Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia
www.gasiantimes.com
May 1-15, 2014
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May 1-15, 2014 Georgia Asian Times
Presents 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia
In the spirit of 2014 Asian American Heritage Month celebration, we are documenting the changing of power and the continual shifting of influence of Asian Americans in our communities. This year’s offer a listing of individuals who made an impact in arts, business, government, politics, social work, education, judiciary, and areas that influence every aspect of Georgian’s daily life. Some names are familiar as they continue to strive to make our community a better place to live. New faces are recognized for their effort and dedication to make a difference in the community. The list is made possible by the editorial staff and a selection committee comprises of community, civic, and media organizations.
Willie spearheaded a massive fundraising campaign for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. The fundraising effort has generated over $60,000 to date.
Juntao is currently leads a non profit foundation that strives to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic exchanges between China and the U.S. The foundation has helped many poor intelligent children living under poverty standard with scholarship and education assistance.
Juntao Bao President Sino-USA Next Generation Foundation Juntao is an active volunteer in the metro Atlanta’s Chinese community.
Juntao is a member of the 2010 Census Chinese Complete Count Committee. He also serves as Vice President of Atlanta Contemporary Chinese Academy, overseeing school regulation, training and recruitment.
He is a Business Analyst for the State of Georgia Employee Retirement System.
Willie Bonus CEO Makabayan Georgia, Inc. Willie leads a Filipino-American charitable foundation in Georgia that aims to assist the underprivileged and to provide scholarships assistance to Filipinos.
Willie is active in the community and has served as President of Asian Pacific American Council of Georgia (APAC) in 2003, Gov. Perdue’s Asian American Commission for a New Georgia in 2003, and as President of Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta in 2004.
Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2014
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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Supply Chain in North America, and has been an active member of WLD since the inception. She currently serves as a co-chair to the Asian BRG Business Connection to help UPS’ outreach to the Asian Business community in order to grow the UPS Brand.
Noy Bozarth President Laotian American Society of Georgia Noy Lounnarath is a Sales Operations Manager in the Freight Forwarding Division, and has 18 years of UPS logistics experience. She has held many different managerial roles, and currently is coordinating the efforts of the Global Initiatives. Noy has a Bachelor of Science in Management from Shorter University Atlanta, GA.
In addition to UPS, Noy is a President of the Laotian American Society serving her 3rd term, having served as Vice President and Treasurer prior to her current President role. She is also a member of the Asian Pacific American Council (APAC). Noy continues to gain personal leadership skills through her volunteering and networking efforts at UPS and within the Asian community.
Noy co-chaired the roll out of the Women’s Leadership Development (WLD) program in 2008 to the UPS
Estrella Cramer Corporate Finance Manager Corporate Procurement Services, UPS Estrella Cramer started her career at United Parcel Service in 1989. She is currently the Global Procurement Finance Manager in the UPS Corporate office overseeing financial analysis, business planning, new process development, supplier relationships and reporting to ensure finance leadership for UPS Procurement. She is also involved with the UPS Supplier Diversity program. Estrella has 25 years of service across the different business units in UPS and was the UPS Asia Pac Sarbanes Oxley Audit Coordinator for all UPS locations in Asia in 2004.
Le currently serve as President of Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia. APAC Georgia is a federation organization of over 20 multicultural Asian organizations in metro Atlanta.
Le Dam Doan President Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia (APAC Georgia) Le Doan is U.I. Field Tax Auditor II at Georgia Department of Labor to help raise business community awareness and compliant with the U.I. Tax Law.
In addition, Le is currently involved in numerous community groups including: serving as Board Member, Atlanta Regional Commission Youth Council (ARC-WIA), Team Captain of Asian Experience Cultural in Georgia (ACE), Public Relation Chair-Vietnamese-American Community of Georgia (VACGA), Advisor of Boat People SOS, Inc. (BPSoS), Member, The National Association of Asian American Professionals-Atlanta (NAAAP-Atlanta), Atlanta Asian Film Festival Organizing Committee (AAFF), Member, International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP).
She is currently the chair for the UPS Asian Business Resource Group Community Connections. Estrella is the Chairman of the Board and VP of Financial Affairs for the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Southeast Chapter (USPAACC) organization advocating small business and diversity platforms. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Asian American Peace Officers of Georgia (AAPOG), a professional networking organization for Asian Pacific American officers affiliated with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in Georgia. Estrella also serves as a Board Member for the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and Philippine Chamber of Commerce (PACCGA). Estrella has been selected as one of 2013 Georgia Asian Times’ 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia. She obtained her undergraduate degree from University of St. Thomas, Cum Laude, Manila Philippines and pursued an MBA degree in Finance and Accounting from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.
