DIANA BUI
Policy Co-Chair, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
Diana is the Membership and Chapter Coordinator of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO.
Prior to joining APALA, she was the Senior Manager of Student Leadership Development Programs at OCA, a national Asian Pacific American organization, and Program Assistant at the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD). She is involved with several national organizations dedicated to the advancement of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community on various issues including education, immigration, civil rights, economic and reproductive justice. Currently, she serves as the Policy Co-Chair of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) DC Chapter, staffer for the Diverse Elders Coalition and a core organizer of the 2013 APIA Spoken Word Summit. Originally from Los Angeles, she brings extensive experience in leadership development, program management and community organizing.
Diana has also grown through service in Vietnam where she worked with children affected by Agent Orange and led an intensive leadership program for high school students in 2009. In 2006, Diana graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Asian American Studies. As an undergraduate, she cultivated her leadership through student activism and art advocacy as Director of Hip Hop Congress and other progressive student organizations. With a passion for social justice, she identifies as a Vietnamese-American queer poet, youth advocate and community organizer.
ANNIE DURKIN
Team Leader, Coalition to Abolish Modern-day Slavery in Asia
Annie Durkin currently serves as a team leader for the Washington, D.C. chapter of CAMSA. She became interested in human dignity issues when she volunteered on hunger and poverty projects throughout her years in secondary school. While in Europe she learned that human slavery was not just a sin of historical dimension but was shockingly thriving in our present world as the developed nations bought and sold living persons as if trading property. Now living and working in the Washington area, Ms. Durkin has dedicated herself to combating slavery and to the work of raising awareness in the battle to eradicate human trafficking in our lifetime. Annie graduated from Catholic University with a BA in history.
MARK KEAM
Virginia House of Delegates – 35th District
Mark Keam is a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, respresenting the 35th District since 2009. His district is entirely within Fairfax County and includes over 80,000 residents living in parts of Oakton, Vienna (including the Town of Vienna), Dunn Loring and Tysons Corner.
In his first campaign for public office in June 2009, Mark won a competitive four-way primary election for the Democratic Party’s nomination. He went on to win the general election in November of that year and became the first Korean American and the first Asian-born immigrant to serve in the Virginia General Assembly.
As a freshman Delegate, Mark serves on the House Finance and on the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committees. Additionally, he was appointed by Speaker of the House Bill Howell to serve as a member of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, which the General Assembly created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
He was born in Seoul, South Korea and has lived in Vietnam, Australia and California at different times of his life. He received a political science degree from the University of California at Irvine and a law degree from Hastings College of the Law. He lives in Vienna, Va. with his wife and two children.
GENE KIM
Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)
Gene F. Kim is the Executive Director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), a group comprised of 42 Members of Congress dedicated to addressing the needs and concerns of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The caucus was founded in 1994 by then-Congressman Norman Y. Mineta and is currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu of California.
Prior to working with the caucus, Gene served as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), as the Director of Communications and Program Development for the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), as the Research and Policy Director of the Dan Seals for Congress campaign, and as a Legislative staffer handling education and science policy issues for Congressman Al Green (TX-09). He is actively committed to promoting Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in public service and has spoken at dozens of community events and conferences throughout the country to encourage greater youth participation and leadership.
Gene is originally from California. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with dual degrees in Rhetoric and Sociology with High Honors. He is also a former Board Member of the Cal Alumni Club of Washington, D.C.
RICKY LE
Deputy Chief of Staff & Counsel, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren; Professional Staffer, Committee on House Administration
Ricky Le works on Capitol Hill as Counsel for U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (San Jose, CA) and Professional Staffer with the Committee on House Administration handling redistricting, federal elections, and House oversight matters. Previously, he served for three years as Executive Director of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation where he advised the state’s 34 Democratic Members of Congress on statewide policy and politics.
Ricky has worked on a variety of local, state, and federal elections over the last twelve years. Most recently, he was Political Director for a gubernatorial campaign in California. Ricky has also advised the California Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on party building, candidate recruitment, and elections. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Ricky was honored by the New Leaders Council as one of the “Top 40 Progressives Under 40.”
Ricky was born in Da Nang, Vietnam, grew up in San Jose, California, and currently lives in Washington, D.C. Ricky has a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz and J.D. from San Clara University School of Law.
HONG LUONG
Volunteer, Coalition to Abolish Modern-day Slavery in Asia
Hong Luong currently serves as one of the team leaders for the Washington, D.C. chapter of CAMSA. She became interested in human dignity issues when she met Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, the Executive Director at BPSOS. As a refugee herself, Hong Luong has committed to help the victims of human trafficking in Asia, who are essentially are refugees if they are rescued. Hong Luong spends most of her free time to assist CAMSA’s fight by spreading awareness for human trafficking in Asia to the general public in the Metropolitan area. She is dedicated to fighting this cause in anyway possible to stop the fastest growing crime in the world. Hong Luong graduated from George Mason University with BA in Management Information Systems.
