Budget Analyst for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Prior to joining AWEA, he spent two years at Alcoa’s corporate finance rotational program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio. Alex successfully completed all exam requirements for Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant designations while working for Alcoa. Originally from Ohio, Alex graduated from Boston University’s School of Management in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. At Boston University, he served as the President of Lambda Phi Epsilon, an internationally recognized Asian interest fraternity. Contact Alex
PHYLLIS JOE, LEGAL COUNSEL
Phyllis Joe works at a law firm in Bethesda, Maryland as an attorney. She focuses on estate planning for individuals and families in Maryland and Washington D.C. Phyllis was born and raised in Canton, Mississippi, but she proudly considers herself a Washington, DC resident after spending the last decade of her life in the District. Phyllis graduated in 2009 from the George Washington University Law School with a juris doctor, and graduated in 2005 from the George Washington University with a bachelors degree in Sociology and a minor in Public Health. In law school, she was an active member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and served as co-chair for the Minority Affairs Committee of the Student Bar Association. Phyllis is an active member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Contact Phyllis
AYAN DE
Ayan De is a Senior Consultant with Deloitte Consulting’s Strategy and Operations practice and focuses on Customer Experience, Marketing and Pricing, Product Lifecycle Management, Sustainability and Market Entry strategies. Prior to Deloitte, Ayan was a senior consultant at Capgemini US LLC, focusing on Operations, Business Process Improvement, Digital Content Services, Change Management and Transformation consulting. Ayan graduated from Virginia Tech with a masters degree in Business Administration, and graduated from Concord University with bachelors degrees in Finance and Computer Science. Originally from India, Ayan has lived in New York City, Los Angeles, and for the last year and a half in Washington DC. In college Ayan was involved in Student Government where he held executive office for a year, tutored fellow students, and also served as a Resident Assistant for two years. Contact Ayan
CASSIE DUONG
Cassie Duong is a Consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton where she works in the Information Technology Service Management group focusing on projects related to governance and budgeting for the Department of the Navy. Previously Cassie has worked at various Federal and state agencies in their legal departments and policy divisions including the State Department, Army Corps of Engineers, New Jersey Judiciary, New Hampshire Department of Justice, and others. Cassie graduated from Vermont Law School with a Juris Doctor with a certificate in General Practice, graduated from Arizona State University with a masters degree in Justice Studies, and graduated from Washington State University with a bachelors degree in Biology and Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. At Vermont Law School, she served as the President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students and as the Lt. Governor of Diversity for the American Bar Association Student Law Division. She has spoken at Harvard, Roger Williams, and Vermont Law Schools on the topic of Diversity. Cassie graduated from CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program in 2006. Contact Cassie
MARI HART
Mari works at the Federal Trade Commission in the Bureau of Competition. Prior to her current job, she spent two years working in the finance sector as a bank officer, managing portfolios of business and consumer clients in San Francisco’s financial district and in Palo Alto, California. Mari is a New York native but spent more than ten years of her childhood in Tokyo. Mari graduated from University of California, Davis with bachelors degrees in International Relations and Anthropology. At Davis, Mari developed her passion for public service while she served two internships with the U.S. State Department in Washington and in Shenyang, China. Contact Mari
FANG HE
Fang He is a Senior Economist at the Government Accountability Office where he focuses on US foreign assistance programs. His current project project topics are related to US food aid, global HIV/AIDS, China’s activities in Africa, and conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fang completed his Ph.D. at Columbia University in Economics where his dissertation looked at education programs in South Asia, and graduated from University of California at Berkeley with bachelors degrees in Economics and Industrial Engineering. While at Berkeley, he served as the president of the Asian Political Association. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio Fang is a lifelong fan of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cincinnati Reds, and of course his beloved California Golden Bears. Contact Fang
MARIKO IWATA
Mariko Iwata is a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton where she works on the Strategy and Organization Health Communications team. Her current project focuses on patient centered medical home implementation in the military health system. Mariko has previously worked on Asian American health advocacy initiatives through Project CHARGE, a coalition of 14 Asian American health non-profits in New York City. She interned in Tokyo, Japan at the Japan Center For International Exchange (JCIE) where she provided program support for a symposium on redefining Japan’s health system. Mariko graduated from Columbia University with masters degrees in Public Health (MPH) and International Affairs (MIA) and graduated from New York University with a bachelors degree in Art History. Contact Mariko