Jimmy has previously served as executive board member in the United Way Gwinnett County, OCA Georgia Chapter, Mt. Jade Technology Association, Kwang Tung Association, and Chinese American Lions Club.
Jimmy Ho President Chinese Community Center Ho is a successful entrepreneur who is actively involved with the Taiwanese American community. He is serving as President of Chinese Community Center and was the past President of Atlanta Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce.
He currently serves as Advisor Board member of Compatriot Affair for Taiwan in Georgia; as an Executive Board Member of Asian American Community Strategic Partner for Georgia Republican Party. Jimmy runs a successful import and wholesale business with his wife.
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May 1-15, 2014 Georgia Asian Times
25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia
Tim Hur Chief Executive Officer, International Business Accelerator Broker/President, Point Honors and Associates Tim Hur is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He is a founding member of the Gwinnett Chamber’s Young Professionals, a charter member for the Gwinnett Mosaic Rotary Club, and a board member for the American Cancer Society - North Georgia and the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. He is also a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS, having his CIPS, ABR and GREEN designations.
Meng H. Lim Attorney Haralson County Meng’s family are Cambodian Chinese who escaped the genocides in Cambodia in early 1980s and have successfully resettled in Bremen, Georgia as refugees. He graduated with a BA in History from Emory University and a law degree for Mercer University Law School in Macon. After gaining experience by clerking with several prominent judges, Meng opened his own law practice in 2000.
Active in the Korean community, he served as a board member for the Korean American Coalition (20082009), the Korean American Scholarship Foundation (2009-current), the Vice-President of the Next Generation Division of the Overseas Korean Trade Association (OKTA) Atlanta Chapter (2010). He has been serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, is a 2010 graduates of the Atlanta Regional Commissions’ Regional Leadership Institute, a graduate of the 2012 class of LEAD Atlanta (a division of Leadership Atlanta), a graduate of the 2014 class of Leadership Gwinnett, was named one of the Top 35 Under 35 in Gwinnett County (2011). Tim was also the President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), a trade association with 30 chapters and over 15,000 members and most recently been appointed by the President of the National Association of REALTORS as the 2013-2014 President Liaison for South Korea on behalf of the National Association of REALTORS.
He has also been serving as the county attorney for Haralson County for the past nine years. “The people of this community have been very good to me and my family. I was taught the “Southern” values and I would like to give back to the community by serving the citizens of Tallapoosa Judicial Court.” Meng is in run off for the position of Superior Court Judge, Tallapoosa Judical Court. He would like a tougher stance on repeat offenders and they should bear more responsible for their actions to society.
increasing the civic participation of Asian Americans in Georgia and the Southeast.
Helen Kim Ho Executive Director Asian American Legal Advocacy Center (AALAC) Helen Kim Ho is the Executive Director of the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center, the first nonprofit law center dedicated to promoting the civil, social and economic rights of Asian Americans in the Southeast. Helen leads AALAC’s public policy, legal education, and community organizing work to further its goal of
Toni Daya-Luetgers Executive Director Galing Foundation Toni founded Galing Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization in 2005. Its mission is to promote the importance of English and functional literacy among the Filipino indigent children living in impoverished rural areas in the Philippines, partnering with public schools and day care centers build public libraries by donating new and gently used books, school supplies and other educational resources. She also created AccessPhilippineAtlanta blog and e-group to promote networking and community service events that benefit members of the Filipino-American community in Georgia, focused on matters related to Philippine consular services, tourism, business in 2006. She has helps organize volunteers during annual Philippine consular outreach which averages more than 100 members within the SE Region.
Helen began her legal career as a corporate securities attorney at Shearman & Sterling in New York and Baker Botts in Houston before committing herself to fulltime public interest work. Helen worked as a staff attorney for MALDEF among others before launching AALAC. Helen has organized multiple social justice campaigns including recent efforts for the defeat of S.R. 1031, S.B. 404 and to call for an end to anti-immigrant legislation at Georgia Capitol. Helen is a graduate of Rice University and an Honors graduate of Emory University School of Law. Helen has received numerous awards and recognitions for her leadership and work on behalf of AALAC.
