The Governance, Elections, and Nominations (GEN) Committee is pleased to present for your consideration the following Officer candidates for 2026-27. The GEN Committee has approved candidates who have demonstrated leadership capabilities, are passionate about NAPABA’s mission, and who have skill sets and perspectives that align with NAPABA’s strategies, goals, and needs—not just now, but into the future. In preparation for exercising your right to vote, the GEN Committee encourages you to take the time to consider each candidate’s vision for NAPABA and the diversity of the Board as a whole.
We thank each of the candidates for their willingness to serve the organization and the community.
2026-27 NAPABA Board of Governors | Officer Candidates
The GEN Committee believes that the active participation of member affiliates and individuals is essential to a vibrant and diverse organization. The GEN Committee encourages the engagement of NAPABA’s members in the nomination and election process. For these reasons, the GEN Committee desires to facilitate the ability of members to inform other members of candidate qualifications and support candidates through endorsements, advertisements, articles, etc. NAPABA supports the use of endorsements in the nomination and election process that determines NAPABA leadership for future years.
Click here to view the candidates’ statements and biographies, including information on how to submit an endorsement. Any NAPABA member in good standing may endorse. Any bar association that is a NAPABA affiliate in good standing may endorse any candidate with confirmation of such endorsement provided by the current president of the bar association. NAPABA will accept endorsements through August 31 at 8 pm ET.
On Wednesday, February 11th, 2026, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at King & Spalding. The evening reflected on the accomplishments of the past year and looked forward to electing leadership for the new fiscal year ahead. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to King & Spalding for generously hosting us in their stunning new space, which was modern and spacious.
AABANY President Benjamin Hsing called the meeting to order shortly after 7 pm and established a quorum. Ben explained the voting procedures and encouraged everyone present to cast a vote, even if they had voted online before the meeting.
Once all ballots were filled out and collected, Ben called up Board Director Katherine Loanzon and President-Elect Varuna Bhattacharyya to serve as the Tellers to tally up the votes. They departed to a separate room to perform that task, counting up the votes cast in person at the Annual Meeting and via electronic voting beforehand. While the votes were being tallied, Ben invited the Membership Director, Alysha Naik, to present the Membership Director’s report. He then invited Assistant Treasurer H. Anthony Park to give the Treasurer’s Report, sharing information about AABANY’s financial performance during the past fiscal year.
Next, during the Annual Report of the Board, Ben presented a look back at major events in 2025, reflecting on AABANY’s remarkable year, guided by the theme “Together We Thrive: The Power of Us.” He highlighted the year’s signature events, including the Winter Soiree, AAPI Heritage Month celebrations, and the Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street, which drew over 750 attendees. He also noted the 16th Annual Fall Conference, which featured CLE programming, a Career Fair, a Trial Advocacy Program, and the presentation of the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award to Hon. Judy Kim, the first Korean-American judge elected to the New York State Supreme Court. He celebrated AABANY’s first-ever Diwali Dinner as a milestone that reflected the community’s diversity.
Executive Director Yang Chen then gave the Annual Report of the Committees. He introduced AABANY’s 2025 Year End Report, noting that this was the first time it had been published since the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed his sincere gratitude to Deputy Executive Director Carrey Wong, emphasizing that the Year End Report would not have been possible without her diligence and many hours of work behind the scenes. He further explained that the hiatus was not due to any slowdown in AABANY’s activities. In fact, quite to the contrary, AABANY’s membership and programming have continued to grow at an impressive pace, reflecting the organization’s strength and momentum over the past few years.
Yang also presented highlights from the 26 Committees, expressing his gratitude to the Vice Presidents of Programs and Operations, Pei Pei Cheng de Castro and Tai Chien, as well as all the Committee Chairs, for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. He shared key accomplishments and standout events from various Committees, then concluded with the presentation of the Committee of the Year, Program of the Year, and Member of the Year awards.