COMMANDER TUNG LY
C4ISR Lead, U.S. Coast Guard
Commander Tung Ly currently serves as the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) lead for the Coast Guard Research, Development, Test and Evaluation program office at Coast Guard Headquarters. He also acts as the Coast Guard liaison to the Office of Naval Research. In his current position, he is responsible for coordinating the C4ISR research portfolio to maximize benefit for the Coast Guard and to leverage the Navy research works for Coast Guard applications. Before this assignment, Commander Ly served as the Division Chief for the Navigation and Sensor Systems Infrastructure Division.
His previous assignments include Executive Officer for Electronics Systems Support Unit Alameda, CA; shipboard project section Chief for Electronics Division of Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific at Oakland CA; assistance operations Officer at Group San Francisco, CA; and vessel traffic system project Officer at Electronics Engineering Center at Wildwood, NJ.
Prior to entering into the Coast Guard’s Officer Candidate School in 1992, Commander Ly enlisted in the Army Reserve as a generator mechanic in 1986. Commander Ly graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1991. He also earned a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2001.
Commander Ly’s awards include two Coast Guard Commendation Medals and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals. Commander Ly and his wife Trinh have a daughter, Fiona.
ERIC NGUYEN
Development & Operations Coordinator, SEARAC
Eric graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nonprofit Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining SEARAC, Eric was with the Catalyst Foundation, an NGO that focuses on community development in Vietnam and identity development for Vietnamese-American adoptees. He is also very active in the Vietnamese American community and currently serves on the Council of Regional Representatives from the Midwest for the Union of North American Vietnamese Student’s Association (UNAVSA), as well as Chair of the Civic engagement committee for UNAVSA. His mother and father both escaped from Vietnam separately after the fall of Saigon and met each other in the states. He is a big fan of Harry Potter and the Wisconsin Badgers.
HUNG NGUYEN
Project/Proposal Manager, Knowledge Advantage Inc
Hung Quoc Nguyen is a business/information management consultant and has been a community activist for over 25 years. He serves on the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission and the America’s Service Commissions. Mr. Nguyen is the Chair of the Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia, a constituency group of the Democratic Party of Virginia, a Committee Member of the 10th Congressional District, and a member of the Vietnamese Americans for Obama National Leadership Council. He was the former Chair of the Governor’s Virginia Asian Advisory Board and Commissioner on the Virginia Governor’s Commission on Community and National Service. He also serves in advisory roles for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership, the International Leadership Foundation, the Vietnamese American National Gala, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Vietnamese American Heritage Project. He is a recipient of the 2007 Who’s Who in Asian American Communities Award and the 2008 Fairfax County Barbara Varon Volunteer Award. During the 2008 election cycle, he served on the Obama Asian American Pacific Islanders National Leadership Council.
Mr. Nguyen supports service-learning programs, trains young Asian Pacific Americans to have greater leadership roles in their communities, works on voter empowerment, and works to enact policies that promote economic development, entrepreneurship and small business development. He has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, San José Mercury News, Associated Press, Reuter, and has appeared on television and radio programs (NPR, BBC, RFA, Radio Australia).
TRINH NGUYEN
Organizer, Viet Tan
Trinh Nguyen is an organizer for Viet Tan, a pro-democracy organization with active members in Vietnam and around the world. Viet Tan activities are focused on rolling back existing restrictions in four key areas: promoting a de facto free media, supporting grassroots movements, training and capacity building, and engaging in international advocacy.
Working full-time for Viet Tan, Trinh manages programs on Internet Freedom, rule by law, and campaigns for Vietnam’s human rights defenders. She directs Viet Tan’s social media efforts and works to increase users’ access to anti-censorship tools through www.nofirewall.net, a digital security and circumvention technology portal for Vietnamese netizens.
TONY PHAM
General Counsel, Richmond City Sheriff’s Office
In 1975, Tony H. Pham and his family immigrated to the United States after the fall of Saigon. His family relocated to the Richmond, Virginia where he currently practices law. Tony graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1995 and from the University Of Richmond School Of Law in 1999. His initial job was as a judicial clerk in the Circuit Court of Henrico before becoming a prosecutor in the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. While there, Tony progressed to prosecuting complex homicide cases and narcotics and firearm cases. In 2006, he was asked to create and train the City’s first ever gang unit. In 2008, after 8 successful years as a prosecutor, Tony transitioned his litigation skills to the Richmond City Attorneys Office where he handled all civil rights litigation on behalf of the City and police officers. Currently, Tony is serving as the General Counsel for the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office, the only position of its kind in the Commonwealth ofVirginia.
In 2009, Tony was recognized as one of Richmond’s “Top 40 Under 40” individuals who are up and coming leaders in the area. Thereafter, in 2010, he was selected as one of Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” for his leadership in criminal law and the Asian American community. Following this award, Tony was selected by the Virginia Supreme Court to serve on the distinguished faculty of the Justice Carrico Professionalism Course teaching new attorneys professionalism in the Virginia State Bar. Tony was again recognized for his leadership in the Asian American community when Governor Kaine appointed him to serve on the Virginia Asian Advisory Board. In 2011, Tony was recognized by Virginia Business Magazine as a “Legal Elite” in criminal law. Most recently, the Supreme Court of Virginia has appointed Tony to serve on the Virginia State Bar’s Disciplinary Board, adjudicating attorney misconduct cases throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Tony is happily married and a proud father of 2 wonderful children.
