20th Anniversary Convention "Securing
Our Future Today"
This list of
speakers will be updated.
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Anne Avery -
AAPI Outreach Coordinator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
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Robert Bannerman -
Foreign Service Officer, U.S.
Commercial Service |
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Hon. Bui Diem -
Author/Former Vietnam Ambassador to the U.S. |
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Huy
Bui - Executive
Director, National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies |
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James Bui -
Regional Director, National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service
Agencies |
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Marianne Brackney -
Public Affairs Specialist,
Social Security Administration |
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Raul
Catangui - President, Synergy Alliances |
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James Chang -
Business Insurance Field Underwriter, State Farm |
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Mai Tat Dac -
Former Board Chair, Vietnamese Association of Illinois |
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Mike Eastman -
Vice President, First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation |
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Hon. David Englin -
Delegate, Commonwealth of Virginia |
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Jared
Genser - President,
Freedom Now |
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Daniel Hatcher
- Manager of Outreach,
Youth Service America |
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Hon. Mark Herring -
Senator, Commonwealth of Virginia |
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Hon. Michael Honda -
U.S. House of Representatives |
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Angie Ngoc Hoquang -
Public Affairs Specialist, Social Security Administration |
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Juli Huynh -
Corporate Recruitment Program Manager, US Department of
Transportation |
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Nghi Huynh -
President/CEO, World Developers Group |
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Kimquy Kieu -
Medical Officer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
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Hon. Vivek Kundra -
Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Commonwealth of Virginia |
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Ngoan Le -
Senior Program Director, Chicago Community Trust |
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Jimmy Lee -
Executive Director, The White House Initiative on Asian Americans
Pacific Islanders |
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Sherri Ly -
Reporter, WTTG/FOX
5 News |
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Julie Mancuso -
Grants Manager, Youth Service America |
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Elizabeth McCausland -
Partner, Cooney, Mattson,
Lance, Blackburn, Richards, and O'Connor P.A. |
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Tara R.
Miles - Director,
BizLaunch - Arlington
Economic Development |
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Cassandra Miller -
Field Manager, Youth Service America |
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Lisa Miller -
Agent, State Farm |
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Hon. Samuel T. Mok -
Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Labor |
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Juan Carlos Rivera
Montes -
Insurance Director, Small Business Center, Overseas Private
Investment Corporation |
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Angeline Mutima
-
YSA Youth Venture Associate,
Youth Service America |
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Nguyen Ngoc Bich -
Chair, National Congress of Vietnamese Americans |
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Nguyen Tu Cuong -
Executive Director, Vietnam Helsinki
Committee |
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Dai Q. Nguyen -
Program Manager, Northern Virginia SkillSource Centers |
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Nguyen Y Duc -
Medical Doctor |
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Ha Nguyen -
Editor-in-Chief, Viet Bao Illinois |
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Nguyen
Manh Hung -
Associate Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, George
Mason University |
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Khanh
Nguyen - Senior Editor,
Radio Free Asia |
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Nguyen Thanh Trang -
Director, Vietnam Human Rights
Network |
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Tram
Nguyen - External Relations
Manager,
Boat People SOS |
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Pham Boi Hoan -
Retired Cameraman, CBS News |
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Maheen Qureshi -
Specialist, Freddie Mac |
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Mary Chi Ray -
President, Naturalization and Immigration Services |
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Thomas Ray -
Director, Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization,
Defense Logistics Agency |
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Lt. Col. Che Russell -
Joint Staff, J2E-1 Division Chief |
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Robert Sharp -
Business Insurance Field Underwriter, State Farm |
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Hon. Sichan Siv -
U.S. Representative to the U.N.
Economic and Social Council |
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Julie Sun -
Manager - Strategic Initiatives,
Freddie Mac |
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Hon. Joel Szabat -
Chief of Staff, Small Business Administration |
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Hon. Chiling Tong -
Associate Director, Minority Business Development Agency |
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Cuong Hung Van -
Pianist, Gold Winner Cincinnati World Piano Competition |
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Vo Thanh Nhan -
Executive Producer, Vietnamese American Television |
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Anne Hyeson Avery is an
AAPI Outreach Coordinator with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. In her role as an
AAPI Outreach Coordinator, she established lasting relationships between CMS and
the Asian-American communities delivering important Medicare program information
and developing mutually beneficial partnerships. To help Asian-American Medicare
Beneficiaries and their families understand the new program during the initial
Medicare Enrollment period Anne was responsible for and conducted over 50
Medicare Part D workshop and presentations throughout the Washington D.C.
metropolitan area. In April 2006 she played a crucial role in a Medicare Part D
event in Annandale, VA attended by the President of the United States.
Prior to her transfer to
the Baltimore Central Office in 2003, Anne worked in the Kansas City CMS
Regional Office as a plan manager responsible for oversight of Medicare HMO/PPO
contracts with several private insurance companies.
She also served as the
Vice Chairman of an AAPI special emphasis group empowered by the Federal
Executive Board of Kansas City to promote Asian culture in the Federal work
force, while also establishing important contacts with other Federal agencies
and local government and community leaders.
Anne’s experience also
includes working in Medicare’s campaign to ensure that seniors obtain Flu shots.
Her efforts included translating Medicare information from English to the Korean
language for programs such as Flu shot, Mammography and correspondence related
to Health care reform issues.
In 1999, she conducted a
workshop entitled “Close Gap” at the National Flu Conference in Dallas to
demonstrate how to work effectively in and with Asian-American communities.
Before joining CMS, she
was a procurement specialist with the National Cancer Institute and with U.S.
Army. Born in Seoul, South Korea; Anne is a first generation Korean-American. Top
Robert Bannerman is a
foreign service officer with the U.S. Commercial Service. For the past four
years he has served as the Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate
General in Ho Chi Minh City. He previously served as Commercial Attaché in
Manila, Philippines (1998-2001) and Beijing, China (1995-98). Prior to joining
the Foreign Service, Bob practiced law in Washington, D.C. (Bannerman & Spina;
Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander and Ferdon) and in Seoul, Korea with the law firm
of Kim & Chang (1988-93). His areas of expertise include intellectual property
law enforcement, international business transactions, and international trade
litigation. From 1974 to 1983 he was an attorney-advisor with the U.S.
International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. He has a J.D. degree from the
University of Minnesota Law School (1973) and a B.A. in political science from
St. Olaf College (1970). He is conversant in Mandarin and Vietnamese. Top
Mrs. Marianne Hyang Nam
Brackney is a National Public Affairs Specialist with the Social Security
Administration (SSA) in the Office of Communications (OCOMM).
As a lead analyst on Asian
Americans & Pacific Islanders, Aging populations, and the Medicare Prescription
Drug Costs Extra Help Outreach, her assignments include conducting workshops and
seminars with both national organizations and community based organizations to
help increase public understanding of the Social Security programs and other
initiatives.
Mrs. Brackney began
working for SSA in 1996 under the Outstanding Scholars Program and was assigned
as a Supplemental Security Income Claims Representative in Greenbelt, Maryland
field office. Prior to joining the OCOMM in 2001, she worked as a Budget Analyst
on the Regional Operations Team in the Office of Budget.
Mrs. Brackney was born in
Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to Canada at the age of 23 in 1976, and moved
to the U. S. in 1982.
In 1995 at the age of 42,
Mrs. Brackney received her BS degree in Business Administration from the
University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. She also has AA degree in
Hotel Management from the Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland.
Mrs. Brackney has served
as Vice Chair for the Maryland Governor’s 17 member Commission on Asian Pacific
American Affairs, Government Liaison and Annual Korean Festival Program
Committee Chair for the Korean Society of Maryland, Executive Director for the
Centennial Committee of Korean Immigration to the United States - Greater
Washington, and Delegate at Large for 2005 White House Conference on Aging. For
more than fifteen years, she served the local Korean American community as
Public Relations Director for the Korean Women's Club of Maryland, Membership
Director of the League of Korean Americans and Vice President of the Korean
Women’s Golf Association of Maryland.
Her recognition awards
include South Korean Presidential Award, Maryland Governor's Citations,
Commissioner’s Team Award and a Deputy Commissioner Citations from SSA and
Citations from various Korean American community organizations.
She is a contributing
writer for local and overseas Korean news media on various issues. Top
Bui Diem is a consultant
on Vietnam, author of "In the Jaws of History", and Vietnamese Ambassador
to the United States from 1967 to 1972, one of the key figures in the
relationship between South Vietnamese and the U.S. in this tumultuous period.
The former ambassador was born in North Vietnam, and like many of his peers,
joined the nationalistic revolutionary movement against the French. After WWII,
he became very involved in the Dai Viet movement, which had become a hated rival
to the Viet Minh, another nationalistic movement headed by Ho Chi Minh.
From 1954 to 1963, Mr. Bui Diem spearheaded a leading English language newspaper
in Vietnam, the Saigon Post. After 1965, he became more deeply immersed in
Vietnam’s politics by holding a cabinet minister position under Prime Minister
Phan Huy Quat, serving as special advisor for Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky, and
as Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States under President Nguyen Van Thieu.
He played a key role in the last desperate attempt to secure $700 million in
military aid to defend South Vietnam against the North in 1975.
