NAPABA Board of Governors Election Meet the Candidates Forum
Wednesday, September 8 at 5 PM PDT/8 PM EDT
To better engage NAPABA members in the Board of Governors elections process, the NAPABA Elections and Nominations Subcommittee is pleased to provide you the opportunity to meet the candidates in a moderated discussion.
Please note that not all candidates for the 2021-22 NAPABA Elections will be participating in this program. Visit our website to view the full list of candidates.
Candidate for Secretary
Judy Lam
Candidates for Director
Kristin Haugen
Marty Lorenzo
Moderator
Christine Chen Executive Director, APIAVote
In preparation of the exercise of your right to vote, we encourage you to take the time to consider the vision each candidate has for NAPABA and the diverse perspectives across the Board as a whole. We believe that the active participation of our membership is essential to a vibrant and diverse organization.
On Tuesday, February 9, 2021, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members on Remo. President Sapna Palla called the meeting to order and established quorum. Elections were held for the 2021 Board of Directors and Officers.
President Sapna Palla presented the Year in Review and Executive Director, Yang Chen, presented the report of the Committees. Following the reports, awards were presented to honor AABANY leaders and committees for their dedication to AABANY over the past year. While these presentations were occurring, Immediate Past President Brian Song and President-Elect Terrence Shen tallied the votes.
The following officers were elected and will begin their term on April 1, 2021:
William Ng President-Elect
Cynthia Lam Vice President, Programs and Operations
Joe Eng Vice President, Programs and Operations
Margaret Ling Development Director
William Hao Treasurer
Christopher Bae Secretary
Beatrice Leong Membership Director
The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms starting on April 1, 2021:
Jasmine Ball Jeff Ikejiri Suzanne Kim Chris Kwok David Sohn Bart Wu Karen Yau Andy Yoo
Congratulations to all the Officers and Directors who were elected to the Board.
The following awards were presented:
Committees of the Year: The Pro Bono and Community Service Committee and the Student Outreach Committee
For the numerous initiatives they organized to support the community during COVID-19, including Know Your Rights webinars, COVID Rent Relief Program application drives, and postering and social media campaigns to promote the Remote Pro Bono Legal Clinic and other community programs.
Program of the Year: Weekly Membership Mixers
For hosting more than 30 weekly mixers on Zoom and Remo since April 1, 2020 to provide an open space for members and non-members to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections.
Member of the Year: Bart Wu
For his outstanding work with the Legal Referral and Information Service, which he helped launch, and his work reviving the Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee.
Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work during the 2021 fiscal year.
Congratulations to the Officers and Directors elected to the Board to serve during fiscal year 2022 which commences on April 1, 2021.
We would also like to thank our members for attending and participating in the annual meeting.
On Tuesday, August 18 at 1 PM PDT/4 PM EDT, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) will be hosting a virtual Meet the President-Elect Candidates Forum.
Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to learn more about the President-Elect candidates! Submit your questions for the candidates to [email protected] prior to the forum.
Candidates for President-Elect
Sid KanazawaGary Zhao
Moderator
Christine Chen Executive Director, APIAVote
Take the time to consider the vision each candidate has for NAPABA and the diverse perspectives across the Board as a whole.
Hon. John Z. Wang, a proud member of AABANY, has launched his own campaign to run for New York City Civil Court in the First Municipal Court District, which covers Battery Park, Chinatown, FiDi, Greenwich Village, Soho, Tribeca, and Two Bridges. An active contributor to the Judiciary Committee of AABANY, Judge Wang has organized panels on how to become an appointed and elected judge in hopes of encouraging more Asian American and Pacific Islander lawyers to pursue this path. Now, he hopes to make his community proud by becoming the first Asian American Civil Court Judge elected to the First District.
Judge Wang immigrated to the United States at five years old and grew up in a predominantly working-class Italian American neighborhood in Brooklyn. As one of very few Asian Americans in his community, he recognized the dangers of racism and bigotry and the importance of respecting other cultures and races.
