February 11, 2016

MCCA Welcomes Jean Lee as New President & CEO

Lee, a trailblazer in the legal profession, becomes first Asian American to head the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

The Board of Directors of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association is happy to announce the appointment of Jean Lee as the association’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Lee currently serves as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan Chase & Co and brings more than a dozen years of relevant industry experience in the legal profession, including her work as a member of the Global Legal Diversity Committee at JPMorgan Chase. Ms. Lee will officially begin her tenure in mid-March.

Ms. Lee has demonstrated her leadership skills throughout her personal and professional life having been honored as a Trailblazer by the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York and a Catalyst Agent by the Council of Urban Professionals. As a member of the largest affinity bar in New York State since 2008, she served as the President of the Asian American Bar Association of New York in 2012 and continues serving on its Board of Directors to this day. Prior to her role at JP Morgan Chase, she was a Senior Litigation Associate and member of the firm-wide Diversity Committee at Milberg LLP and, earlier in her career, served as a law clerk to the Honorable John J. Hughes (retired), United States Magistrate Judge in the District of New Jersey. Ms. Lee also serves as a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award Selection Committee.

“Among her many assets, Jean brings to the role an extensive knowledge of MCCA having been an active board member as well as a demonstrated commitment to leadership in diversity within the profession. Her experience and relationships with corporations, law firms, and bar associations make her well equipped to continue the great work MCCA does, advocating for the expanded hiring, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys across the profession,” said Michelle Banks, Global General Counsel of GAP Inc. and Chair of MCCA’s Board of Directors.

Jean Lee graduated from New York University with a B.A. degree in politics and psychology and a M.S.W. in social work. Ms. Lee received her J.D. degree from Rutgers School of Law. During law school, Ms. Lee was a Senior Editor of the Rutgers Law Record.

“I am deeply honored by this opportunity to build on the legacy of MCCA as an organization that not only impacts the lives of diverse legal professionals, but also has a direct impact within the decision-making offices of corporate America,” said Jean Lee. “As an MCCA board member for several years, I have always admired the dedication of its staff in helping diverse attorneys at all stages of their careers to excel within our profession. As CEO, I look forward to building on our success and furthering our mission to inspire all people to achieve a diverse and inclusive legal community.”

Congratulations to Jean Lee on this historic appointment!

Thank you to Minority Corporate Counsel Association for sharing this announcement on February 11, 2016.

February 11, 2016

Special Announcement from MinKwon Center

On February 10, we received the following announcement from MinKwon:

The Board of Directors of the MinKwon Center for Community Action announces that Grace Shim will be stepping down as our Executive Director on June 30, 2016. She will be moving to California with her daughter and husband in order to spend more time with her extended family, including her aging parents.

We are sad to hear the news of Grace’s departure from MinKwon. It has been an honor to work with her and MinKwon as a community partner for the last few years. We wish Grace all the best in her future endeavors and wish MinKwon well in its search for a new Executive Director.

Click on the link in the title for the full announcement.

February 11, 2016December 4, 2018

February 11, 2016

ILF 2016 Civic Fellowship Application Deadline Extended until February 15!

ILF 2016 Civic Fellowship Application Deadline Extended until February 15!

The International Leadership Foundation (ILF), a Combined Federal Campaign-approved non-profit (#24372), is pleased to announce that the application for the 2016 Civic Fellowship Program has been extended until February 15, 2016. Every year, ILF’s selection committee identifies approximately 30 outstanding Asian Pacific American (APA) college students to spend eight to ten weeks interning at a federal agency in Washington D.C. during the summer.

Students accepted into the program are known as Civic Fellows and they will attend weekly leadership seminars on Capitol Hill, learn networking skills and gain valuable, firsthand working knowledge of the American system of government. Fellows are responsible for their own travel, housing and living expenses. Upon completion of the program, Fellows will receive a stipend of 2,000 dollars.

“ILF has a stellar record of advocating for increased civic engagement and public service from the APA community,” said Chiling Tong, ILF’s Chief Executive Officer. “We need a greater representation of our community in government, and ILF’s goal is to train a new generation of successful leaders in their chosen fields and raise our community’s profile as engaged, American citizens who deserve to have our voices heard.”

Based on the interests and majors of selected Civic Fellowship candidates, ILF will work to place them with over a dozen federal agencies, as well as limited placements in Congressional offices and the White House. “The ILF works hard to foster bright young APA youth who wish to experience the inner workings behind this great country’s national government, and provides effective training classes to enhance leadership skills,” said Norman Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Secretary Mineta is also the honorary chairman of ILF, while the Honorable Elaine Chao serves as the honorary chairwoman.

Undergraduate students of APA heritage who are United States citizens and possess a GPA of 3.0 and above are eligible for this fellowship. Applications must be submitted by February 15, 2016. To learn more about or to submit an application, please visit our website at www.ilfnational.org.

Testimonials

“My ILF experience allowed me to explore and develop a passion for public policy. It helped me build my leadership skills, think introspectively, and meet other incredible, like-minded students from across the country. Though I am not studying political science, working in DC has inspired me to take policy classes and learn more about the public sector.”
Emily Zhen, Intern at U.S. Department of the Treasury, University of Pennsylvania

“My experience has left me with a stronger passion for public service. I feel better equipped to work within the larger institutional framework because its mandate closely aligns with my personal objectives…From the orientation to the final conference and gala, I was able to connect with and learn from amazing Asian Pacific American (APA) leaders and partners in the effort to increase APA civic and political engagement.”

Karim Farishta, Intern at U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG), George Washington University

“I was able to have a once in a lifetime experience interning in Washington D.C. While interning, I was tasked with numerous projects– one of which included creating a food safety initiative. Overall, my time in D.C., was filled with endless opportunities that helped me grow both professionally and personally.”

Amy Muramoto, Intern at Food Security and Inspection Service (FSIS) at U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Southern California

“I’m grateful to ILF for connecting me to the FAA. By working on several long term projects, I’ve grown both in patience and in my understanding of how important following protocol can be in a government environment.”

Samuel Kim, Intern at Federal Aviation Administration at U.S. Department of Transportation, Yale University

“I have always struggled with delegating tasks to others in leadership roles because I would think that I can accomplish the task more quickly and efficiently myself. Seeing how my supervisor was able to delegate tasks to others and to foster a sense of teamwork so effectively—which all contributed to the successful preparation of the event–was an inspiration for me to become a better team leader.”

Vy Tuong Luu, Intern at White House Initiative on Asian American Pacific Islanders, Stanford University

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This information has been provided by:

International Leadership Foundation
Fellowship Programs
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW #700
Washington DC 20004
202-204-3019
www.ILFnational.org