In 2013, Toni served as co-chair for the May Asian Heritage Month celebration entitled “Discovering the Filipino-American Experience” Symposium and Exhibition at the National Archives involving the Philippine Embassy in Washington, the Filipino Veterans Affairs, Asian American Pacific Islander Commission and various leaders and members of Filipino American professional and cultural organizations in the SE Region in partnership with the APAHS (Asian Pacific American Historical Society) and Story Corps Atlanta. She has been actively involved in various Asian specifically Filipino community organizations and has initiated numerous initiatives and programs. She has also participated in projects including: Hands on Atlanta, Hunger Walk, Meals on Wheels, Soup Kitchen, Festival of Trees, Fernbanks’ Winter Wonderland, Dogwood Festival and many others.
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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia
Fify Manan President/CEO Formcase Group Fify is the President and CEO of Formcase Group which is involved in designing, manufacturing, and marketing of modern office furniture for over 50 years. Fify has managed to establish wholesale and distribution networks in all six continents including Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, Middle East, and America. She is also the CEO of Manan Group Company with diversified businesses in Furniture, Food, Hospitality, and Technology. Fify graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University and attended MBA program in the University of Tulsa, USA.
Fify also serves as the Executive Vice President and Trustee of the Indonesian Diaspora Business Council which was recently formed to bridge and leverage the businesses of the Indonesian Diasporas with the businesses in Indonesia. She is also a member of Board Advisors for the Global Indonesian Diaspora Network. During her time in the US, Fify was a Board member of the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce as the Chair of Program Committee. She was also the Executive Vice President of the Indonesian American Chamber of Commerce. As her further commitment to the community, Fify also served on Emory University’s Board of Visitors during 2008 - 2011. She is also the Co-Chair of Manan Foundation, formed in 2005. Manan Foundation is involved in many social activities for the purpose of uniting the differences of culture in Indonesia. Free college and children academy were set up to provide leadership mentoring and the foundation provides scholarships to schools and orphanages in remote areas of Indonesia.
Mayor’s in the nation; Hon. Shirley Franklin, as her Executive Offices Business Manager overseeing 10 verticals within Executive Offices and overseeing an annual budget of approximately $220M plus for 4 years in a row, defending it to a full Council on Live TV.
Viren Mayani President Georgia Indo American Chamber of Commerce Viren Mayani is a career focused Asian-American community activist with a long history of community service and creative branding of the Diaspora. He served one of the top 5
He also served, as the COO of Creative Loafing Network; the country’s 2nd largest alternative news-media company. This past November he was one of a handful of individuals, from across the nation, invited to celebrate Diwali; the Indian Festival of Lights, at the White House with the First Lady Michelle Obama besides other elected and appointed officials and White House administration staffers.
Dao Malaythong Lao Center Dao Malaythong is a passionate community activist and is actively involved with four Wat Lao temples in the metro Atlanta area. Dao oversees the development and founding of Lao Center, a community center caters to Lao American community diaspora in Georgia. The center provides U.S. citizenship & ESL lessons for adults, Lao language, after-school programs for school children, Lao dance and cultural education, and social programs for the community. Her recent work for the 2010 US Census Bureau as a Partnership Specialist Assistant has helped spread awareness of the importance of being
Viren serves on approximately ten niche non-profits Boards in various capacities, working diligently to brand them and raise awareness. He is the current President of the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC) through which he launched for the first time ever; the Indian Heritage Night at the Philips Arena – with the Atlanta Hawks V/S Chicago Bulls Game. The pre-game show also allowed for a Bollywood Dance performance amongst other excitement. He works closely with the King Family at the King National Historic Site through the Gandhi Foundation of USA. Viren also serves on the Georgia Symphony Orchestra Board to commence a program to engage at risk-
counted in the hard to count community. Dao is also the Chair of Laotian Complete Count Committee for Census 2010. Besides being active in the community, Dao is an Associate Broker at Atlanta Maxim Realty International. She served on the steering committee of Georgia Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition (GAAPIC), Public Relation for Laotian American Society (LAS), a member of NAAAP Atlanta, Past President of Asian Real Estate Association of America Atlanta Chapter.
kids through music. He also serves on the iSchool Initiative Board to influence change for primary scholastic education K-12 through grass roots initiatives in canvassing for digital learning revolution 24 x 7. He is a man of many ideas and is relentless in the pursuit of bettering life for others and through that, his own.