The Judge has devoted his entire career to public service. After graduating from Vassar College and Brooklyn Law School, he received a six-month fellowship to work at Legal Services, where he advocated for claimants of unemployment insurance. Subsequently, he served as a court attorney in Brooklyn Family Court and the Bronx and Manhattan Civil Courts, and clerked for Hon. Anthony Cannataro, a New York State Supreme Court Justice and the Administrative Judge of the New York City Civil Court. Last year, Judge Wang was appointed as a Brooklyn Housing Court Judge. In all his years serving in New York’s courts, he has also contributed to policy-making by helping to restructure parts of the Manhattan Civil Court.
Now, Judge Wang hopes to serve as the first Asian American Civil Court Judge elected to the First Judicial District. Judge Wang views the Civil Court as the people’s court–it serves everyday people with real, working-class issues. He is moved by the stories and individuals that these small claims and credit card disputes represent, and hopes to do his part to deliver justice to everyday people.
Judge Wang also maintains a reputation for treating individuals that come before him with dignity, compassion, and fairness. As the only sitting judge in this contested race, Judge Wang understands the weight of making difficult decisions regarding people’s livelihoods.
AABANY’s Judiciary Committee vetted Judge Wang for his appointment to Housing Court in 2017 and found him highly qualified and well-suited for the role. The Committee noted that “[t]he advocates and judges that encounter Mr. Wang in the courthouse uniformly praise his intellect, work ethic and demeanor.” After more than two years on the bench, Committee Co-Chair Will Wang (no relation) observed: “It is somewhat uncommon for a relatively recent judge to have published the number of opinions Judge Wang has published. To me, this demonstrates both Judge Wang’s work ethic and overall writing ability.”
Judge Wang believes he faces a tough but winnable campaign. The COVID-19 pandemic has created serious challenges, including uncertainty in voter turnout and participation, but he hopes that his experience working in Civil Court will inspire individuals to volunteer and vote for him.
On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at Allen & Overy. President Brian Song called the meeting to order and established quorum. Elections were held for the 2020 Board of Officers and Directors, along with a vote on bylaw revisions to clarify and extend term limits.
President Brian Song presented the Year in Review while Executive Director, Yang Chen, presented the report of the Committees. After the reports, awards were presented to honor AABANY leaders and committees for their dedication to AABANY over the past year. While these presentations were occuring, Immediate Past President James R. Cho and President-Elect Sapna Palla tallied the votes.
The following officers were elected and will begin their term on April 1, 2020:
Terrence L. Shen President-Elect
Tiffany Miao Vice President, Programs and Operations
David Sohn Vice President, Programs and Operations
Margaret Ling Development Director
William Hao Treasurer
Christopher Bae Secretary
Beatrice Leong Membership Director
The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms starting on April 1, 2020:
Jasmine Ball Una A. Dean Edward Y. Kim Naf Kwun Won Shin Kazuko Wachter
Congratulations to all the Officers and Directors who were elected to the Board.
The bylaw revisions were passed.
The following awards were presented:
Committee of the Year: The Young Lawyers Committee
For their outstanding contributions in promoting AABANY’s mission and their service to our members and the community at large.
Program of the Year: The AABANY Trial Reenactments Project under the auspices of the Professional Development Committee
For enhancing and contributing to public understanding and awareness of major contributions by Asian Americans to the social, political and legal history of the United States.
Member of the Year: Beatrice Leong
For her contributions to the growth of AABANY’s membership under her leadership as Membership Director.
Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work during the 2019 fiscal year.
We would like to thank our members for attending and participating in the annual meeting, and we also thank John Hwang and Allen & Overy for hosting the meeting in a beautiful space, treating us to a delectable selection of food and drinks.
NAPABA election season has kicked off! Below is information about nominating Officer candidates and applying for At-Large Board Member positions. Please share with your networks!
Remember, you must be a NAPABA direct member OR activate your affiliate membership online by July 1 to be eligible to vote in this year’s elections. Click here to join/renew today.
