Washington Leadership Program

This session will focus on food access and security on AANHPI communities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as weaving in the effects of mental health and food. Topics of discussion include the politics of food distribution and the impacts of food on culture and community.  

Moderator 

🎓 Mayura Iyer | Senior Consultant, Alvarez & Marsal; Treasurer, CAPAL

Mayura (she/her) is the proud daughter of Indian immigrants, and was raised in the DC metropolitan area. As a 2015 CAPAL Scholar, she is thrilled to be giving back to the AANHPI community and CAPAL by returning as a board member and Treasurer. Currently, she is a Senior Consultant for Alvarez & Marsal in Washington, D.C., specializing in education strategy & transformation. As a former public school teacher, she has a deep appreciation for the importance of food security & access to whole person health and economic mobility for students and families. She is excited to be moderating this conversation on ways to address food insecurity within AANHPI communities, particularly through the lens of the pandemic and mental health.

Prior to consulting, Mayura was a Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Senate working on health, education, and labor policy. She is also a Teach for America alum and former Fulbright scholar to Mexico. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and checking off restaurants from her D.C. dining bucket list. Mayura holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Virginia and a Master’s degree in Education from Southern Methodist University.

Panelists

Dr. Noa Kekuewa Lincoln | University of Hawaii at Mānoa

Noa Kekuewa Lincoln is kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) and kama’aina (native born) to Kealakekua on Hawai’i Island. He has worked with and studied traditional agriculture and land management around the Pacific Rim, including with native peoples of present-day United States, Costa Rica, Brazil, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa, among other places. Dr. Lincoln completed his formal trainings at Yale University (BS, 2003) in Environmental Engineering and Stanford University (PhD, 2013) in Biogeochemistry and Social Ecology, and is currently a research professor at the University of Hawai’i where his Indigenous Cropping Systems laboratory researches a spectrum of areas, including forest ecology and management, restoration ecology, archaeology, personal values and sense of place, ecosystem services, and terrestrial biogeochemistry within both natural and human dominated systems (i.e. agriculture). His primary focus, however, is on indigenous cropping systems and their interaction with human societies in both the past and the present. His work in contemporary food systems encompasses both research and application, and Noa serves on a number of working groups, non-profit organizations, and agricultural associations to support more sustainable and just food systems.

Jenny Dorsey | Chef, Author, Founder of Studio ATAO

Jenny is a professional chef, author, and speaker specializing in multi-platform storytelling fusing food with social good. She leads a nonprofit community think tank named Studio ATAO and runs her own culinary consulting business. Jenny is a former management consultant and Columbia MBA who decided to completely pivot her career and pursue the world of food; she worked at various Michelin-starred restaurants in NYC and SF as well as corporate food R&D before finding her voice in food as a form of social activism. She has written for outlets such as VICE, Eater, Washington Post, Food & Wine and Narratively and often speaks on the topic of food and identity. She most recently gave her first TEDx Talk titled “How Food Can Be A Source of Identity, Intimacy and Vulnerability.” Her full biography, food portfolio, and bylines can be found at http://jennydorsey.co.

LaMonika N. Jones | Interim Director, D.C. Hunger Solutions

LaMonika joined D.C. Hunger Solutions, an initiative of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in September 2021 as the Anti-Hunger Program Analyst – Child Nutrition Programs. In this role, she was responsible for working to increase participation in and improve benefits of the federal child nutrition programs. LaMonika currently serves as the Interim Director of D.C. Hunger Solutions overseeing the daily operations of ending hunger in the Nation’s capital by developing strategies that marry policy with practice while providing support and outreach to the District’s most vulnerable populations.

Previously, LaMonika served as the Procurement and Purchasing Compliance Officer with Georgia Dept. of Early Care and Learning working within the Nutrition Services Division providing technical assistance and monitoring oversight for child nutrition program providers participating in Child and Adult Food Care Program and Summer Food Service Program.