Committee of the Year: Issues Committee
The Committee of the Year Award was presented to the Issues Committee in recognition of its outstanding contributions and impact over the past year. When asked for his reflections on receiving the honor, Co-Chair Vishal Chander shared that he and Co-Chair Rachel Lee view the Committee’s mission as deeply significant and timely. He noted that they felt a strong responsibility to meet the moment and lead with purpose, striving to uphold the Committee’s important work with utmost dedication and integrity.
Program of the Year: Dumplings and Discussion Series
The Program of the Year Award was presented to the Dumplings and Discussion Series hosted by Jeffrey Mok. The Dumplings & Discussion series has been a welcoming forum for prominent, industry-leading attorneys to share their stories and have a candid dialogue over delicious dumplings. Speakers in 2025 included Alan Chang of the New York Yankees, Michelle Lee of MediaCo, Christopher Chan of JLL Technologies, Sonia Low of the Javits Center, Liz Nie of Acorns, Stephen Mar of Odeko, and Osamu Watanabe of Moelis.
Member of the Year: Jeffrey Mok
The Member of the Year Award was presented to Jeffrey Mok for his exceptional dedication and contributions to AABANY over the past year, including his outstanding work as the Co-Chair of the IP Committee and organizing many popular and worthwhile events, such as Board Games Nights and the Dumplings & Discussion series.
When asked about receiving both the Program of the Year and the Member of the Year awards, Jeffrey reflected that the past year had been truly inspiring and energizing in deepening his involvement with AABANY. Praising AABANY’s work with the Pro Bono Clinics and the Issues Committee, he shared that being part of such a passionate and dynamic community made all the effort worthwhile. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute, even in a small way, and said he looks forward to continuing the work and participating in more impactful events in the year ahead.
After presenting the awards, President-Elect Varuna Bhattacharyya announced the election results. The following officers were elected to serve a one-year term for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2026, and ending March 31, 2027 (the “2027 Fiscal Year”):
Officers
John Hwang President-Elect
Pei Pei Cheng de Castro Vice President, Programs and Operations
Taiyee Chien Vice President, Programs and Operations
H. Anthony Park Treasurer
S. Yan Sin Secretary
Francis Chin Membership Director
Gilyana Jones Development Director
The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms beginning on April 1, the first day of the 2027 Fiscal Year:
Directors
Henry C. Chan Vishal Chander Joseph Eng Kelly Koyama-Garcia Rachel Lee Beatrice Leong Alysha Naik Diana Wang Jennifer Wu Kevin Yam Dwight S. Yoo
Looking ahead, President-Elect Varuna Bhattacharyya shared her vision for the coming year. When asked about her plans for her term, she spoke about the importance of rising to meet the challenges of the future while intentionally cultivating the next generation of leaders. With mentorship as a central focus, she is committed to strengthening the pipeline of Asian American attorneys and ensuring that AABANY continues to empower and uplift tomorrow’s leaders today.
Special thanks go to AABANY Immediate Past President Joseph Eng, Partner at King & Spalding, and the wonderful staff at King & Spalding for hosting AABANY’s 2026 Annual Meeting.
We thank everyone who attended the Annual Meeting and everyone who voted, whether by proxy or in person. Congratulations to all the award recipients and the newly elected Officers and Directors.
On Tuesday, February 11th, 2025, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at King & Spalding. President Joseph Eng called the meeting to order and established a quorum. The main order of business was conducting the election for the 2026 Fiscal Year Board of Directors and Officers.
Once all ballots were collected, President Eng called up President-Elect Ben Hsing and Immediate Past President Karen Kim to receive them as the Tellers. They departed to a separate room to count up the votes cast, both at the Annual Meeting and via electronic voting prior to the Annual Meeting.
While the votes were being tallied, President Eng invited the Membership Director, Alysha Naik, to present the Membership Director’s report. He then invited Treasurer Jasmine Ball to give the Treasurer’s Report, sharing information about AABANY’s financial performance during the past fiscal year.
President Eng then gave the Annual Report of the Board, summarizing AABANY’s major events for the past fiscal year, covering April 1, 2024, to date. He thanked the Board members for their service during the past year and asked those present in the room to stand and be recognized.