The NAPABA Board of Governors consists of nine Officers who are elected by the membership, ten Regional Governors who are chosen by the NAPABA Regions, and four At-Large Board Members who are appointed by the Board of Governors. Now through July 8 at 5 p.m. EDT, the NAPABA Nominating & Elections Committee will be accepting nominations for members who want to stand for election as Officers and applications from members who want to be considered for At-Large Board Member positions.
The NAPABA Nominating and Elections Committee is accepting nominations for election as the Vice President for Finance and Development of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 term, in light of Courtney Fong’s withdrawal. Read his full statement here. The NAPABA Board of Governors makes the organization’s policies for the given year, and consists of nine officers, ten regional governors, and four appointed At-Large Board Members. The responsibilities of board members include, but are not limited to, supporting NAPABA’s mission statement, endorsing NAPABA events and programs, securing financial supporters, and demonstrating the highest standards of integrity and decorum. For a full list of governor responsibilities, click here.
AABANY members who joined or renewed their NAPABA membership by July 1, 2018, are eligible to vote. Ballots have been delivered by email, and must be cast on or before Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. If you have any questions, you may contact the NAPABA Nominating & Elections Committee Chair George Chen, [email protected], or NAPABA Executive Director Tina Matsuoka, [email protected]. For general inquiries, please contact [email protected].
To submit an nomination and for more information regarding this position, click here. The deadline to submit is October 22 at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is in need of volunteers to survey Asian American voters and protect their vote. In past elections, Asian Americans have faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote. For example, poll workers were hostile and made racist remarks, poll sites had too few interpreters to assist Asian American voters, translated voting materials were missing or hidden from voters, and ballots were mistranslated listing Democratic candidates as Republicans, and vice versa. When the news media reported on election results and the vote by specific groups, Asian Americans were often overlooked.
Since 1988, AALDEF has conducted exit polls of Asian American voters and monitored polls in every major election. Help us continue to resolve these issues at the polls by taking part in AALDEF’s 2018 Asian American Election Protection Program. On Election Day, November 6th, volunteers will document voter problems and the availability of language assistance. They will also conduct a nonpartisan multilingual exit poll to get a snapshot of Asian American candidate preferences, party enrollment, and issues of significance to Asian American voters.
To read AALDEF’s report on the Asian American Vote, click here. Click here to sign up to volunteer. Attendance at one training session is required for all volunteers. All volunteers must be non-partisan and work a 3-hour shift. CLE trainings are 90 minutes, and attorneys can receive 1.5 CLE credits including 0.5 ethics credit. AABANY is the CLE provider for the New York training sessions. If you have volunteered in the past, you do not have to attend another training, but you must register to volunteer again.
For more information, contact AALDEF Democracy Program Director Jerry Vattamala or Voting Rights Organizer Judy Lei at 800-966-5946 or [email protected].
While Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing minority group in the US, AAPIs lag behind other communities when it comes to voter registration rates. As a result, AAPIs are increasingly left out of the discussions when elected officials make policy decisions on issues important to us and our communities.
Make Sure You, Your Family, and Friends Are Registered to Vote
Did you move or change your name? Do you need to register to vote? Have you checked if your registration is up-to-date for this election? Do you know someone who will be 18 on Election Day or became a citizen and is not registered?
Sign-up as a poll monitor and exit poll assistor with AALDEF as they protect the rights of APA and limited English proficient voters at polling locations across the country. You can get CLE credit for your pro bono work: http://aaldef.net/
Volunteer with the National AAPI Voter Protection Hotline national voter protection hotline led by APIAVote here.
To be eligible to vote in this year’s elections, you must be a current direct NAPABA member OR activate your NAPABA affiliate membership online by July 1.
If you are a member of a NAPABA affiliate, you should have received information from your affiliate about how to activate your NAPABA affiliate membership on the NAPABA website using an affiliate code. Being an active affiliate member is not sufficient for voting purposes. You must activate your NAPABA affiliate membership.
For more information about these membership changes click here.