LaMonika has a B.A. in Political Science and Communication from Oakland University, and a M.Ed. in Urban Teacher Leadership from Georgia State University. She is currently a 2021-2022 Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) Fellow working diligently to advance policies, practices, programs, and initiatives that intentionally redress racial marginalization and create racial equity in early childhood systems. In addition, LaMonika serves as Co-Chair for both the Fair Budget Coalition Food Access Issue Group and FRAC Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Committee as well as Advisory Board Member for National Farm to School Network.

More About The Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) provides a space for young AANHPI students interning in Washington, D.C. to come together, build community, and explore their heritage within the context of public service. Through six sessions over the summer, WLP introduces students to AANHPI public service leaders who can inform and inspire students’ own civic engagement.

The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) seeks to empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth by increasing access to public service opportunities and building a strong AANHPI public service pipeline. We envisions a future with equitable AANHPI representation throughout all levels of government and public service.

By registering for CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program, you give permission to be recorded or photographed during the session. Food provided at this event may contain nuts, dairy, gluten, and other allergens. Vegetarian options will be available. We kindly ask for all guests to follow our mask-required policy. 

This session will revolve around AANHPI professionals working in the national security and international relations realm, and more broadly how international affairs impacts our community. Topics of discussion include bridging AANHPI identity while working in international affairs, impact of international programs, and the model minority myth.  

Moderator 

Denise Lew | Board Member, CAPAL

Ms. Denise Lew (she/her/hers) is a US Air Force veteran who retired as a Colonel from the military after serving 26 years as a healthcare administrator. She is board certified and a Lifetime Fellow (LFACHE) in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and past chair of the ACHE’s Asian Healthcare Leaders Forum (AHLF). After retiring from the military, she spent 10 years as a healthcare consultant with Deloitte Consulting LLP, and supported multiple projects for the Military Health System, specializing in health plan operations, strategic planning, quality management, and patient safety. She currently works part-time for the government contractor, Cognosante, as an Executive High Reliability Organization Leader Coach for Veterans Health Administration medical centers in Detroit and New Orleans.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she lived in Texas, Virginia, Ohio, Utah and in the Azores, Portugal, before settling in the Washington DC area. During her time at Deloitte, Denise was actively involved in several firm initiatives, including recruiting, the Experienced Hire Initiative, and military veteran transition programs, as well as a wide variety of inclusion activities, such as the firm’s Federal Inclusion Council and the Armed Forces and Asian Business Resource Groups. Denise is also an active member of the Board of Admissions and the Community Affairs Committee of the University Club of Washington DC.

Denise holds a BA in Health Arts and Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley, and earned an MPA from the California State University, East Bay. She also completed a certificate program in 2021 as a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer from George Mason University.

Panelists

David Inoue | Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League

David Inoue was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to a Japanese father and Chinese American mother. He received a dual bachelor of arts degree in chemistry and Asian studies from Cornell University spending one semester at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. He went on to complete a dual degree Master of Public Health and Health Administration at The Ohio State University.

In 2001 David moved to Washington, DC to work in healthcare policy including a year with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. For ten years, he served as administrative director at Christ House, an inpatient health care facility for homeless people in Washington, DC. He has also served the District of Columbia as an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner representing 2,000 DC residents. In June 2017 David was appointed to serve as the Executive Director for the Japanese American Citizens League, the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization.

David and his wife, Kaori, live in Washington, DC with their two children.

Tanya Harris Joshua | Deputy Director of TAP, Office of Insular Affairs

Tanya Harris Joshua is the Deputy Director of Technical Assistance Programs (TAP) and Communications Lead in the Office of Insular Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior. TAP administers more than $300 million in discretionary and other funds for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and the freely associated states which are the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.

Born and raised in Micronesia, when it was a U.S.-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Tanya now lives and works in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with her family. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the George Washington University. She co-founded the Pohnpei Language Club USA to encourage her children and other Pohnpeian-American children to stay connected to their Pacific Islander language roots and is studying part-time at the Johns Hopkins University towards a Master’s in Communications.