Today he lives in the Washington DC area with his family. Top
Huy Bui is Executive
Director of NAVASA since 2001. Huy has 10 years experience working with national
and local refugee-led organizations, and administering large, competitive grants
to grassroots CBOs and FBOs. His areas of expertise include projects in
Community Empowerment, English/Civics Education, Tobacco Prevention, and
After-school Tutorial Programs. In addition, Huy was involved in several
research projects that focused on the acculturation of Vietnamese Americans,
minorities, and stereotypes at the University of Maryland and JBL and
Associates, a research firm in Bethesda, Maryland. Top
Mr. James Đien Bùi is
Regional Director at the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service
Agencies in New Orleans, LA. In his capacity, James works with the Vietnamese
American communities in the Gulf Coast region, specifically New Orleans East and
East Biloxi, to develop long-term community development capacity. Recently,
James worked with Mary Queen of Viet Nam parish in New Orleans East to shutdown
a controversial landfill located less than one mile away from the heart of the
Vietnamese American community. James has worked with other community development
agencies in Boston, MA and Los Angeles, CA on affordable housing and civic
engagement initiatives. He has also worked overseas in South Viet Nam and
Northern India on micro-credit economic development projects. James is also
adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the Asian American
Studies Department.
James received his
graduate certificates in real estate and economic development in 2001 from Tuft
University and an MSW of Community Organizing from the University of Michigan
that same year. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.A. of
Educational Philosophy in 1998. Top
Mr. Raul G. Catangui has
over 16 years of professional experience in the legislative, public policy,
regulatory, campaign and legal environments, both at the state and federal
levels. His experience in these specialized areas, which he acquired while
working in the U.S. Congress, state legislature and the governor’s office, trade
associations, Fortune 100 corporations, law firms and several political
campaigns, allow him to see the “big picture” and clearly understand the
confluence of issues from all perspectives – federal, state and international.
Mr. Catangui was recently
the Vice President for Smartel, a technology company, and formerly the
Legislative & Regulatory Counsel to the Intelligent Transportation Society of
America (ITSA), which is the Federal Advisory Committee to the U.S. Department
of Transportation on ITS. He also served as Counsel to the ITSA Trade
Association, which represented ITS corporations, and the ITSA TEA-21
Reauthorization Task Force and the Transportation Export Council (TEC). He was
previously the Director of Public Policy & Trade for IPC, which is the trade
association for the U.S. circuit board industry. Mr. Catangui was also appointed
as Special Assistant to and directed Governor Benjamin Cayetano’s (Hawaii)
Washington, DC office, and worked closely with the National Governors’
Association (NGA) and intergovernmental organizations to advance the State of
Hawaii’s interest in Washington. D.C. Prior to this position, he was a
Legislative Assistant/Counsel to U.S. Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink, and he worked
in the Hawaii State legislature for 2 sessions as a Legislative Aide to Senator
Clayton H.W. Hee, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition,
Mr. Catangui worked for nearly 3 years at Corning, Inc.’s government affairs
office in Washington, D.C., and also for the international trade law firm Graham
& James, LLP, Catangui & Catangui, P.C. and other prominent firms in Washington,
D.C. and Hawaii. He interned at the Embassy of the Philippines, U.S. Attorney’s
Office, D.C. Superior Court and the State of Hawaii Attorney General’s Office.
Mr. Catangui was also the President of Rainbow Couriers & Excel Research, Inc.,
a company he co-owned and managed for over 3 years (which is still operating
after over 20 years). He has federal & state campaign management and grassroots
experience accumulated during two presidential campaigns, and previously was a
Co-Campaign Manager of a state legislative re-election race.
Mr. Catangui has a B.A. in
Political Science and Sociology from the University of Hawaii and University of
California at Irvine, graduating With High Distinction, and a Juris Doctor from
the American University (AU), Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.
Moreover, he completed the Masters program at AU’s School of International
Studies (SIS). Mr. Catangui published and made numerous presentations on ITS,
technology and transportation legislation and public policy, regulation, privacy
and international trade to industry, corporations and public groups. He was
recently invited to speak on location-based privacy at the ITS World Congress in
Sydney, Australia, and presented at the California Alliance for Advanced
Transportation Systems (CAATS) Conference in San Diego, CA. He was responsible
for and initiated the creation of the ITS Congressional Caucus, which seeks to
educate members of U.S. Congress & their staff and the public on ITS,
transportation, telecommunications, and to promote the development and
deployment of ITS. Mr. Catangui is also very active with the ITS state chapters.
Mr. Catangui is a registered lobbyist with the U.S. Congress and several states.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors of several private, non-profits,
professional associations, and volunteers for several interest groups.
Contact info:
Raul@SynergyAlliances.com.
Top
James Chang is an
insurance underwriter at State Farm's Mid-Atlantic operations center in
Charlottesville, Virginia. He has been with State Farm since 1999 and is
currently a member of the Fire Operations Loss Mitigation Committee. He was
graduated from Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Top
Mai Tat Dac is an engineer
and was the former Board Chair of the Vietnamese Association of Illinois.
Established in 1976,
Vietnamese Association of Illinois (VAI) is a non-profit, community-based mutual
assistance association (MAA), an agency founded by and for Vietnamese refugees.
VAI's main mission is to foster the development and strength of the Vietnamese
community. To fulfill this mission, VAI has grown into a multi-service agency
that meets the needs of the 30,000 community members living in Illinois. Located
in the Uptown neighborhood where most newly arrived refugees live, VAI provides
free bilingual social services that address the unique needs of its
constituency. For over two decades, VAI has initiated both innovative and
demonstrative programs to meet the evolving needs of refugees and immigrants in
Illinois, assisting thousands of families in improving their lives through
increased community involvement and a commitment to self-sufficiency. Top
Mike Eastman
Vice President/Senior Loan Officer, First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation |
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Mike has been in the Real
Estate and Mortgage Industry for over 28 years. Mike has sold real estate,
managed and owned real estate offices, served as President of a Real Estate and
Financial services firm, hosted a talk radio program on matters of real estate
and finance and currently assists his clients with financing the American Dream.
He resides in Fairfax
Station Virginia with his wife Kathy and his 3 children.
Some community activities
have included: Chairman of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors
Grievance Committee, Child Help USA-A charity for victims of child abuse, Rotary
International, and many more. Top
David Englin is currently
serving his first term in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 45th
District, which includes parts of Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax. He serves
on the House Privileges and Elections Committee, the House Health, Welfare, and
Institutions Committee, and on special joint subcommittees to improve math,
science, and technology education and to increase telework opportunities.
In March of 2006, The
Hotline, an online publication of the National Journal, listed David as one of
the top nine new up-and-coming stars in Virginia politics. Following David's
freshman legislative session, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters named
him a "Legislative Hero" for his work on environmental issues, and NARAL
Pro-Choice Virginia recognized David for leadership in defense of reproductive
freedom.
David was born and raised
on military bases overseas, where his mother, who was a single parent, taught
elementary school in the Department of Defense public school system. David
joined the U.S. Air Force when he was 17 years old, earned a Bachelor of Science
in History from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and then earned a Master in Public
Policy degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
During his military
service, David managed a wide range of issues, from sensitive and
politically-charged public safety and environmental programs, to supporting the
needs of military families, to building bridges between the military and local
community and business organizations. David was on duty inside the Pentagon when
it was attacked on September 11, 2001, and he deployed overseas as the chief of
public affairs for the 16th Air Expeditionary Wing conducting counter-genocide
and peacekeeping operations in the Balkans. Before being honorably discharged in
May 2004, David helped establish and eventually directed a service-wide program
to assist the families and civilian employers of National Guard and Reserve
airmen.
As his military career was
coming to a close, David, his wife, Shayna, and their son, Caleb, put down roots
in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood, where David became active in the civic and
political life of the city. In June 2005, in his first bid for elected office,
David won a competitive six-way primary for the Democratic nomination to succeed
retiring Delegate Marian Van Landingham, who had held the seat for 24 years. In
November 2005, David won the 45th District seat with nearly 68 percent of the
vote against a Republican opponent.
When he's not fighting for
the interests of his constituents, David is a stay-at-home parent and freelance
writer and consultant. Top
Jared Genser is the
President of Freedom Now and an attorney in a major international law firm.
Through Freedom Now, he has previously represented and helped secure the release
of several high profile human rights activists in Vietnam including Father
Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly and Dr. Nguyen Dan Que. Freedom Now has also been
representing Dr. Pham Hong Son, who was recently released from prison in
Vietnam.
In 2005, Jared led a team
of lawyers at his law firm commissioned by former Czech President Vaclav Havel
and Bishop Desmond Tutu to produce a report entitled Threat to the Peace: A Call
for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma. Previously, Jared was a management
consultant with McKinsey & Company, the global strategy consulting firm. Jared
holds a B.S. from Cornell University, a Master in Public Policy from the John F.
Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he was an Alumni Public
Service Fellow, and a J.D., cum laude from the University of Michigan Law
School. In addition to being qualified to practice law in Maryland and the
District of Columbia, Jared is also a Solicitor of England and Wales. He has
published op-eds on human rights topics in such publications as the Washington
Post, Wall Street Journal Asia, International Herald Tribune, and Washington
Times.