GIAO L. PHAN
Deputy Director of Acquisition Programs, U.S. Coast Guard
Ms. Phan assumed duties as the Coast Guard Deputy Director of Acquisition Programs on Nov. 13, 2007. As Deputy Director, Ms. Phan is responsible for supporting the Coast Guard’s Program Executive Officer (PEO) in overseeing the execution of all Coast Guard major acquisition programs and projects, a $27 billion investment portfolio, which provides for the sustainment, modernization, and recapitalization of surface, air, command and control, and logistics assets for the Coast Guardʹs multiple maritime missions.
Ms. Phan previously worked as a naval engineering and acquisition professional with the Department of the Navy, managing the development and acquisition of complex weapons systems, and serving as the U.S. Navy’s Deputy Program Manager for In‐Service Aircraft Carriers Program. With a budget in excess of $10 billion, she was responsible for new construction, overhauling refueling complexes, and overseeing in‐service aircraft carrier life cycle support programs. Other career highlights include assignment as the Assistant Program Manager for Nimitz Class New Construction, where she directed and oversaw the $6 billion design, construction, test, evaluation, delivery and outfitting of the final Nimitz‐class ship, the USS George H. W. Bush; and assignment as the Director for Aircraft Carriers and Amphibious Ships in the Office of Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) for Ships, with execution and oversight of more than $20 billion in major ship programs. Ms. Phan served as the Electronics Systems Manager for the Seawolf Fast Attack Submarine Program, managing all aspects of design, development and ship integration for the Electronic Warfare, Navigation Radar, and Periscope systems.
Ms. Phan began her civil service career with the Navy in 1984. Her awards include the Superior Civilian Service Award (2006), and the Navy Meritorious Civilian Award (2004). She earned her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1981, and received an MS in Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1997.
CHRISTINA WADHWANI
Consultant, World Bank
Christina Wadhwani was a former President of the George Washington University’s Vietnamese Student Association (2007, 2008) and currently serves as the organization’s Alumni Representative. After graduating from GWU, Christina served as the Community Organizer and Health Outreach Coordinator at the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Organization in New Orleans East, providing healthcare and social services to the Vietnamese Refugee community. She also co-founded the Young Women’s Leadership Program with Mai Dang, Huong Nguyen, and Jennifer Thao Tran, the first organization meeting the needs of young women in New Orleans. In 2011, Christina received her Masters in Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She then conducted HIV/AIDS research in Hanoi with the Harvard Medical School AIDS initiative in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, she also volunteered as the Evaluation Consultant for the East Meets West Foundation, the largest International NGO in Vietnam, assisting the foundation’s international Water and Sanitation Program. Currently, Christina is a Consultant for the World Bank’s Health, Nutrition, and Population unit looking at ways to strengthen developing country’s health care systems to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and fulfill the Millennium Development
THE HONORABLE FRANK WOLF
U.S. House of Representatives, Virgina – 10th District
Congressman Wolf, the most senior of the 11 members of the House of Representatives from Virginia, is serving in his 16th term in Congress. He represents the 10th District of Virginia, which stretches from McLean to Winchester.
Congressman Wolf sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where he is the Chairman on the Commerce-Justice-Science subcommittee. He also serves on the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and State and Foreign Operations subcommittees. In addition, he is the co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan organization made up of more than 200 Members of Congress who work together to raise awareness about international human rights issues. Congressman Wolf is one of the House’s leading crusaders for human rights.
Congressman Wolf received his B.A. degree from Penn State University in 1961 and his law degree from Georgetown University in 1965. He lives in Vienna with his wife, Carolyn. They have five adult children and 16 grandchildren.
GRACE HAN WOLF
Councilwoman, Herndon Town Council
Grace Han Wolf, a resident of Herndon since 1999, is serving her second term on the Herndon Town Council. She is the first Korean woman elected to office in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
During her first term on the Town Council, Wolf chaired the town’s Economic Development Task Force, which provided recommendations for growing the town’s commercial base. She represents the town as advisory director on the Committee for Dulles Board of Directors and as a member of the Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission. She also serves on the Virginia Municipal League’s Community and Economic Development Policy Committee.
Wolf has served the Herndon community as president and board member of the Council for the Arts of Herndon; as a member of the Herndon Festival Committee; and as a member of the Asian Business Committee of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has also served as a Girl Scout troop leader.
In 2006, Wolf was the recipient of the Town of Herndon’s prestigious Distinguished Service Award, recognizing her commitment to volunteerism in the town; and she was a member of the Leadership Fairfax Class of 2007. She has received the Volunteer Fairfax Benchmark Service Award annually since 2008, and in 2012 she received the Public Service Award from the Asian American Chamber of Commerce.
Currently a small business owner, Wolf has held positions in finance and accounting at IBM Consulting, Deloitte and Touche Management Consulting, Dun & Bradstreet and Bankers Trust. She holds a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance and Strategy, both from Cornell University.
Wolf lives in Herndon with her husband and daughter.