Medha Gargeya | Government Attorney and Air Force Reservist

Medha Gargeya is Associate Counsel to the Vice President and a reservist with the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps. She previously worked at WilmerHale LLP, where she focused on administrative law, appeals, and anti-discrimination matters. Before joining the firm, Medha worked on voter protection and election litigation and on the judicial nominations team during the presidential transition. From 2019 to 2020, Medha was a law clerk to the Honorable Roger Wollman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In 2020, she worked as an adjunct professor at the University of South Dakota School of Law. She received her A.B. and J.D. from Harvard University, where she served as a research and teaching assistant for seven professors. Medha also served as a legal fellow with the MacArthur Justice Center, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Senate Judiciary Committee, and Protect Democracy. She grew up in North Carolina.

More About The Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) provides a space for young AANHPI students interning in Washington, D.C. to come together, build community, and explore their heritage within the context of public service. Through six sessions over the summer, WLP introduces students to AANHPI public service leaders who can inform and inspire students’ own civic engagement.

The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) seeks to empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth by increasing access to public service opportunities and building a strong AANHPI public service pipeline. We envisions a future with equitable AANHPI representation throughout all levels of government and public service.

By registering for CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program, you give permission to be recorded or photographed during the session. Food provided at this event may contain nuts, dairy, gluten, and other allergens. Vegetarian options will be available. We kindly ask for all guests to follow our mask-required policy. 

This session will focus on issues impacting the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander community-particularly around environmental developments, impact of tourism, and the intersection between identity and the environment.

Moderator 

Meeyoung Tawerilmal | Advocate, ASP

Meeyoung is an active Educator, Accredited Staging Professional and Entrepreneur expanding creativity in art and spaces from Federated States of Micronesia. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership and Management. Her advocacy work and vast leadership focuses on community organizations and Compact of Free Association issues.

Panelists

Laakea Stone | Legislative Correspondent/Appropriations Aide, Office of Senator Mazie Hirono

Laakea Stone, born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Hilo, Hawaii is a queer Native Hawaiian and lifelong member of Halau o Kekuhi, the traditional dance company and center of cultural knowledge for the Edith Kanakaole Foundation. He moved to D.C. in the Summer of 2019 for an internship at the National Council of Asian and Pacific Americans (NCAPA) through the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) immediately followed by a legislative fellowship in the Hawaii delegation through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) and Kamehameha Schools (KS). Currently, Laakea is a Legislative Correspondent and Appropriations Aide for U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono. Laakea obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and the Pre-Law certificate from the University of Hawaii at Hilo in 2018. He is an only child and is also allergic to peanuts.

Angelo Villagomez | Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Angelo Villagomez is a Chamorro conservationist and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he focuses on Indigenous-led conservation. He was born in Guam, an island in the western Pacific Ocean next to the Mariana Trench, and holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and environmental policy. For the last 20 years he has advocated for the protection of marine monuments in the Pacific islands and global shark conservation. He is one of the architects for the movement to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Esther Wozniak | Manager, International Fisheries

Esther Wozniak is a manager with Pew’s international fisheries project, working to reform high seas longline fishing by improving transshipment regulation and monitoring longline fisheries. She focuses on advocacy efforts within countries, with regional fisheries management organizations, and with United Nations agencies to ensure the sustainability of global fisheries. Wozniak previously worked on Pew’s global shark conservation project, leading efforts in the Pacific region to manage and conserve sharks and rays. She also successfully pushed for protections to regulate international trade of sharks and rays at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. In addition to her conservation work, Wozniak focuses on multiple efforts within Pew to advance inclusion, diversity, and equity.

Before joining Pew, Wozniak worked on the intersection between ocean science and policy at the University of the South Pacific, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, where she provided conservation research support for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Esther is part Fijian and holds a bachelor’s degree in marine science from the University of the South Pacific, Fiji.