Top
Daniel Hatcher is the
Manager of Outreach for Youth Service America (YSA). In this role Daniel is
responsible for supporting YSA's outreach activities, helping to manage existing
partnerships, and seeking out new partnerships. He is also responsible for
managing YSA's Youth Voice Initiative, which includes managing YSA's National
Youth Council, bringing the Youth Voice Initiative to scale, and initiating and
supporting efforts to make Youth Voice a community principle. Daniel is a
graduate of Western Kentucky University where he obtained his Master's of Public
Health, as well as a BA in International Relations. Daniel has a passion for
engaging all people - young and old - from every part of the globe, in service
to others.
Top
Mark Herring is widely
recognized as a civic and political leader in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties. He
has lived most of his life in Loudoun County and the Leesburg area.
Mark holds bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from the University of Virginia in economics and foreign
affairs. After graduating with honors from the University of Richmond School of
Law, he established a successful law practice in Leesburg. He has been a strong
advocate for economic development and road improvements that bring jobs and
transportation solutions to citizens while not encouraging over-development that
puts stress on schools, traffic and costs of governmental services.
Mark was elected to the
state Senate in a special election on January 31, 2000, and serves on the Senate
General Laws and Technology, Local Government, and Rehabilitation and Social
Services Committees.
As a community leader,
Mark is the campaign chair for the United Way campaign in Loudoun County, and
formerly a co-host of the local cable public affairs television show, Focus
Loudoun. Mark is a member of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, Leesburg
Kiwanis Club, Keep Loudoun Beautiful, Loudoun County Bar Association, NAACP –
Loudoun Chapter, Olive Branch Lodge #114 and Alexandria Scottish Rite.
Mark and his wife, Laura,
have been married for 17 years. They have two children, Peyton and Tim, ages 13
and 10.
Top
Mike Honda represents the
15th Congressional District of California in the U.S. House of Representatives.
His district encompasses the area known throughout the world as Silicon Valley,
the birthplace of technology innovation and the leading region for the
development of the technologies of tomorrow. Mike has been a public servant for
decades during which he has been lauded for his work on education,
transportation, civil rights, the environment, and the high-tech community.
Mike was born in
California, but spent his early childhood with his family in an internment camp
in Colorado during World War II. His family returned to California in 1953,
becoming strawberry sharecroppers in Blossom Valley in San Jose.
In 1965, Mike interrupted
his college studies to answer President John F. Kennedy's call for volunteer
service. He served in the Peace Corps for two years, where he built schools and
health clinics in El Salvador. Mike returned from the Peace Corps with a passion
for teaching, and fluent in Spanish.
Mike earned bachelor's
degrees in Biological Sciences and Spanish, and a master's degree in Education
from San Jose State University. In his career as an educator, Mike was a science
teacher, served as a principal at two public schools and conducted educational
research at Stanford University.
In 1971, Mike was
appointed by San Jose Mayor Norm Mineta to San Jose's Planning Commission. In
1981, Mike won his first election, gaining a seat on the San Jose Unified School
Board.
In 1990, Mike was elected
to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. As a Supervisor, Mike led
efforts to establish the Open Space Authority, whose mission is the preservation
of open space. He also took the lead in women's health care issues such as
raising awareness of breast cancer, and convening a women's health conference.
He passed landmark welfare reforms that have saved millions of dollars for the
county.
Mike was elected to the
California Assembly in 1996 and was re-elected in 1998. As an Assemblymember,
Mike worked with Governor Gray Davis to draft landmark education reforms -
including smaller class size and increases in teachers' benefits. As Chair of
the Assembly Public Safety Committee, Mike worked to pass sensible gun safety
legislation to keep guns out of the hands of juveniles and voted to ban assault
weapons. Mike was awarded "High-Tech Legislator of the Year" by the American
Electronics Association for his strong advocacy for the high-tech economy. He
fought for legislation to augment the research and development tax credit and
worked to eliminate taxes on graduate school tuition paid by employers.
In 2000, Mike was elected
to the U.S. House of Representatives. Mike serves the House Committee on
Science, and on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.
Mike is dedicated to
passing a responsible budget that pays down our national debt, and revitalizes
our economy, while protecting top priorities such as Social Security, Medicare,
and public education. As a member of the influential Transportation &
Infrastructure Committee, Mike is working hard to make sure the Silicon Valley
gets its fair share of federal transportation funding to make the daily commute
safer and more efficient for the residents of our fast-growing region.
As a Congressman for
Silicon Valley, Mike is taking a leading role in bringing Democrats and
Republicans together to better understand technology issues. In this vein, Mike
has formed a bi-partisan Wireless Task Force to enable Congress to better
understand and support innovative technologies for next generation wireless
deployment.
Mike has been selected by
his Democratic colleagues to serve as the Regional Whip for Northern California,
Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam. As Regional Whip, Mike works with the
Democratic Leadership by communicating legislative priorities and strategies to
members within his region. Mike also serves as Chair of the Congressional Asian
Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and continues to be a strong voice for the cause
of social justice, cultural tolerance, and civil rights.
Mike is married and has
two grown children. His wife, Jeanne, was a teacher at Baldwin Elementary School
in San Jose before her untimely passing in 2004. His son, Mark, is an aerospace
engineer and Michelle, his daughter, is a public health educator.”
Top
Angie Hoquang serves as a
Public Affairs Specialist for Area 5 of the Dallas Region of the Social Security
Administration. In this capacity she is responsible for the public information,
education, and outreach efforts for the SSA, targeting the underserved and
hard-to-reach populations in the Area.
Angie joined the SSA as a
claims representative in 1991 following a 5-years tenure as the Dallas Director
of Texas Training & Employment Center, where she had successfully managed a
multicultural staff of 20 in providing job training and job placement for
thousands of newly arrived refugees in Dallas.
During her 13-years tenure
as a Claims Representative, Angie was instrumental in creating an outreach
program targeting the underserved and hard-to-reach Asian populations through
live talk shows on ethnic Asian radios and newspapers articles and community
presentations. Angie has continuously managed to keep a full work load and
squeezed in the time to do the community outreach. These efforts have resulted
in her earning the highest SSA award- the Commissioner Citation and numerous
local and regional awards for world class services.
Angie regularly
contributes articles on SSA topics published by the Texas Herald, the Vietnamese
Ca Dao Magazine, The Korean Times, and The Chinese Newspapers. Her radio talk
show has expanded to include national networks such as Radio Bolsa (California)
and Dai Tieng Nuoc Toi (Washington D.C.).
Angie came to the United
States in 1984 with her parents as a refugee from Vietnam, where she was awarded
a Bachelor‘s degree in childhood education and worked as a kindergarten school
teachers’ trainer for several years. Angie currently serves on the Board of the
Asian American Forum, the Girl Scout Board, the Dallas Area Agency on Aging and
the Medical City Dallas Advisory Board. She is also an officer of the AAPI work
group of SSA.
Angie and her husband,
Walter, have two children; Vinh and Danh.
Top
Juli Huynh serves as a
Corporate Recruitment Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
She formerly worked on Capitol Hill as Congressional staff. Juli began her
career in the federal workforce as a PMI - Presidential Management Intern.
Top
Nghi Huynh is the Founder
and CEO of the Asian Business & Community Publishing, Inc. (ABC Publishing),
which is composed of two distinct branches. The publishing group produces the
Asian American Press, a weekly newspaper, and the Asian Business & Community
Directory, an annual phonebook. The second branch of ABC Publishing, Inc. is ABC
Consulting Services, a business development agency.
A very active member of
the community, Mr. Huynh is currently serving as President of the Minnesota
Multicultural Media Consortium. A past member of the National Board of Directors
of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), Mr. Huynh also held the
position of Vice President of the Minnesota chapter of AAJA.
Mr. Huynh arrived in the
United States in 1975 as a refugee and began a new life in Minnesota. Although
he had journalistic training and experience in his native Vietnam, upon his
arrival in Minnesota, Mr. Huynh returned to school to pursue a degree in
electrical engineering. Before his graduation from the University of Minnesota
in 1980, Mr. Huynh served as Student Representative for the university’s Senate,
and founded and directed an Asian American Cultural Center. He also received the
university’s student leadership and service award each of his four years study.
Along with his full-time
job as Publisher and Editor for the Asian American Press and ABC Directory, Mr.
Huynh also manages ABC Consulting Services. He also devotes his time to many
community projects, particularly in real estate and media developments.
At a recent Asian
Appreciation Banquet, Mr. Huynh was recognized with an award for his outstanding
service and involvement, both within and beyond the Asian community.
Top
Kimquy Kieu currently
serves as a Medical Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
Division of Quality Improvement, which has jurisdictional responsibilities in 13
Western States. She provides technical and clinical support for 13 QIO (Quality
Improvement Organization) contracts in 4 settings: hospitals, nursing homes,
home health & physician offices. She also serves as regional lead in the
Medicare Beneficiary Protection Program.
Born in Vietnam in 1956,
she came to the U.S. in May 1975 and completed her medical training at the
University of California in San Diego. She comes from a broad background that
includes clinical anesthesiology, environmental health and population health.
Her passion is to learn and understand the different models & approaches to
prevention and healing.
Kimquy is a licensed
physician in the states of California and Washington, and is board certified in
Public Health & General Preventive Medicine.