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May 1-15, 2014 Georgia Asian Times
25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia the first Asian Pacific American state appellate judge ever to be appointed in the Southeast.
Carla McMillian Court of Appeals State of Georgia Judge Carla Wong McMillian was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by Governor Nathan Deal, taking office on January 24, 2013. Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, she is
Prior to joining the Court of Appeals, Judge McMillian served as the State Court Judge for Fayette County, a position to which she was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2010. In 2012, the voters of Fayette County overwhelming elected her to a full term by a 2-1 margin over another sitting judge, making Judge McMillian the first minority woman elected countywide to any office in Fayette County history and the first Asian-American female judge to be elected in Georgia. Before her appointment to the bench, Judge McMillian was a partner in the litigation group of the national law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Bren-
Integration program which was designed to build legislative and public education strategies to encourage support of adult English language acquisition. He has coordinated early childhood-education campaigns that served Cambodian immigrant families through community education channels, to include parenting workshops, counseling and community forums.
Randy Muth CEO Angkor Resource Center Passionate about improving the lives of vulnerable refugees, the elderly, youth, women and children, Randy’s work is focused on issues related to health, human services and education for the Asian community. He has conducted outreach activities and provided technical assistance on a variety of issues, to include anti-Asian violence and hate crime prevention; immigration and advocacy. Additionally, Randy has directed the English Language Leaning and
Assuming his current role as Angkor CEO, in 2009, Randy supervises programs, coordinates visitors and facilitates communication between government agencies and other nonprofit organizations. His policy work centers around economic development and census related issues. Currently, Randy’s work is focused on strengthening organization structure of ARC so the organization can increase the capacity to better serve and represent Asian-American communities. Randy holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from California State University, San Bernardino.
nan LLP. Her practice centered on complex business litigation, including a heavy emphasis on appellate matters. In particular, she argued cases before the Georgia Supreme Court, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Louisiana Court of Appeals. Before joining Sutherland, Judge McMillian had the privilege of beginning her legal career as a federal law clerk for the Honorable William C. O’Kelley of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Throughout her career, Judge McMillian has demonstrated a commitment to service. She currently serves or has served in leadership roles for the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Fayette County Historical Society, the Partnership
Against Domestic Violence, the Real Life Center, and the Atlanta Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. She has also been a member of the Rotary Club of Peachtree City. Education has played an enormous role in Judge McMillian’s life. She attended law school as a Woodruff Scholar at the University of Georgia School of Law, where she graduated third in her class with highest honors and served as President of the Christian Legal Society. She also graduated with high honors from Duke University, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in both History and Economics. She obtained her high school diploma from the Westminster Schools of Augusta, graduating as the valedictorian of her class.
Trish Nguyen President Vietnamese-American Community of Georgia Trish is focus on improving the lives of Vietnamese community in metro Atlanta. She has been involved with Vietnamese American Community of Georgia, as a volunteer since 2008. Trish is currently serving as President after being elected by the Board on January 22, 2012. Her work focused on managing daily operations related to health, human services, elderly support, education for youths, and cultural heritage awareness.
She is a graduate of Kennesaw State University with a degree in IT and graphic design. She also holds a realtor license with the Georgia Real Estate Institute and works as a realtor with several real estate company in Georgia. Trish strives to bring the best to serve the community and is actively maintaining a positive relations with other communities organizations in the state. She is currently is member of APAC and NAAAP Atlanta.
Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2014
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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia United States. As State Representative, B.J. has served in the Health and Human Services, Ways & Means, Judiciary Non-Civil and Code Revision committees.
B. J. Pak Georgia House of Representative, 108th District Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP In November 2010, B.J. was elected into the Georgia General Assembly. He is the first American of Korean descent to be elected into any State Legislature in the Southeastern
B.J. is a Partner at the Atlanta law office of Ballard Spahr LLP where he works to assist his clients (ranging from small business owners to Fortune 500 Corporations) solve complex business, regulatory, and criminal issues. Through his current position, he has the experience and the knowledge of how businesses are impacted by taxes and other regulatory burdens. He has been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, Best attorneys under 40 by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and one of the young leaders of Leadership Georgia 2014 class.
sional experience includes a 4-year stint in Seoul, South Korea where he served as a market analyst and consultant with a leading management consultancy firm. Michael has worked on market penetration, regional logistics, and competitive intelligence projects around the Asia Pacific region.