Executive Director Yang Chen then gave the Annual Report of the Committees, giving thanks to the Vice Presidents of Programs and Operations Ashley Shan and Jeffrey Mok, and the Committee Chairs for their hard work. Yang also went over a few highlights from committee events over the past year. Yang then presented the Awards for Committees of the Year, Program of the Year, and Member of the Year.
Committee of the Year: Professional Development Committee
The Committee of the Year Award was presented to the Professional Development Committee for their many years of volunteer service to the association, accreditation of numerous continuing legal education programs over the years that benefited our members and the profession, and making sure that the association complies with New York State CLE board rules, along with other programming to support professional development.
Program of the Year: Pre-Holiday Multi-Association Gathering
The Program of the Year Award was presented to the Pre-Holiday Multi-Association Gathering for bringing together numerous bar and judicial associations to promote wellness and well-being in the legal profession during a time of the year that may prove challenging for many.
Member of the Year: Gary Yeung
The Member of the Year Award was presented to Gary Yeung for his many years of active and dedicated involvement, participation, and leadership in service to the association, to its members, and to the wider community.
After the presentation of the awards, Joseph announced the election results. The following officers were elected to serve a one-year term for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2025, and ending March 31, 2026 (the “2026 Fiscal Year”):
Varuna Bhattacharyya
President-Elect
Pei Pei Cheng de Castro
Vice President, Programs and Operations
Tai Chien
Vice President, Programs and Operations
P. Bartlett Wu
Treasurer
David Mou
Secretary
Alysha Naik
Membership Director
Beatrice Leong
Development Director
The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms beginning on the first day of the 2026 Fiscal Year:
Glenn D. Magpantay Katherine Loanzon Jeffery Mok
The night concluded with a bittersweet goodbye to Deputy Executive Director, Alice Biagini. February 11 was Alice’s last day at AABANY. She accepted a position as a business development and marketing manager at a law firm. During her eight months with us, she made a great impact on our operations and activities and supported our Board members and Committee Chairs as well as our membership. Alice will be missed by everyone she has touched. Yang presented her with some parting gifts from AABANY, which included a cookbook entitled The Woks of Life as well as a personalized apron with the AABANY logo. We wish her well in her future endeavors and hope to continue seeing her at AABANY events, as a participant.
We thank everyone who attended the Annual Meeting and everyone who voted, whether by proxy or in person. Congratulations to all the award recipients and the newly elected Officers and Directors.
Special thank you goes out to AABANY President Joseph Eng and the wonderful staff at King & Spalding for hosting AABANY’s 2025 Annual Meeting.
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at King & Spalding. President Karen Kim called the meeting to order and established quorum. The main order of business was conducting the election for the 2025 Board of Directors and Officers and voting on a proposed revision to the bylaws to set term limits for certain Committee Chairs.
Treasurer Jasmine Ball gave the Treasurer’s Report, sharing information about AABANY’s financial performance through September 30, 2023. Membership Committee Co-Chair Ashley Shan presented the Membership Director’s Report in place of Membership Director Christopher Bae, who was not able to attend.
President Karen Kim presented the Annual Report of the Board, summarizing the major activities of AABANY during the past year, and thanked the Board members for their service during the past year.
Executive Director Yang Chen presented highlights of Committee activities. Following the reports, awards were presented to honor AABANY leaders and committees for their dedication to AABANY during the 2024 fiscal year.
The following awards were presented:
Committee of the Year: Student Outreach Committee
The Committee of the Year Award was given to the Student Outreach Committee for their dedication and commitment to advancing the mission of AABANY and providing enriching programming and activities that benefits not only law students but AABANY’s membership and community as a whole.
Program of the Year: Winter Soiree 2024
The Program of the Year Award was given to the Winter Soiree. Held on January 25th, 2024, the In-House and Corporate Law Committees led the biggest and best Soiree to date for AABANY, successfully bringing together in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, AABANY Board members, Committee Chairs, and a record number of sponsors for this marquee event.