Top
Vivek Kundra is currently
the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia,
he was appointed by Governor Tim Kaine in January of 2006. Prior to joining
Governor Kaine’s Cabinet, he was the CEO of Creostar, a company focused on cyber
security and information warfare. Kundra served as the Vice-President of
Marketing for Evincible Software, a technology startup that enabled trusted
transactions for the government and the financial sector, which was sold to
Exostar. Prior to that, he was the Director of IT for Arlington, VA, where he
was responsible for the government’s strategic technology initiatives and
focused on protecting critical national assets under homeland security. He also
served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland teaching
classes on emerging and disruptive technologies.
Before joining Arlington he was with SAIC,
consulting at the Health and Human Services (HHS) focusing on growing SAIC's $1
Billion business at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prior to SAIC Mr.
Kundra was the CEO of eRush.com a startup in next generation bot technologies.
He is actively involved in the political process at the local, state, and
national level.
Vivek Kundra has worked on the World Cities Alliance initiative to advance
business and economic development in Arlington, Zurich, Paris, Berlin, and
Wales. Within the private sector, he worked with multiple clients to build
operations in the United States, Canada, and India.
He received his Masters in Information
Technology and his Bachelors in Psychology and Biology from the University of
Maryland.
Top
Ngoan Le is presently the Senior Program
Officer for Basic Human Needs at the Chicago Community Trust. Prior to this
position, Ngoan served as the Special Assistant to Mayor Daley on Homelessness.
In this position she coordinated the City Inter-Agency Task Force on
Homelessness and co-chaired the Chicago Continuum of Care, a consortium of over
200 public and private homeless stakeholders.
Ngoan has spent many years working in the field of human services. She was the
Managing Deputy Commissioner/Chief Program Officer of the Chicago Department of
Human Services. Prior to the reorganization in 2003, the Chicago Department of
Human Services provided the social service safety net for Chicago residents
through Children Services, Youth Development Program, Homeless and Domestic
Violence Services, Crisis Intervention and Economic Development.
Before coming to city government, Ngoan spent over ten years working for the
State of Illinois. She served as the Assistant to the Secretary of the Illinois
Department of Human Services, the Deputy Administrator for the Division of
Planning and Community Services of the Illinois Department of Public Aid and
Special Assistant to the Governor for Asian American Affairs.
A refugee from Vietnam who came to the U.S. in 1975, Ngoan served as the
executive director of the Vietnamese Association of Illinois, a refugee
community based organization, for nine years. She built this all volunteer
organization into a nationally-known community based comprehensive social
service agency providing assistance to newly arrived refugees from Southeast
Asia.
Ngoan has served on the Board of Directors of numerous local and national
organizations seeking to improve the quality of life for immigrants and low
income individuals. Ngoan was appointed by President Clinton in May of 2000 as
one of the fifteen community leaders to serve on the President’s Advisory
Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She was the only
Vietnamese included in President Clinton’s official delegation to visit Vietnam
in November 2000.
Ngoan Le received many recognition and awards for her work including the “1991
Recognition for Outstanding Contributions to the U.S.” given by the U.S.
Ambassador for Refugee Affairs Jewel Lafontant-Mankarious and the “1989 -
Crain’s Chicago Business, 40 Under 40 most dynamic civic and business
leaders in Chicago”.
Top
Mr. Jimmy D. Lee, Chicago
was appointed by President George W. Bush on January, 2006 to serve as the
Executive Director of the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders. The Office of the White House Initiative was established under
Executive Order 13339 to increase economic opportunities and improve the quality
of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through greater participation
in federal programs where they may be underserved.
Prior to his appointment,
Mr. Lee was a Commissioner on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders and serve as Executive Director of the Chicago
Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and a Board Member for the Asian American
Alliance, a small business development center dedicated to improving and
expanding business opportunities in the Asian American and Pacific Islander
community in the State of Illinois. Mr. Lee previously served as the Assistant
to the Governor for Asian American Affairs.
Mr. Lee is a strong
advocate of community service and working with the youth of the community. He
serves on a number of boards and commissions around the country and is an active
youth group leader for his church in Chicago where he still goes back weekly to
mentor and be a youth counselor for 150 students. Top
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Sherri Ly joined WTTG/FOX
5 as a reporter in September 2002. You will see her reporting on Channel 5 at
10pm weeknights. Since coming to Washington she has covered a wide range of
stories, most notably the sniper shootings in October. She is one of a number of
reporters who contributed to the station’s sniper coverage, earning Channel 5 a
National Edward R. Murrow Award for its reporting.
Prior to coming to
Washington, DC, Sherri worked as a reporter and anchor in the Los Angeles area
and San Francisco. She traveled across the state, reporting from wildfires in
the Sequoia National Forest to snowstorms in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. When
not on the road, she also spent much of her time covering political issues. Her
five part investigation into California’s mandatory drug treatment law brought
attention to substance abuse and sparked debate about the legal system. In
Orange County, CA Sherri also covered demonstrations in Little Saigon, when
thousands protested the communist Vietnam flag and a picture of Ho Chi Minh at a
video store.
Sherri’s mother is
Vietnamese. She was born in Okinawa, Japan and grew up in Florida. In her spare
time she enjoys sports, traveling and spending time with her husband and family.
Top
Julie Mancuso serves as
the Grant Manager. In this role, Julie helps to administer the grants and awards
program to increase opportunities for youth and youth-related organizations to
plan and execute successful service and service-learning projects. Past grant
and award programs include the State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning grant;
DisneyHand Minnie Grants; the Clay Aiken ABLE To SERVE grant; the prestigious
Harris Wofford Awards; and many more from America’s Promise, AT&T, Verizon,
Motorola, and others.
Julie began at Youth
Service America as a Project Assistant helping to manage National and Global
Youth Service Day, the largest service event in the world. Prior to her work
with YSA, she served as a Faculty Advisor and Student Relations Advisor for the
Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference and the Jr. National Young Leaders
Conference held in Washington, DC.
As a champion for youth
volunteering, Julie has given her time globally as a volunteer in both Europe
and Africa, advocating for youth orphaned by AIDS; endangered sea turtles in the
Mediterranean; and persons with disabilities in the UK. Domestically, Julie has
volunteered as a youth dance instructor, respite care provider, visitor to the
homebound and conversation partner to international students.
Julie received her BA in
Journalism and Mass Communication and African Studies from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is a native of North Carolina.
She can be reached at
jmancuso@ysa.org.
Top
Elizabeth McCausland is a partner in the law firm of Cooney,
Mattson, Lance, Blackburn, Richards, and O’Connor P.A. She practices general
civil litigation and insurance law in Orlando, Florida. Mrs. McCausland is
currently the President Elect of the Orange County Bar Association’s Young
Lawyers Section and is a representative of the Florida Bar Board of Governors
Young Lawyers Division.
Top
Tara R. Miles is the Director of BizLaunch, Arlington's Small
Business Assistance Network in Arlington County, Virginia. Ms. Miles initiated
the BizLaunch program in 2002 to help entrepreneurs successfully grow and expand
their businesses in the County. Since its inception the program has outreached
to over 6,000 business owners through sponsored workshops, seminars, and
one-on-one counseling sessions.
Ms. Miles has over 15 years of experience in Marketing and
Business Development at a variety of firms: a health maintenance organization,
an IT software developer, a financial institution and a uranium enricher -
before joining Arlington County in 2001. In 2004 she received Arlington's Best
Business Award (ABBIES) for her steadfast contribution to the small business
community. She also received the 2005 Small Business Advocate Award by the
Arlington Small Business Development Center. Ms. Miles was recently named the
2006 Minority Small Business Champion of the Year by the U.S. Small Business
Administration.
Ms. Miles holds a Bachelor's of Art Degree from the
University of Maryland Baltimore County in Political Science and Journalism. She
also holds a Masters of Science in Marketing Communications from Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore. Top
Cassandra Miller serves as
the Field Manager for National Youth Service Day. Every year in April, millions
of young people and adults worldwide participate in community service projects
in celebration of National & Global Youth Service Day (N&GYSD). The goals of
National & Global Youth Service Day are to mobilize youth to identify and
address the needs of their communities through service, support youth on a
life-long path of service and civic engagement, and educate the public, the
media, and elected officials about the year-round contributions of youth as
community leaders.
As the Field Manager,
Cassandra is responsible for mobilizing organizations at the local and state
level to serve as Lead Agencies for National & Global Youth Service Day. She
recruits, trains and supports local/state non-profits, school districts,
faith-based organizations, and other organizations to assemble coalitions of
agencies and individuals to plan and coordinate large-scale N&GYSD events,
engaging anywhere from several hundred to 50,000 volunteers per Lead Agency.
After attending Indiana
University, she served two years as an AmeriCorps member with City Year
Washington, DC. As a first year corps member Cassandra was the Research and
Systematic Learning/Service Director for the AOL Civic Engagement Team. As a
member of the team she planned and implemented monthly service projects that
united community volunteers to paint, clean, and revitalize DC schools, parks,
and community centers. In her first year Cassandra also served as an Executive
Director of Camp City Year, a week long camp that provides a safe, fun, and
enriching environment for 1st through 5th grade students in the Washington metro
area.
In her second year
Cassandra served as the Civic Leadership and Program Senior Corps member. In
this position Cassandra was responsible for creating and overseeing bi-weekly
leadership development days that promoted civic knowledge and responsibility.