Michael Park Principal Group IBI As the Atlanta Principal for Group IBI, Michael focuses on research and business development throughout the Southeast United States. His profes-
Tony Patel Architect Newport Design Group Tony Patel’s true passion is creating projects around the world where people live, shop, work,worship and play. As an Architect and Founding Partner at Newport Design Group, Tony and his Partners have worked on amazing projects around the world including the Honolulu International Airport, Atlanta Olympic Stadium, Atlanta Braves Baseball Stadium, Dubai Festival Centre and Canal Walk, and many others. Over 350 hotel projects have included IHG, Westin, Taj, Hilton, Marriott, Choice & Wyndham branded hotels nationwide.
Through his family run organization, Tony and his family operate a charitable trust in India and is committed to providing educational and medical assistance to the poor and underprivileged in rural Western India. The work is fully funded by charitable contributions and in-kind services from those who share a passion for service.
He also has the privilege of serving on the boards of the Korean American Coalition and the Korean American Scholarship Foundation. Upon graduation, Hyunjin worked as a Assistant Research Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, IL, where she worked on a joint biomedical research project with engineers from Argonne and emergency room physicians from the University of Chicago Hospital. This state of the art research led to a U.S. Patent.
Tony works behind the scenes as Political Strategist for politicians seeking to run for Congress, Senator, Governor or President. Nationally, he is sought to connect the Asian - Indian community to Democratic candidates and elected officials. In the 2014 election cycle, Mr. Patel has been involved in campaigns for Joaquin Castro for Congress (TX), Jason Carter for Governor (GA), Hank Johnson for Congress (GA) and Liz Johnson for Insurance Commissioner (GA) to name a few. He currently serves as a Regional Ambassador for the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, a State Committee Member of the Democratic Party of Georgia where he was appointed by its Chair to lead statewide Strategic Planning.
He earned a Bachelors degree cum laude from American University in Washington D.C. and his MA from Columbia University. Michael was a Fulbright Scholar to Korea in 2000, a 2011 graduate of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute and the 2014 Leadership Gwinnett class.
Hyunjin Son Teacher Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science,and Technology Hyunjin Son was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. When she was 7, her entire family relocated to the suburbs of Chicago where she grew up. Her love and dedication to STEM developed during her high school years at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a state of Illinois’ magnet boarding high school with a concentration on Math, Science, and Technology. Hyunjin then attended Tufts University in Medford, MA, and completed a double major in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. She also fulfilled all premed requirements with expectations to attend medical school after graduation.
Her travels took her to Georgia where she obtained a Georgia Teaching Certification (Secondary Science Ed) as well as a Masters of Education in Secondary Science at the University of Georgia. She did here student teaching at Parkview High School in Gwinnett County then went to work atPeachtree Ridge High School where she taught CP/Honors/AP Physics B. Hyunjin is currently at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GSMST) where she has been for the past 4 years. She has helped develop and implement multiple engineering courses and is currently teaching the Foundations of Engineering and Technology and PhysEng (integrated Physics and Engineering Concepts course) to 9th graders. She is also the 2014 Gwinnett County Public Schools Teacher of the Year and a finalist for 2015 Georgia’s Teacher of the Year Award.
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May 1-15, 2014 Georgia Asian Times
25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia
Brenda K. Tran President Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce (GVACC) Brenda Tran is a business and community leader with over 10 years of proven success in startup, private and non-profit industries. After nearly 10 years in general aviation and magazine publishing, in 2011, she took a positive leap into the food service industry. At Saigon Restaurant Group’s (SRG) she’s the director of operations and purchasing. In her recent role, she’s portraying one of her key strengths in leadership and organization efficiency to help SRG deliver superior operating income, strong cash flows and maintain a highly competitive edge in food quality and service. In 2002, she partnered with the founder/publisher to re-launch The AutoPILOT Magazine, where she created its operations infrastructures and rebranded the publication to be the preferred advertising platform for the general aviation community. As CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Tran oversaw the company’s daily operations to insure production efficiency, quality, service and cost-effective management of resources. Between 2003 to 2006, she led the expansion of the magazine from the Georgia edition to include 4 other editions, encompassing more than 19 South, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.