Lauren Swaddell | Senior Associate, Pew Charitable Trusts

Lauren Swaddell works across Pew’s environment portfolio to secure conservation outcomes that provide long-term benefits for both nature and people. She supports Pew’s engagement in international forums, marine protected areas, Pacific conservation, Indigenous engagement, and climate change.

Before joining Pew, Swaddell worked with the Guam Green Growth initiative to develop a plan on localized adaptations of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. She also was a Knauss fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s coral reef conservation program.

Swaddell holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Hunter College, City University of New York, and a master’s in environmental science from the University of Guam.

More About The Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) provides a space for young AANHPI students interning in Washington, D.C. to come together, build community, and explore their heritage within the context of public service. Through six sessions over the summer, WLP introduces students to AANHPI public service leaders who can inform and inspire students’ own civic engagement.

The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) seeks to empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth by increasing access to public service opportunities and building a strong AANHPI public service pipeline. We envisions a future with equitable AANHPI representation throughout all levels of government and public service.

By registering for CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program, you give permission to be recorded or photographed during the session. Food provided at this event may contain nuts, dairy, gluten, and other allergens. Vegetarian options will be available. We kindly ask for all guests to follow our mask-required policy. 

This session will feature AANHPI professionals working in the media and advocacy space. Topics of discussion include how to bridge media/communications with advocacy and public service, the importance and impact of AANHPI representation in media and the creative fields, as well as means to use media as tools of empowerment.

Moderator 

Sojin Kim | Curator, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Sojin Kim is a curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Her work spans festival programs, exhibitions, workshops, as well as research and documentation projects, primarily engaging communities in Washington, DC; Southern California; and Asian Americans in multiple regions.

Panelists

Naomi Tacuyan Underwood | Executive Director, Asian American Journalists Association

Naomi Tacuyan Underwood is the Executive Director of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), is a Filipina immigrant from Guam with nearly two decades of experience in civic engagement, coalition building, and empowering AAPI communities.

Moana McAdams | Founder, Moana Nui Podcast; Creator/Writer, Burning Spear LLC

Moana McAdams is an award-winning Hawaii-born leader and author who uses the power of storytelling to nurture curious minds and inspire cultural self-awareness. She made her writing debut with “Aftermath” for the Amazon best-seller, “Set Apart and Chosen,” and now uses her talents to cultivate and write children’s books. Her published works, “Fishing Day with Papa Ray” and “Shadows of the Ancient,” captures the joy of adolescence while uplifting Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander cultures.

With a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and a Master of Science in Information Technology from the University of Maryland, Moana combines both her creative and analytical expertise to not only produce compelling stories but makes her invaluable and adaptable in the changing landscape of literature.

Along with being a writer and author, Moana heads the podcast, Moana Nui Podcast, which spotlights BIPOC creatives and provides a safe space for BIPOC voices. The Moana Nui Podcast has acquired sponsorships from corporate sponsors such as Kimberly-Clark and has partnered with the Center for Asian Pacific American Women (CAPAW), the premier organization developing AANHPI women leaders.

The Moana Nui Podcast delivers a variety of segments that include career and professional development topics, mental health and wellness, representation in media and pop culture, and uplifting BIPOC voices in all spaces.

Devina Khanna | Economic Policy Adviser, U.S. House of Representatives and Political Contributor, Brown Girl Magazine

Devina Khanna (she/her) is the Economic Policy Adviser to Congressman Stephen F. Lynch. She drives the financial services portfolio and economic initiatives. Prior to this role, Devina was the Policy Manager at a non-profit organization dedicated to financial health and a Financial Analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Devina has a strong passion for financial inclusion and technology. Alongside her policy work, she moonlights as a Political Contributor to Brown Girl Magazine where she drives political engagement initiatives.