JOHN KIM
John Kim is a Senior Consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton. He graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a masters degree in Korean as a fellow with the National Security Education Program. He completed his program in Seoul at Korea University. In Korea he interned at the ASEAN-Korea Centre where he assisted the Secretary General with translating Korean documents and organizing the 2010 3rd Annual ASEAN-Korea Council Meeting. John graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in 2009 with a bachelors degree in Political Science with a focus on non-proliferation and human security on the Korean peninsula. At University of Illinois John served as the Chicago Project Leader for Saemsori, a project of the Eugene Bell Foundation, and served as President of Jayoutuh Initiative for two years. Contact John
ANDRE NAKAZAWA
Andre Nakazawa is a Legislative Aide for Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon. Andre’s portfolio includes cybersecurity, international trade, foreign affairs, immigration, and others. Before moving to D.C. in August 2009, Andre was an Associate Producer for the documentary “Papers”, a film about undocumented immigrant youth. “Papers” has been screened internationally and in all 50 states. Andre co-founded LanguageTwin, an e-learning company incorporated in Oregon that facilitates the conversational aspect of language learning in university course curricula by offering video chat language exchanges between students from different countries. Andre is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Socrates Society and a Truman Congressional Security Scholar. Andre graduated cum laude from the University of Oregon with a bachelors degree in Economics and Political Science. Contact Andre
JIN SOO OHM
Jin Soo Ohm is a Business Analyst at Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) where he works on financial sales analytics and modeling and is responsible for business intelligence strategy formulation and development. CSC is a business solutions, technology and outsourcing company. Prior to CSC he worked as an Data Quality Assurance Lead for a prospect research company providing non-profit clients with fundraising intelligence and tools. Jin graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelors degree in General/Industrial Engineering with concentration in Business Systems Integration and Consulting. At University of Illinois he served as the President of Korean American Student Association (KASA) and interned at Korean American Coalition (KAC). Contact Jin
CAROLINE PAIK
Caroline Paik is a Senior Coordinator with the National Chamber Foundation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She works closely with senior management to coordinate high profile events and programs that are dedicated to identify and foster public debate on emerging critical issues. Her prior role at the Chamber was to manage the full portfolio of communications needs – developing project plans and creating new and innovative marketing and communication strategies of the non-profit think tank of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining the Chamber, Caroline was a creative analyst for one of Korea’s leading advertising firms where she was a part of the team that designed LG and Dominio’s advertising strategies in Korea. Caroline graduated magna cum laude from University of Hawaii, Manoa in 2009 with a masters degree in Korean Studies, and graduated from the University of California at Irvine with dual bachelors degrees in Studio Art and International Studies. Contact Caroline
EMERSON PARK
Emerson Park is an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton where he serves as the requirements lead on the Benefits.gov Program in its support of FEMA’s Disaster Assistance Improvement Plan and its seventeen Federal Agency partners. Emerson is a certified Project Management Professional and has worked in IT strategy, requirements development and management, client outreach and communications, and quality assurance. Originally from Pennsylvania, Emerson graduated in 2006 from Penn State University, University Park with a bachelors degree in Accounting. At Penn State he was involved in Student Government and the Multicultural Business Society. In the greater Washington D.C. community Emerson leads a group of volunteers every month at SOME (So Other Might Eat), a non-profit organization which seeks to help deal with poverty in the city. Contact Emerson
ANISHA SHETTY
Anisha Shetty is an Associate at HawkPartners, a boutique marketing consulting and research firm in Bethesda, Maryland. She helps conduct quantitative and qualitative research as well as strategy consulting projects for Fortune 500 clients across various industries. Previously, Anisha worked at MarketBridge, a marketing and sales consultancy also located in Bethesda. Anisha graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia with a bachelors degree in Commerce with concentrations in Marketing and Management and a minor in South Asian studies. At University of Virginia she served as the Vice President of the Monroe Society and Vice President of Operations of the McIntire Consulting Club. Anisha continues to stay involved as an alumna and recently joined the board of AAPAAN, the Asian Pacific American Alumni Network, the largest non-white alumni group at the University. She works with other non-profits in the area such as South Asian Americans Leading Together where she helps to organize local DC dialogue sessions on issues impacting the South Asian community. Contact Anisha
KIMBERLY WANG