Since she was a child Cassandra has been involved in service in one way or
another and her passion for volunteerism continues at YSA.
Top
Lisa Miller is a Registered Agent with State Farm since 1992.
Her offices are located in Northern Virginia. Her office provides services
in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and French.
Lisa is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University with a BA in
English and minor in French. She taught herself Spanish through the Berlitz
language program. Lisa a member of the Society of Financial Services
Professionals, Legion of Honor, Millionaire Club Qualifier and National
Convention Qualifier. Top
On January 25, 2002, Samuel Tinsing Mok was confirmed by the
Senate to be the Chief Financial Officer of the U.S. Department of Labor. He
served as Chief Financial Officer and Comptroller of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, appointed by former Treasury Secretary James Baker. While there, he
implemented many management control programs to enhance financial reporting and
control.
Prior to joining the Labor Department, Mr. Mok served as the
Managing Member of Condor Consulting, LLC, a Washington, DC-based international
consulting firm. His expertise lies in providing and leveraging business and
government contacts for American companies interested in the Asian market. Other
aspects of Mr. Mok's practice included assisting American businesses that sought
information on prospective business partners in Asia and facilitating meetings
for American corporate executives who wished to establish contacts with senior
Asian embassy officials in Washington, DC.
Mr. Mok's professional career spans both the American private
and public sectors. In the private sector, Mr. Mok began his career as an
auditor with Main & Hurdman (now KPMG Peat Marwick) and later served as a Senior
Auditor with Parnell Kerr & Forster. In 1971, he was called to active military
duty. As a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he served in Okinawa, Japan as a
strategic intelligence officer overseeing reporting and analysis on China,
Vietnam, and North Korea. Upon being promoted to the rank of Captain, he was
reassigned to Army Readiness Region 1, at the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point.
In 1976, Mr. Mok resigned his Army commission and reentered
the private sector as the Director of Accounting at Time-Life Books. Six years
later, in 1982, he accepted an offer from U.S. News & World Report and
eventually became the Corporate Treasurer. In 1986, he served as a Foreign
Service Officer at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State. A year later, Mr. Mok became a member of the Federal Senior
Executive Service and was appointed Comptroller of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury. Shortly thereafter, he was re-appointed as the Treasury's Chief
Financial Officer. During his six-year tenure at the Treasury, Mr. Mok was also
appointed by then President George H.W. Bush to serve on the National Advisory
Council on Public Service. In 1992, Mr. Mok left federal service and was
appointed Chief Executive Officer of G.L. Associates, a New York-based business
systems consulting firm. Four years later, Mr. Mok went on to found his own
international trade consulting practice in collaboration with retired U.S.
Senator Birch Bayh.
Mr. Mok received his M.A. in Auditing from Catholic
University in 1982. He earned his B.S. in Accounting from Fordham University in
1968. He also graduated from the U.S. Army Institute of Administration at Fort
Benjamin Harrison and from the U.S. Foreign Service Institute in Rosslyn,
Virginia. Mr. Mok speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. He is a
Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Government Financial Manager.
Additionally, Mr. Mok has undergone extensive formal training in cultural
diversity instruction at the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of
the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of State.
Mr. Mok has served in various capacities for numerous
community and government organizations, including Trustee of the Department of
Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI); Treasurer of AFSA
(American Foreign Service Association) a labor union for U.S. foreign service
officers at the Department of State; and Chairperson of the National Conference
of Community & Justice (formerly known as the National Conference of Christians
and Jews) in the Washington, DC area. In addition, Mr. Mok has frequently
lectured around the country on diversity issues and formerly provided seminars
to various federal agencies and senior executives of major U.S. corporations. He
is a former Chapter President of the Association of Government Accountants. Mr.
Mok is also a former Chapter President and National Vice President of the
Organization of Chinese Americans and a founding member of the Federal Asian
Pacific American Council.
In 2006 Mr. Mok is the recipient of the prestigious Donald L.
Scantlebury Memorial Award for Distinguished Leadership in Financial Management
Improvement and was named one of the top 100 executives from government,
industry, and academia of the "Federal 100" who had the greatest impact on the
government information systems. In 2005, he was the recipient of the
Distinguished National Leadership Award by the Association of Government
Accountants (AGA) to formally recognize elected or presidentially-appointed
federal officials who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in federal
financial management. Mr. Mok was appointed to serve on the Republic of the
Marshall Islands Trust Fund Committee by the Secretary of the Interior. He
serves on the General Administration Board for the United States Department of
Agriculture Graduate School, and was recently elected to be a Fellow for the
National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). Mr. Mok serves on the U.S.
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Advisory Council on Government Audit
Standards, the Board of Trustees for the AGA Academy for Government
Accountability and the Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN)
Advisory Board.
He has served as deputy mayor of Chinatown, Washington, D.C.,
and in top leadership positions of most major Asian-American community
organizations in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Mr. Mok and his wife, Nancy,
reside in Maryland. They are the proud parents of two grown children, both
attorneys, and five grandchildren who also reside in the Washington, D.C. area. Top
Juan Carlos Rivera Montes has more than fifteen years of
international experience in Latin America working as a Regional Director, Senior
Advisor, and International Consultant to corporations, multilateral
institutions, and government agencies.
Before joining OPIC in 2000, Juan Carlos served as a senior
director and chief operations officer (COO) for Meso-American Investments, LLC
(MAI), a firm located in Denver, Colorado, focusing in the evaluation and
development of conventional and renewable energy projects around the world. From
1996-1998, Juan Carlos served as Regional Director for Latin American Programs
while at AATA International, Inc. He was responsible for business development
and project management for environmental consulting services to oil and gas,
mining, energy, and water utility corporations with infrastructure projects and
operations in Latin America. As a project manager, he was responsible for the
environmental permitting, management, and baseline studies for Mobil’s Cerro
Negro $3.2 billion extra heavy oil project, the $350 million light crude La
Ceiba project in Venezuela, and several other infrastructure projects in Peru,
Argentina, Brazil, and Honduras.
From 1991-1995, Juan Carlos served as the Executive Director
of the Investment and Trade Promotion Office of the Government of Honduras in
the United States. His investment promotion efforts under this office allocated
more than US $60 million into the Honduran economy. Prior to that, he worked
under the United Nations Development Program as a Senior Advisor to the Minister
of Natural Resources of Honduras. In this position, he served as leader of an
inter institutional commission charged to coordinate all policy development
efforts in the mineral, energy, and environmental sectors of the Honduran
economy. He also authored the design, elaboration, executive coordination,
congressional lobbying, and promotion of legislation to promote foreign
investment to the country. As an International Consultant, Juan Carlos has
performed assignments for the IADB, the World Bank, the BRGM (France), Samsonite
Corporation, International Methane Company (Canada), and the Honduran Foundation
for Investment and Development of Exports (FIDE) among others.
Juan Carlos received a degree in geological engineering from
the Colorado School of Mines, and an MBA in international finance and marketing
from the Jesuit Regis University in Denver, Colorado. He received certified
professional training from the BRGM in France, the Swedish Geological Survey,
and the World Trade Centers in Dallas and Denver. He holds graduate certificate
programs in International Finance from Georgetown University and Housing Finance
from Fannie Mae in Washington DC. Additional training includes technical
certificates in geographic information systems (GIS), remediation, reclamation
technologies, water and wastewater treatment, and renewable energy.
Top
N/Angeline Mutima is an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In
Service to America) serving as the Youth Service America/Youth Venture
Partnership Associate. The YSA/Youth Venture Program provides start-up funding,
support and resources to young social entrepreneurs (ages 12-20).
Angeline's main responsibilities include: implementing &
managing the YV/YSA application cycles, identifying & pursuing fundraising
opportunities, identifying special opportunities (scholarships, awards, speaking
opportunities, media recognition, opportunities for collaboration) for YSA
Venture teams, supporting & aiding YSA/Youth Venture award recipients to ensure
the success of their Venture, supporting & being a resource for other Youth
Venture staff and VISTAs as well as YSA staff. Angeline works very closely with
YSA/Youth Venture award recipients to ensure the successful implementation,
maintenance and longevity of their ventures.
As a recent graduate of Oregon State University, Angeline
majored in Business Administration, with an Option in Marketing, and a Minor in
Multimedia. On campus she was involved with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,
Black Student Union, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Oregon State University's
Kaleidoscope Program, Black Connect, Minority Education Office, and Student
Support Services Tutoring Program. Growing up in Oregon, Angeline has always
been involved in community service, whether it was her school's bake sales or
community after school programs. Angeline has always been inclined to work in
her community because she truly believe that effort you put into serving your
community is not even close to the outcomes of your service. In college, she
even joined a Sorority that focuses primarily on public service.
Angeline's interests include: Black issues, music, computer
technology, public service, reading, dancing, and shopping. She hopes to someday
own and run a magazine with wholesome content for Black, female teenagers.
For more information on the YSA/Youth Venture Program, please
visit www.youthventure.org/ysa.