Member of the Year: William Lee
The Member of the Year Award was presented to William Lee for his commitment to serving the AABANY Student Outreach Committee, his steadfast leadership and mentorship, and his contribution to the advancement of AABANY’s mission, programs, and activities over the years.
Student of the Year: Joon Choe
The Student of the Year Award is new and was presented for the first time to Joon Choe, Fordham Law School, class of 2024, for giving his time to advancing AABANY’s mission, programs, and activities through his constant and trustworthy volunteer service.
Honorable Mentions: Pro Bono & Community Service Committee and Solo and Small Firm PracticeCommittee
An honorable mention was presented to the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee for their pro bono clinics in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn that continue to serve an under-represented and under-resourced population, and for providing AABANY’s members with the opportunity to volunteer and support New York’s AAPI and immigrant communities.
An honorable mention was also presented to the Solo and Small Firm Committee for their unique and innovative programs and events that have benefited and enhanced the lives and experiences of AABANY members in solo and small firm practice.
Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work during the 2024 fiscal year.
After the presentation of awards, Karen announced the election results. The following officers were elected to serve a one-year term for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2024 and ending March 31, 2025 (the “2025 Fiscal Year”):
Benjamin Hsing
President-Elect
Jeffrey Mok
Vice President, Programs and Operations
Ashley Shan
Vice President, Programs and Operations
Jasmine Ball
Treasurer
David Mou
Secretary
Alysha Naik
Membership Director
Varuna Bhattacharyya
Development Director
The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms beginning on the first day of the 2025 Fiscal Year:
Christopher Bae Vishal Chander Grace Fu William Hao Gigio Ninan Lawrence Wee Jennifer Wu Kevin Yam Dwight Yoo
At the meeting, the following proposal was voted on: To amend AABANY’s by-laws to establish term limits for certain Committee Chairs by setting a four (4) year term limit for Committee Chairs, excluding Chairs of any Standing Committees, taking effect on the first day of the 2025 Fiscal Year.
This amendment was passed.
We thank everyone who attended the Annual Meeting and everyone who voted, whether by proxy or in person. Congratulations to all the newly-elected Officers and Directors.
Special thank you goes out to AABANY President-Elect Joseph Eng and the wonderful staff at King & Spalding for hosting AABANY’s 2024 Annual Meeting.
AABANY applauds Judge Shababudeen Ally and Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant’s election on February 15 as President and Vice-President of the Asian American Judges Association of New York (AAJANY). Both Judge Ally and Justice Pandit-Durant are AABANY members.
Judge Ally is a Supervising Judge of the Civil Court in New York County. He became the first Muslim male elected to New York City Civil Court in 2018 and the first South Asian Supervising Judge in 2020. Judge Ally began his legal career as a staff attorney with the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. Judge Ally then went to work for the NYC Law Department as an Assistant Corporation Counsel. For a decade prior to his time on the bench, Judge Ally operated his own law practice specializing in family and criminal law.
Judge Pandit-Durant is a Justice of the Queens County Supreme Court. Judge Pandit-Durant became the first South Asian judge elected to New York State Supreme Court in Queens and the first South Asian woman judge elected in New York State in 2018. Judge Pandit-Duran began her career as a Prosecutor in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, serving there with distinction for 25 years before being elected to New York City Civil Court in 2015, becoming the first South Asian to hold that elected office.
On March 2, in an article entitled “Asian American judicial org. works to diversify bench,” the Queens Eagle wrote Asian judges are the “least represented racial or ethnic group on the bench,” making up 6 percent of Queens’s judiciary. In the Queens’s Family Court, “there is only one Asian judge and there are no Asian American judges in the Borough’s housing Court.” In comparison, “White judges account for around 66 percent, 17 percent of judges are Latino and 17 percent are Black,” according to the Office of Court Administration data cited by the Queens Eagle.
This lack of AAPI judicial representation is further exacerbated by the overall increase of Queens’s total population. Data cited by the Queens Eagle indicates that Asian Americans account for the largest population growth of 29 percent in Queens, “outpacing the borough’s overall 7.8 percent growth.”