Kimberly Wang is a Management Analyst with the US Department of Health and Human Services where focused on increasing access to health care in under-served communities, she works closely on policy initiatives, program development, and budget formulation for several Federal programs. Her passion for community involvement led her to serve as a mentor and tutor with For Love of Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational services to children from low-income families. Originally from California, Kimberly graduated from Duke University with a bachelors degree in Economics and a certificate in Markets and Management. Contact Kimberly
WAICHING WONG
Waiching Wong is currently a Capital City Fellow at the District of Columbia, focusing on urban economic revitalization through transportation improvements, and catalytic real estate development. Before moving to the nation’s capitol, Waiching worked as a community planner at the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco and a Banking / Community Reinvestment Fellow and manager of the Affordable Housing Program at the Greenlining Institute. She holds a masters degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University and a B.A. in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley. Waiching was born in Hong Kong, but is proud to call Sacramento, California home. Contact Waiching
JEAN-EZRA YEUNG
Jean-Ezra Yeung is a Research Analyst in the Healthcare Department at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago where he works on policy-level projects related to health information technology adoption, health insurance, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions. Prior to NORC, Jean-Ezra worked at a healthcare consulting firm specializing in health economics and patient-reported outcomes research. Jean-Ezra graduated from Columbia University with a masters degree in Health Policy and Management, and graduated from New York University with a bachelors degree in Economics and Philosophy. In college, he developed an interest in community-building as an intern for the Chinese Progressive Association where he coordinated workshops and tours on American immigration law. Contact Jean-Ezra
GENE KIM, SENIOR ADVISOR
Gene Kim is the Executive Director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), an organization composed of 30 Members of Congress dedicated to addressing the needs and concerns of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The caucus was founded in 1994 and is currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32). Prior to working with the caucus, Gene served as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), as the Director of Communications and Program Development for the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), as the Research and Policy Director of a nationally watched Congressional campaign in Chicago, and as a Legislative staffer handling education and science policy issues for Congressman Al Green (TX-09). Gene graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with dual degrees in Rhetoric and Sociology with High Honors.
JOON KIM, SENIOR ADVISOR
Joon Kim is Vice President at New Partners, a political consulting firm. At New Partners, he works with clients to strengthen their campaign approaches to budget management; strategic messaging; digital media strategy; voter contact development; and the training, hiring and management of campaign staff. Prior to New Partners, Joon was a partner at the progressive consulting firm Solidarity Strategies where he managed 14 campaigns in six states from 2010 to 2011, seven of which went on to win their elections. Joon also served as the New Mexico Statewide Field Director of the John Kerry presidential campaign in 2004, managing a diverse staff of 150 organizers and an outreach budget of one million dollars. Joon is currently pursuing his MA in Government with focuses in Security Studies and energy policy at Johns Hopkins University. He graduated with a bachelors degree in Government/Politics and International Relations from the University of Maryland, College Park. Joon has been a National Fellow of the Network of Korean American Leaders since 2006 and a member of the Korean American Coalition since 2001.
LINA WOO, SENIOR ADVISOR
Lina Woo is a Human Resources Specialist with Recruitment and Diversity Programs working for U.S. Department of Agriculture presently on detail to the Office of Personnel Management working with the Chief Human Capital Officers Council on HR University. After earning a degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley, she devoted her career to serving students in public institutions of higher education. She began as the Educational and Vocational Counselor for the Oakland Chinese Community Council. Lina later served as an EOP/AA Counselor, Residency Deputy, Veterans and Verification Services Coordinator, and Pre-admissions Advising Counselor at UC Berkeley. While at California State University, Hayward, she served as Associate Director of the Office of Recruitment and Pre-admission Advising and was appointed Interim Director of the Learning Resources Center. She also recruited for Employment Services at UC Berkeley and at the University of California Office of the President. Her most recent position was with the University of California Center Sacramento, an academic center devoted to bringing interns to Sacramento, CA for internships in public service. As an employment recruiter, Lina is certified as a Diversity Recruiter and Professional in Human Resources, and her community service includes working with the national Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education organization. She founded the Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance-UC Berkeley.