Shawna Chen | Reporter, Axios and Editor-in-chief, The Yappie

Shawna Chen is a reporter at Axios whose work focuses on race and justice, and the editor-in-chief of The Yappie, a volunteer-run outlet that tracks AAPI politics and power. She has led Axios’ coverage of the anti-Asian hate crisis and reported on a broad range of topics, including Asian Americans’ fight for political visibility, efforts to engage voters of color and the Dobbs decision’s impact on Black and Indigenous people. She currently co-authors Axios’ San Francisco newsletter and edits The Yappie’s weekly briefing.

More About The Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) provides a space for young AANHPI students interning in Washington, D.C. to come together, build community, and explore their heritage within the context of public service. Through six sessions over the summer, WLP introduces students to AANHPI public service leaders who can inform and inspire students’ own civic engagement.

The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) seeks to empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth by increasing access to public service opportunities and building a strong AANHPI public service pipeline. We envisions a future with equitable AANHPI representation throughout all levels of government and public service.

By registering for CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program, you give permission to be recorded or photographed during the session. Food provided at this event may contain nuts, dairy, gluten, and other allergens. Vegetarian options will be available. We kindly ask for all guests to follow our mask-required policy. 

This session will focus on the various career pathways within public service, as well as bridging AANHPI identity with a career in the public sector. Topics of discussion include sharing what a public service career looks like, ways to engage the AANHPI individuals with their work (community outreach, fundraising, etc), and the future of the AANHPI community in this space. 

Closing Remarks

Ben de Guzman | Director, Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs

Ben de Guzman is the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA). He has been a leading voice at the local and national level on issues of racial equity, immigrants’ rights, veterans affairs, and LGBT justice for twenty years. He comes to MOAPIA from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, where he served as the Community Outreach Specialist. As a co-founder and long-time Co-Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), he worked for over 10 years on behalf of over 20 locally based Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander LGBTQ organizations serving all genders on a range of issues, including domestic violence and gender justice. He is a proud son of Filipino immigrants and hails from Paramus, New Jersey.

Moderator 

Dr. Noël S. Harmon | CEO, APIA Scholars

Noël Harmon is President and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars, formerly, the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. She joined the organization in June 2018 and has led the pivot to the organization’s focus on Asian American Pacific Islander Native Hawaiian student success. Harmon was recognized in Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s “Top Women” of 2022 and under her leadership the organization has raised over $60 Million since 2018 in service to their mission. Dr. Harmon was previously at Say Yes to Education, where she was Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships. And she has held positions at the Brookings Institution where she was the Associate Director of the Global Cities Initiatives, a joint project of Brookings and JPMorgan Chase, and at CEOS for Cities, where she was the National Director of the Talent Dividend. Harmon spent the first decade of her career working in Athletic students services and student affairs administration at Hofstra University, University of Michigan, Western Illinois University, and the University of Iowa. Harmon holds a PhD in Higher Education and a BA in English from the University of Iowa, and a MA in Student Affairs Administration from Ball State University.

Panelists

Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori | Director, Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center

Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori is Director of the Pacific Islands Development Program. She holds a B.Ed. and Professional Diploma in Secondary Social Studies with a concentration in Pacific Islands History, an M.Ed. in Educational Technology, and an Ed.D. in Professional Educational Practice from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Her dissertation focused on culturally responsive educational technologies. Prior to this, she was a Scholarship Program Specialist in the East-West Center’s Education Program, Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning and Associate Professor of Education at Chaminade University; Outreach Director of the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at UHM; and Associate Professor of Information Technology and Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology at Kapiʻolani Community College.

A native Chamoru of Guåhan (Guam), she is a community organizer and advocate for Pacific islanders in Hawaiʻi, co-organizer of cultural events such as the Annual Cultural Animation Film Festival, the Annual Celebrate Micronesia Festival, Micronesian Women’s Summit, and Oceania on the Reel, and teacher/mentor of students in Pacific Studies, Learning Design & Technology, and the UHM & San Francisco State University Educational Doctorate programs which are part of the Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate. She is Affiliate Graduate Faculty of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Chaminade University of Honolulu.