Top
Nguyen Ngoc Bich is the immediate
past Director of the Vietnamese
Service at Radio Free Asia (RFA). Born in Hanoi, Vietnam, and educated in
Saigon, the United States, Japan and Europe, Mr. Bich is fluent in seven
languages. He came to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship as an
undergraduate student and received his B.A. from Princeton University (Political
Science, 1958). He did graduate work in Asian studies at Columbia University
(1959-65), Japanese literature at Kyoto University (1962-63), bilingual
education and theoretical linguistics at Georgetown University (1980-85).
As an educator, Nguyen Ngoc Bich has taught at university
level both in Vietnam and in the United States. Since coming to the U.S. in
1975, he has taught adult education, elementary school and high school in
Arlington, Virginia, then at the university level at Trinity College, George
Mason University (where he taught Vietnamese Literature and Vietnamese Culture
and Civilization), and Georgetown University (where he was a teacher trainer in
Bilingual and Multicultural Education). Together with his wife, Dr. Dao Thi Hoi,
a linguist and ESL specialist, he was one of a group of educators who in 1979
founded NAVAE (National Association for Vietnamese American Education), the
ancestor of NAFEA (National Association for the Education and Advancement of
Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans). Mr. Bich was the third president
of NAVAE, which he headed from 1984 to 1986. Widely recognized for his work in
education, he was appointed by President Bush to the post of Deputy Director,
Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs (aka OBEMLA), at the
U.S. Department of Education, where he served under Secretary Lamar Alexander
from 1991 to 1993.
Mr. Bich is Chairman, Board of Directors, of Boat People
S.O.S., Inc. a community service organization located in Falls Church, VA. He
was also the founder of National News Service, which provides news of interest
to readers of Vietnamese language newspapers worldwide, and one of the founding
members of NCVA (National Congress of Vietnamese in America, formed in 1986). He
is the author of a number of publications on Vietnam, including An Annotated
Atlas of the Republic of Vietnam (1972), North Vietnam: Backtracking on
Socialism (1971) and Literature Under Communism in Vietnam (under
press). But he is best known as a translator and writer on the arts. The author
of The Poetry of Vietnam (Asia Society of New York, 1969), A Thousand
Years of Vietnamese Poetry (Knopf, 1975), he also edited War and Exile: A
Vietnamese Anthology (Vietnamese PEN, 1989) and translated two collections
of poetry coming from the pen of Nguyen Chi Thien, Hoa Dia Nguc / The
Flowers of Hell and Hat Mau Tho / Blood Seeds Become Poetry
(both published in 1996).
In the field of art and music, he co-authored (with his wife,
Dr. Dao Thi Hoi) a bilingual collection of Christmas carols (1975) and
translated a book on Vietnamese Architecture (1972). More recently, he
has translated Truong Anh Thuy’s Truong Ca Loi Me Ru / A Mother’s
Lullaby (1989); had a hand in doing a photography book by Tran Cao Linh,
Vietnam, My Country Forever (Aide à l’Enfance du Vietnam, 1988), the
catalogue of a traveling exhibition of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American
paintings, An Ocean Apart (Smithsonian, 1996), the book Thai Tuan: Selected
Paintings and Essays (VAALA, 1996); and has completed a comprehensive
history on Seven Thousand Years of Vietnamese Ceramics (under press). His
edition of the complete works of the poetess Ho Xuan Huong (ca. 1770-1835) was
published in 2000 to wide acclaim. His most recent publication (2002) is Omar
Khayyam – Rubaiyat: Tho va Doi, a study of the famous eleventh-century
Persian poet-astronomer-philosopher and his world-renowned poetry collection
made famous by Edward Fitzgerald’s English translation.
Prior to joining RFA (in January 1997), Mr. Bich has worked
for 13 years as a Vietnamese-language Program Director for WHFS 103.4 FM and
WPFW 89.3 FM in Washington, DC. Because of his varied background and mastery of
many aspects of Vietnamese culture, he is a much sought-after lecturer
nationwide, on college campuses, at national and international conferences.
As a world-renowned translator from and into Vietnamese, Mr.
Bich is also often asked to do simultaneous translation for international
conferences and in public courts of law.
Top
Cuong Nguyen is Executive Director of Vietnam Helsinki
Committee, a Washington DC based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting
human rights for Vietnam. Over the years, he has served on the boards of several
organizations which advocate refugee and immigrant rights.
Top
Dai Q. Nguyen
Program Manager of Employment and Training, One-Stop / SkillSource Center |
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Dai Nguyen is the Program Manager of Employment and Training
for Fairfax County and in this role, he directs the One-Stop operations for the
Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Area. This region is one of the largest
workforce areas in the Commonwealth of Virginia with over 1.5 million residents
and thousands of businesses in the counties of Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince
William and the cities therein.
Mr. Nguyen works with businesses, community and faith based
organizations, educational institutions and other workforce agencies to develop
and manage the network of One-Stop Centers for this region, known as SkillSource.
The SkillSource Centers provide employment solutions to businesses and delivers
placement and training services to job seekers.
Mr. Nguyen has worked in public service over the last 15
years and has managed a number of award winning employment programs. He has been
personally recognized by President George W. Bush, Secretary of Labor, Elaine L.
Chao and the Department of Labor for managing effective programs.
Top
Nguyen Y Duc received received his MD from the University of
Saigon in 1963 and specializes in Geriatrics. He is a health advisor to the
Martin L. King Foundation is a member of the American Institute of Anti-Aging
Medicine and the American Association of Retired People (AARP).
Dr. Nguyen has published numerous articles and appears regularly in Vietnamese
media.
Top
Ha Nguyen is a Certified Public Accountant and former
Director of the Vietnamese Service Center in Chicago. He is currently
editor-in-chief of Viet Bao Illinois ("The Vietnamese Journal of Illinois"). Top
Nguyen Manh Hung is associate professor of Public and
International Affairs, director of the Indochina Program, and program
coordinator of the Asia Pacific Studies Minor, George Mason University. He
received his License en Droit (J.D.) from the Faculty of Law, University of
Saigon (1960), and both his M.A. (1963) and Ph.D. in International Relations
from the University of Virginia (1965). Prior to 1975, Dr. Hung was professor of
International Politics, National School of Public Administration and the
University of Saigon, Vietnam, and a frequent lecturer at the National Defense
College.
Outside the academia, Dr. Hung chaired several committees to reorganize
the Vietnamese civil service, served as planning advisor to the President of the
National Economic Development Fund, then Deputy Minister of National Planning of
the Republic of Vietnam. A former Fulbright Scholar and Social Science Research
Council Fellow, Dr. Hung is the author of several books, book chapters, and
articles. His major publications include Introduction to International
Relations (Saigon, 1971), Peace and Development in South Vietnam
(with Nguyen Van Hao et al, Saigon, 1973), and The Challenge of Vietnam's
Reconstruction (with A. Terry Rambo and Neil L. Jameison, Virginia, 1991).
His contributed book chapters to New Directions in the International
Relations of Southeast Asia (Singapore University Press, 1973), Refugees
in the United States (Greenwood Press, 1985), The American War in
Vietnam: Lessons, Legacies, and Implications for Future Conflict (Greenwood
Press, 1987), Refugees in America in the 1990's (Greenwood Press, 1996),
Southeast Asia On The Growth Path (Universiti Pertanian Malaysia Press,
1997) and published articles in World Affairs, Asian Survey,
Pacific Affairs, Amerasia Journal, and Journal of Asian Thought
and Society. Dr. Hung is a member of the International Studies Association
and the Association for Asian Studies and has participated in major policy
working groups on Vietnam and Indochina, including the Indochina Policy Forum of
the Aspen Institute, the Indochina Study Group of the Council on Foreign
Relations, and the Southeast Asia Working Group of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies. He has served as an advisor to the National Association
for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese
Americans (NAFEA), the National Congress of Vietnamese in America (NCVA), and
the Vietnamese Association for Computing, Engineering Technology and Science (VACETS).
COURSES TAUGHT: American Foreign Policy, Introduction to International Politics,
Government and Politics of Asia
CURRENT RESEARCH: Vietnamese government and politics, U.S.-Vietnamese Relations,
U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, Transformation of Communism with special
emphasis on China and Vietnam.
Top
Hung Quoc Nguyen has been a community activist and has over
18 years of hands-on community experience. He works in the high-tech industry
and currently serves as the President/Chief Executive Officer of the National
Congress of Vietnamese Americans, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and Chair
of its signature leadership program, the Vietnamese American Youth Leadership
Conference. His community involvements include leadership roles in the
Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia (CAPAVA),
the Vietnamese American National Gala
(VANG) and the Smithsonian Institution's
Vietnamese American Heritage Project. Additionally,
Mr. Nguyen serves on the
Virginia Asian Advisory Board,
Virginia 2007 Community Citizen Planning Committee,
Fairfax County
(VA) Consumer Protection Commission and the
President's Advisory Board
of the NAACP - San José Chapter.
Previously, he served as Director of Public Relations for the Vietnamese
Nationalist Community of Austin, an organizational recipient of the Austin
Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raiser Executives’ 1999 Philanthropic
Organization of the Year Award and the Executive Committee of the California
State Conference of the NAACP.
Mr. Nguyen's current goal with NCVA is to raise funds for
NCVA's $1 Million Endowment Fund to create an office with full-time paid staff
that will continually advocate for issues on behalf of Vietnamese Americans and
to train young Vietnamese Americans to have greater leadership roles in their
respective communities.