An advocate for community involvement and volunteerism, she utilizes her leadership skills in the Asian American community. Currently, she serves as the first-elected president for the Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce (GVACC). Her immediate goals are to develop a strong membership base, increase community outreach and establish sustainable programs for its members. Prior to GVACC, she played an active role in the growth of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). Tran has served in several capacities as its 2005 membership director and president in 2006 and 2007. Under her leadership, the chapter has strengthened from 75 to 400+ members, becoming the largest Asian American organization in Georgia and one of the most influential NAAAP chapters throughout the country. She led the chapter to be recognized for nine national awards, including Chapter of the Year for two consecutive years. An avid endurance athlete for charity, she’s a participant, volunteer and fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Team in Training. Since 2008, she has completed 3 ultra-marathons, 5 marathons, 16 half marathons and two 70.3 Ironman triathlons while continually raising money for blood-related cancer research and awareness. Tran is a magna cum laude graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she obtained a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.
Hang graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor in Chemistry in 2009. She is employed as an analytical chemist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She enjoys her work as the focus is helping the general public and improving environmental health problems.
Hang Tran City Council Woman Morrow City
Hang made history after she was successfully elected as a Morrow City Council woman. She is the first Vietnamese American successfully elected to city council position in Georgia.
Hang is the youngest of five girls when her family resettled in Morrow, Georgia as refugees from Vietnam in 1994. Although Hang is raised in the U.S., her parents instilled strong Vietnamese heritage and cultural values in her.
Her election as city council woman has inspired the Vietnamese and the Asian American community especially a new generation of young leaders to participate in the political process.
tors and played a lead role in the new international terminal system design. He and his team successfully implemented all IT systems at Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal (MHJIT) in 2012. The budget cost of the project was 1.3 billion US dollars.
Louis Tseng Enterprise Architect Airport Information Services Division Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Louis specializes in airport strategic management as well as performance IT management. He joined Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2004, where he later holds a lead position and serves as team principal over a team of engineers with multiple disciplines. He and his team coordinate with general contrac-
Louis also has a strong commitment to his community. He took a huge step into the political arena. He ran in the Municipal Election for City Council in 2013 for City of Duluth GA. He is also the first Asian-American in the history of Duluth in 137 years to run for City council. One of his visions was to improve the City efficiency and service to the citizen by utilizing the information technology to measure and improve the City business process. Louis earned a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering from Taiwan Air Force Academy. He successfully completed an Emory University program and earned an Emory Business Professional designation in 2007. He also a certified IT Services Management from the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) program.
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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia the importance of charitable organizations to serve the greater needs of the community.
Elsie Medina Vidanes President, Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta As current president of Fil-Am, Elsie aspires to continue to serve the community and to promote the mission and vision of the association through Philippine cultural and educational presentations and to keep Fil-Am’s ties with other Asian countries stronger through joint efforts by active participation and continual support of other Asian cultural celebrations in Georgia.
A Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service graduate from the University of the Philippines, Elsie worked a combined total of 24 years of service at Emory Clinic Business Office and Emory University as the Main Office Branch Manager of Emory Alliance Credit Union. In another aspect of her life, Elsie had joined in the Strong Legs fund raising campaigns to benefit Egleston Children’s Hospital and was one of the top notchers in the Annual Heart Walk fund raising campaign for the American Heart Association. Elsie also actively volunteer for the Atlanta Asian Film Festival where she serves on the Organizing Committee.
Lani Wong Chair, National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA) Lani is a recognized community leader at the local, national, and international level. She has been at the forefront of community service and community leadership for over 30 years. Lani is a true pioneer in her vision and foresight in promoting U.S.-China relations, excellence in education, participation of Asian Americans in the American political process, and
Currently, she serves as Secretary on the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority and serves as a member on the Delta Air Lines Global Diversity Alliance Board of Directors, Georgia Perimeter College Foundation’s Board of Trustees, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Global Business Council; the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Board of Directors; and is a Charter Board of Directors for the Georgia Women’s Institute. She also served on Public Broadcasting of Atlanta Board of Directors. Lani has served on Mayor Kasim Reed’s Transition Team, on the Leadership Atlanta Foundation Board of Trustee for the past 4 years, she serve as a member of the Coca-Cola Scholars National Selection Committee for 3 years, a Trustee on the Saint Joseph Hospital Health System Board for 4 years, and a member of the Presidential Search Committee for the new President of Georgia Perimeter College.