Judge Ally told the Queens Eagle that though there is a lot of work left to be done, diversity efforts on the bench appear to be headed in the right direction. AAJANY’s board includes three other AAPI judges from Queens: Queens Civil Court Judge Changyong Li is the secretary, recently-elected Queens Supreme Court, Criminal Term Judge Karen Gopee is the treasurer and Queens Supreme Court, Criminal Term Judge Francis Wang is now a member of the Board of Directors. AAJANY’s Board of Directors also includes Hon. Lillian Wan, Hon. Meredith Vacca, Hon. Karen M.C. Cortes, and Hon. Shorab Ibrahim.
To read more about the AAJANY election, please click here.
Congratulations to Judge Ally, Justice Durant, and all the newly-elected Board members of AAJANY. Thank you for all you do to represent the AAPI community and to enhance diversity and inclusion on the bench.
AABANY’s new fiscal year began on April 1, 2021. Terrence Shen is now the President of AABANY and Sapna Palla is the Immediate Past President. We are pleased to welcome this year’s Officers and Directors.
President Terrence Shen
President-Elect William Ng
Immediate Past President Sapna Palla
Vice Presidents of Programs and Operations Joseph Eng Cynthia Lam
Development Director Margaret T. Ling
Director of Technology Francis Chin
Treasurer William Hao
Secretary Christopher S. Bae
Membership Director Beatrice Leong
Executive Director Yang Chen
Board of Directors Jasmine Ball Una A. Dean Jeff Ikejiri Suzanne Kim Edward Y. Kim Chris Kwok Naf Kwun Won S. Shin David Sohn Kazuko Wachter P. Bartlett Wu Karen Yau Andy Yoo
To view the bios of the AABANY Directors and Officers, click here.
The Asian American Law Fund of New York (“AALFNY”) is soliciting applications for positions on its Board of Directors.
AALFNY
is a non-profit organization established in 1993 by the Asian American
Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) to support non-profit, charitable
and education purposes, such as scholarships and internship programs in
the New York metropolitan area. AALFNY has an independent Board but
remains affiliated with AABANY and continues to work in close
coordination with AABANY on fundraising and pro bono programs. AALFNY’s
mission statement and information about its scholarships and past
projects can be found here.
To
apply, please submit a statement of interest and a current resume,
biography or CV listing your experience and accomplishments and any
honors received to date. As part of the statement of interest, please
indicate your experience with AALFNY, AABANY, NAPABA, or other relevant
organization, whether you have been an active member of such
organization, and describe any activities that you have participated in
or helped to organize. If you have not been an active member in any such
organization, explain what capabilities, resources, talents, skills,
expertise, experience or any other contributions you would be able to
make as a Board Director. Please also identify any activities indicating
a dedication and commitment to issues of importance to the Asian
Pacific American community.
Please submit your application materials to Sylvia Chin, President, at schin@whitecase.com and Naf Kwun, Secretary, at naf.kwun@aabany.org. Applications are due by 11:59 PM on April 10, 2016.
The NAPABA Nominating and Elections Committee is accepting nominations for election to the officer positions of NAPABA for the 2014-2015 term. NAPABA is a nonprofit, voluntary, professional organization founded in 1989, representing the interests of over 40,000 APA lawyers, law students, and judges throughout North America and abroad.
The qualifications for NAPABA office are listed in the NAPABA Nominating and Election Rules. In order to be nominated as a candidate for a NAPABA officer position, candidates are required to submit a completed nomination petition form and a personal statement on or before July 14, 2014.
Click here for the nomination petition form or more information on the election guidelines.
Margaret Ling, who has actively served AABANY as Co-Chair of the Real Estate Committee and as a Director on the Board, has been newly appointed as Co-Chair of the Asia Practice Committee of the New York County Lawyers’ Association. We look forward to the bond that Margaret will help foster between the two organizations. Thank you to Vincent Chang for his invitation to bring Margaret to NYCLA, a New York legal community with over 9,000 members.
Please join AABANY in congratulating Margaret for her well-deserved appointment.