Mr. Nguyen has been quoted in the Agence France Presse,
Associated Press, Fairfax Times, Los Angeles Times, Reuter, San José Mercury
News, Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, NPR's Marketplace and Talk of the
Nation, XM's The Bob Edwards Show, BBC, Radio Australia, Radio Free Asia and
many other community newspapers, and has appeared on television and radio
programs to inform and educate the public on issues affecting the communities of
interest. He is committed to developing partnerships for and strengthening the
infrastructure of the communities of interest with which he works. Mr. Nguyen
has worked on community and legislative issues relating to at-risk youth, youth
leadership development, economic self-sufficiency, redistricting, human rights,
cultural identity, and voter education and empowerment. He holds a B.A. in
Liberal Arts and currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
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N/A.
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Nguyen Thanh Trang served as the Vice-Dean, School of
Economics and Business at Minh Duc University, Saigon from 1972-1975. He
concurrently served as the Assistant President of Public Relations, University
of Hue from 1973-1975.
Having emigrated to the United States and settling in Seattle, Washington, Mr.
Nguyen was employed as a Manager for Financial Information Systems at Seattle
First National Bank. He later joined Broadway Department Stores in Los Angeles
as a Senior Manager for Planning and Budgeting. Having moved to San Diego, in
1982, he started his own company, Alpha Realty & Mortgage Co.
Mr. Nguyen's community activities include serving as President of the
Indochinese Chamber of Commerce in San Diego (1985-1991), President of the
Indochinese Committee for Radio Free Asia (1991-1995) and President of the
Vietnam Human Rights Network (1997-2005).
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Tram Nguyen is currently Boat People SOS’ (BPSOS) External
Relations Manager as well as the National Program Manager for BPSOS’ AmeriCorps
VISTA and National Direct programs. Immediately after Hurricane Katrina made
landfall, she was dispatched to Houston, TX to coordinate BPSOS’ emergency
disaster response. For the first three months, she managed BPSOS’ Houston
disaster relief and recovery center in Hong Kong 4 City Mall. Relying mainly on
volunteers, this ad hoc center assisted over 2,000 Vietnamese evacuee families.
Since then, she has helped to secure several major grants for BPSOS’ ongoing
relief efforts, which have resulted in a multi-million dollar Disaster Relief
and Recovery Program. In her role as External Relations Manager, she continues
to advocate for the unmet needs of the community with local, state, and national
governments as well as builds collaborative partnerships with other agencies in
order to not only ensure full recovery from the Katrina disaster, but to also
mitigate similar access barriers in future disasters. She is an alumna of
Columbia University in New York, NY.
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Pham Boi Hoan or "PB" as he was known, is one of the true
Vietnam vets. After completing his army service where he trained as a combat
photographer, "PB" joined CBS News as a cameraman in Saigon in April 1965. After
his evacuation to the US, he became a CBS White House cameraman.
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Maheen Qureshi currently
serves as Specialist, Corporate Relations and Housing Outreach at Freddie Mac.
She is responsible for managing relationships with Latino groups on CreditSmart®
Español/ financial literacy initiatives. Maheen joined Freddie Mac in May 2004
as a Business Analyst in the Mission Oversight and Development Division. Prior
to joining Freddie Mac, Maheen was Program Coordinator for the Center for
Innovative Conservation Finance at The Nature Conservancy, an international
non-profit organization headquartered in Arlington, VA. Maheen holds a Masters
in Business Administration from American University and a Bachelor of Science
degree in Finance and International Studies from Indiana University .
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Mary Chi Ray
President, Naturalization and Immigration Services |
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Mary Chi Ray has been the President of Naturalization and
Immigration Services, a consulting business, since 1995. She advises and assists
individuals to obtain legal entry, immigrant status, and citizenship in the
United States. She has been active in the Vietnamese-American community since
the early 1970s. She has served as president of the Small Business Network
Council, promoting the sharing of experience of doing business for new
immigrants and minority business. She was an organizer of, and remains active
in, the National Congress of Vietnamese-Americans. She has been a member of the
National Advisory Council of the US Small Business Administration since 2003.
Her other business activities include president and publisher, Vietnam Today (Thoi
Nay) Newspaper, 1995-1998; President of Washington Communications Services
advertising agency, 1994-1997;
Producer, 1992-1994, Vietnam Vision of America television shows; and President,
La Cheeserie of Alexandria and Adele, Inc., 1980-1984. She worked as a
professional realtor from 1976 to 1996. She took time off from the private
sector to work as the Deputy Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement, U. S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 1989-1991. Ms. Ray served as a
consultant on refugees to the U. S. Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida,
in 1975. She worked in the Consular Section, Embassy of the Republic of Vietnam,
1971-1973. She worked as a language instructor at the Defense Language
Institute, El Paso, Texas, 1969-1971, and was a marketing representative for
Roussel Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Saigon, 1965-1971. She has been active in
the Republican party, having worked for the Bush-Cheney 2004 and 2000
Presidential campaigns, Bush-Quayle 88, and Reagan-Bush 84. She has also been
active in the Republican Party in Fairfax County, Virginia, the state of
Virginia, and the state of Pennsylvania, supporting state and local candidates,
and organizing voter registration campaign.
Ms. Ray is married and has four adult children. Top
Tom Ray is the Director, Small and Disadvantaged Business
Utilization, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). In this position, he serves as the
Agency's advocate and advisor on the utilization of small businesses. This
includes programs to assist small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses,
women-owned small businesses, Native American businesses, and organizations that
employ individuals that are blind or severely disabled.
Mr. Ray graduated from the University of Tennessee at
Knoxville in 1969. He received an MBA from George Washington University in 1980,
and graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1990.
He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
Reserve in 1969, and entered active duty. He was assigned to the U.S. Army,
Vietnam. After completing his active duty tour in 1971, he was employed by the
Washington office of the National Federation of Independent Business as a
Congressional Liaison. In 1973, Mr. Ray accepted a position with the Defense
Supply Agency and entered the Management Intern Program. He was assigned to the
Directorate of Procurement and Production in July 1974 and to the Office of the
Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization in 1979.
Mr. Ray returned to the Executive Directorate of Procurement
in 1980. He worked a wide variety of policy and operational issues, and received
the DLA Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1991 for his performance during
Operation Desert Shield/Storm.
In February 1992, he was named Chief of the Plans and
Operations Branch in the Contracts Division. The Director, DLA, appointed Mr.
Ray as the Agency Competition Advocate in May 1992. He assumed the position of
Assistant Executive Director, Procurement, in April 1995. In that position he
was responsible for overseeing procurement operations, providing procurement
policy to DLA field activities, and overseeing the industrial support program in
DLA. Throughout the 1990s he participated in development of DLA’s “Shift to
Commercial
Practices,” including long-term contracting, corporate contracting, and
strategic material sourcing. He was temporarily detailed to the Office of the
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Reform in 1993 where he helped
draft the Federal Acquisition Reform Act. He received a “Hammer Award” from the
Vice President in 1996 for his work on acquisition reform. He was awarded the
Exceptional Civilian Service Award in 1997 by DLA for his work in furthering
best business practices. He was appointed Director, Small and Disadvantaged
Business Utilization, by the Director of DLA on June 1, 2000.
Tom Ray is married and has four grown children. His principal
interests outside of work are reading and bluegrass music.
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N/Lt Col Che V. Russell is currently assigned to Joint
Staff/J2E-1. He was born in Saigon, South Vietnam, on 14 February 1965. He
attended Bellevue East High School, Bellevue, Nebraska. After graduating from
high school in 1984, Lt Col Russell earned his Bachelors of Science in
International Affairs from the United States Air Force Academy. He was
commissioned on 1 Jun 1988. Lt Col Russell began technical training as an
Operations Manager, Keesler AFB, Mississippi, where he was a distinguished
graduate. His follow-on assignments included Laughlin AFB, Texas (executive
officer and adjutant) and Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan (command post and wing
flight scheduler). Lt Col Russell cross-trained into the Intelligence career
field and graduated from Goodfellow AFB, Texas in 1995. He returned to Kadena,
providing tactical intelligence support to F-15C, E-3, HH-60, and KC-135
aircrew. Following his Okinawa assignment, Lt Col Russell became the Joint
Intelligence Center Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii North/South Korean Integrated
Air Defense Systems and Weapons of Mass Destruction analyst. Afterwards, he
spent one year at JMIC completing his Masters degree. Following JMIC graduation,
he was assigned as the 552nd Air Control Wing Senior Intelligence Officer and
552nd Operations Support Squadron Intelligence Flight Commander, Tinker AFB,
Oklahoma. Lt Col Russell returned to the Joint Military Intelligence College (JMIC)
as Executive Officer and on Faculty. On Joint Staff/J2P-4, he was the J2’s AO
for QDR 2006 and worked PPBE issues. Lt Col Russell has two Masters degrees:
Educational Leadership from Troy State University 1994 and Strategic
Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College 2001.
Residing in Alexandria, Virginia, Lt Col Russell is married
to the former Atsuko Taira of Okinawa, Japan, since 16 July 1988. They have two
sons, Jonathan, who is 15 years old and Justin, who is 12 years old.