Sarah Ha | Vice President of National Community Alliances, Teach for America (TFA)

Sarah Ha serves as the Vice President of National Community Alliances at Teach For America (TFA). In this role, she is responsible for driving the organization’s external engagement strategy with national civil rights and aligned organizations, leading and working alongside a team of senior leaders who manage the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community Alliances, Black Community Alliances, Immigration & Education Alliance, Latinx Community Alliances, National Prism (LGBTQ+) Alliance, and Native Alliances. Her team collectively works to bring the intersectional partnerships, advocacy, resources, and opportunities to further cultivate the skills and mindsets necessary for systems change in their network of over 70K corps members, alumni, and staff to shape a child-centric educational equity ecosystem. She is committed to improving and re-imagining education systems that empower students to create a more equitable future.

Formerly, Sarah launched and led TFA’s National AAPI Community Alliances. She was responsible for cultivating and building relationships with external grassroots and grasstops organizations, influencers, and media committed to strengthening Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander educators, students, and their communities. In 2018, the TFA’s AAPI Alliances through Sarah’s leadership, advocacy, and partnership building was awarded the Leadership Education for Asian Pacific’s (LEAP) Community Award.

Prior to joining TFA, Sarah was the Senior Director of Programs and Student Affairs at the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF; now known as APIA Scholars) in Washington, DC. She oversaw the strategic development and implementation of academic support, leadership development, and community-building programs for 16,000+ recipients of the GMS and APIASF scholarship awards.

Sarah has nearly 20 years of experience working in racial equity and justice work, including conducting research on the educational experiences of underrepresented and underserved students in higher education, in addition to implementing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging programming and initiatives. Prior to APIASF and GMS, Sarah worked in the Office of the Dean of Students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, and served as an Intergroup Dialogue Facilitator dedicated to creating inclusive, affirming, and diverse campus environments. Her previous work experience includes helping to build and launch the Legal & Compliance Department at Cowen and Company, LLC and her litigation paralegal role at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

Sarah earned her Masters of Education degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education & Organizational Change from UCLA. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Faith, Peace & Justice from Boston College. She also completed a coaching certification program through Coach Diversity Institute, Pahara NextGen Fellowship, Aspen Institute Fellowship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders, LEAP’s Emerging Leaders Program, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) National Leadership Academy, and TFA’s New Executive Director Fellowship. She serves on the Advisory Council for Act To Change and Boston College Alumni Association. She currently lives in Queens, NY with her beloved husband, Taiyo Na, and their very active toddler Jayu.

Ben de Guzman | Director, Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs

Ben de Guzman is the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA). He has been a leading voice at the local and national level on issues of racial equity, immigrants’ rights, veterans affairs, and LGBT justice for twenty years. He comes to MOAPIA from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, where he served as the Community Outreach Specialist. As a co-founder and long-time Co-Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), he worked for over 10 years on behalf of over 20 locally based Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander LGBTQ organizations serving all genders on a range of issues, including domestic violence and gender justice. He is a proud son of Filipino immigrants and hails from Paramus, New Jersey.

Anh Phan | Community Engagement Manager, NOVA Parks

Anh Phan currently serves as the Community Engagement Manager at NOVA Parks. For the past 10 years, Anh Phan served as an outreach representative for Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), where she developed ties with the region’s business, labor, environmental, and faith communities. She has focused on developing sustainable platforms for special interest groups to provide input to community leaders.

More About The Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) provides a space for young AANHPI students interning in Washington, D.C. to come together, build community, and explore their heritage within the context of public service. Through six sessions over the summer, WLP introduces students to AANHPI public service leaders who can inform and inspire students’ own civic engagement.

The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) seeks to empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth by increasing access to public service opportunities and building a strong AANHPI public service pipeline. We envisions a future with equitable AANHPI representation throughout all levels of government and public service.

By registering for CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program, you give permission to be recorded or photographed during the session. Food provided at this event may contain nuts, dairy, gluten, and other allergens. Vegetarian options will be available. We kindly ask for all guests to follow our mask-required policy.