He was the winner of the 11th Wing/MAJCOM DRU Lance P. Sijan
Leadership Award for 1999. Also, he was the USAF winner of the Federal Asian
Pacific American Council Award for 2003. He was selected for an Honorary
Diversity Award by the Director, Defense Intelligence Agency in 2004. He is the
recipient of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal,
Air Force Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Air Force
Achievement Medal, and has received many awards and recognition for his civic
involvement.
ASSIGNMENTS:
2006-present Joint Staff/J2E-1, Division Chief
2005-2006 Joint Staff/J2P-4, Joint Operations Officer
2003-2005 Joint Military Intelligence College, Executive Officer & Faculty
2001-2003 552nd Operations Support Sq, Commander, Intel Flt (E-3 AWACS)
2000-2001 JMIC, Masters of Science in Strategic Intelligence
1998-2000 Joint Intel Ctr Pacific, Chief of Korea IADS and WMD (ie TBM/NBC)
1996-1997 18th Operations Support Sq, Chief of Intel Plans (home and deployment
base plans)
1995-1996 44th Fighter Squadron, Chief of Intelligence (F-15C)
1993-1994 18th Wing Scheduler (6 squadrons, 4 airframes, flying hours and
budget, and airspace)
1991-1993 18th Wing Command Post Emergency Actions Officer (Pacific Command Post
of the Year 1991)
1989-1991 47th Student Squadron and 84th Flying Training Squadron,
Adjutant/Section Commander
EDUCATION:
Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Professional Military Education II, Norfolk,
VA, 2006
Air War College by correspondence, 2006
MS, Strategic Intelligence, Joint Military Intelligence College, DC, 2001
Air Command and Staff College in seminar, 2000
PACACES, Eielsen Air Force Base, Alaska, 1996
Intelligence Training Course, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, 1995
Squadron Officers School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, 1994 (Selected
Outstanding Briefer)
MS, Educational Leadership, Troy State University, Alabama, 1994
Operations Management Course, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, 1989
(Distinguished Grad)
BS, Political Science (International Affairs), United States Air Force Academy,
Colorado, 1988
RECOGNITION:
11th Wing Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award 1999
USAF Federal Asian Pacific American Council Award 2003
Recipient Director, Defense Intelligence Agency Honorary Diversity Award 2004
Defense Meritorious Service Medal (1)
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal (1)
Air Force Commendation Medals (3)
Joint Service Achievement Medal (2)
Air Force Achievement Medals (2)
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After graduating from Mary Washington College in
Fredericksburg, Robert Sharp began his State Farm career in 2000. He started as
an underwriter in the Personal Lines Fire Company working with agents in the
Raleigh, North Carolina area on homeowners, personal articles, boat, etc.
insurance. After three years in that department, he moved to the Commercial Fire
department and began working with Tidewater Virginia and West Virginia agents on
Business, Apartment/Condominium, and Commercial liability insurance. After two
years in this role, he was then promoted to his current position as a Business
Insurance Field Underwriter for the D.C. metro area where he works with seventy
agents stretching from Upper Marlboro to Centreville. In his current role, he
assists agents with marketing, insurance reviews, and helping match Business
customers with the best insurance coverages for their operations.
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Sichan Siv was nominated by President George W. Bush in
October 2001 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate as U.S. Representative to
the U.N. Economic and Social Council.
Ambassador Siv was a delegate to the 57th U.N. Commission on
Human Rights. From 1989 to 1993, during the Administration of the 41st
President, George Bush, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President for
Public Liaison and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs.
Ambassador Siv holds a Master of International Affairs from
Columbia University.
He was born in Cambodia and resettled as a refugee in
Wallingford, Connecticut. He is married to the former Martha Pattillo of Pampa,
Texas.
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Joel Szabat is the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Small Business
Administration by SBA Administrator Steven C. Preston.
In his role as Chief of Staff, Szabat plays a critical role in ensuring that the
Administrator's initiatives are carried out, and will serve as one of the
primary advisors to Administrator Preston and the agency's senior managers.
Prior to joining SBA, Szabat served the Department of
Transportation as Counselor for Transportation Infrastructure. There, he led
department-wide initiatives such as the President's Management Agenda, Pandemic
Flu planning, Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned, and interagency research
coordination.
In 2005, Szabat served the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, as the
Transportation Counselor to the Ambassador directing the U.S. government's $544
million transportation reconstruction program in Iraq. Joel originally joined
DOT in 2002 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy.
Before joining DOT, Szabat served as the Principal Consultant
for Transportation for Republicans in the California State Assembly, served as a
management and budget aide to the Administrator for the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and worked in a management consulting firm in the private
sector.
Szabat received a B.A. in economics and government from
Georgetown University in 1981, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1988.
Between Georgetown and Harvard, Joel was in the United States Army during the
Cold War, commanding tank units patrolling the East-West German border.
Szabat is from Sacramento, California. He is the founder of
the International Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organization providing
public service scholarships for Asian American college students. His wife,
Chiling Tong, also serves President Bush in the Commerce Department.
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Chiling Tong is the Associate Director for Legislation,
Education and Intergovernmental Affairs. Tong oversees MBDA's Congressional
outreach, intergovernmental affairs, international trade, advocacy and outreach
to federal, state and local governments.
Prior to Ms. Tong's appointment with MBDA, she served as the
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific, for the International Trade
Administration, in the Department of Commerce, with responsibility for improving
access by U.S. companies to Asia-Pacific markets; strengthening the
international trade and investment position of the United States; establishing
international economic policies concerning the Asia-Pacific region; and carrying
out programs to promote international trade. Previously, Ms. Tong worked for the
State of California to promote California's economic development, trade and
employment services.
Ms. Tong was the Director of California's Office of Trade and
Investment in Taipei, Taiwan, and served as Assistant Secretary for
International Trade in the California Trade and Commerce Agency. She
subsequently worked for the California State Senate Office of Public Affairs as
the Chief Asian American Affairs Advisor and was appointed by President George
W. Bush as a commissioner of the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders.
Ms. Tong received her MBA from California State University at
Long Beach and a BA from the Chinese Cultural University in Taiwan. Before
joining state government, Tong was awarded a Coro Public Affairs Fellowship. Ms.
Tong was the President of the International Leadership Foundation, the
Chairperson of the Los Angeles County Community Action Board, Vice President of
the Monterey Park Community Relations Commission and the Public Affairs Director
of the American-Chinese Business Journal. She was also a television anchor and
reporter for China TV, a Los Angeles-based international television station. In
Sacramento, she served on the Metropolitan Arts Commission and the Sacramento
Asian Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Tong is married to Joel Szabat, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Management and Budget in the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Top
Cuong Hung Van
Pianist, Gold Winner of the Cincinnati World Piano Competition |
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The recipient of many international awards, pianist Cuong
Hung Van has performed throughout the United States, Asia, Australia, and Europe
and has been hailed by critics as a major young talent.
Born in South Vietnam, Cuong Hung Van began his studies at
the Saigon Conservatory. Before coming to the United States he was awarded a
Scholarship to study at Moscow State Conservatory where he worked with Victor
Merzhanov. His record of performance in Russia is extensive.
Currently, he resides in Bluemont, Virginia. Cuong Van is in
the Doctoral Program in Performance after he earned his Mater Degree in
Orchestral Conducting at Shenandoah University, Virginia. He pursued his
postgraduate studies under Paul Schenly and Daniel Shapiro at the Cleveland
Institute of Music. In March 2002 Cuong Hung Van completed a concert tour in
Korea with performances in Seoul, Pusan and Daegu.
Recent concert engagements in the United States include Alice
Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the
Phillips Collection and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. He has also
made orchestral appearances with the World Festival Symphony Orchestra in
Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Saigon Ballet and Symphony Orchestra, Vietnam.
In addition to winning the gold medal at Ohio's Cincinnati
World Piano Competition, Cuong Hung Van was also honored with the first prize at
the Frina Awerbuch International Piano Competition in New York City and the
second prize at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.
Critics have been effusive in their praise for this artist's
interpretive powers and technical skill. Donald Rosenberg of the Cleveland Plain
Dealer said, "Cuong Hung Van puts his searching musicality to splendid use in
all of his fare...[his] taste was impeccable; his command of musical elements
complete." Of his Hilton Head performance the reviewer said, "He displayed
carefully developed musical ideas...distinguished by multicolored cascades of
sound, translucent sections of stillness and supple, tastefully proportioned
phrasing." Live recordings have been broadcast on WQXR, New York, WGMS,
Washington D.C., WCLV, Cleveland, and the Vietnam National Television.
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Nhan Thanh Vo is a Federal employee. He used to be a Board
Member of Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association and a volunteer tutors for a
tutoring program at two Elementary Schools in Montgomery County. He is a
community advocate. He saw the need of creating sport activities and/or scout
for Vietnamese youngsters living in the low-income area in Silver Spring. He was
the founder of the Vietnamese Boys and Girls Scouts that have saved many kids
who otherwise would have become delinquents or joined gang activities. He helped
organize field trips over weekends and summers for economically disadvantaged
Vietnamese kids who otherwise would never have a chance to go anywhere. He
organized sport tournaments to encourage Vietnamese youngsters to focus more on
sports instead of illegal involvement. Presently, he is the Executive Producer
for Vietnamese American Television that preserves Vietnamese culture and informs
the community of current events of local and national importance. This program
is very popular in the Vietnamese community especially for those who do not
speak English.
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