Officers |
President -
Jason Wong, Email:
Jason@naaapphoenix.org
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jason
came to the U.S. at age fourteen. He attended the University
of Arizona and received a B.S.
in Political Science with a concentration
in Public Administration. Jason currently
is a District Supervisor and Financial Consultant for
Waddell and Reed, a firm that offers financial planning
services for retirement, investment and insurance needs.
A NAAAP member since 2000 (San
Francisco, New York and Phoenix), Jason’s
roles with the organization have included: founding
member of the Phoenix/Tucson chapter, 2006-07
Vice President and now the 2008 President.
As President, Jason leads NAAAP-Phoenix towards
becoming the premier professional organization for Asian
Americans in the Valley. His
goals include encouraging more active participation
from members, current and potential, and promoting more
collaborative projects and activities with other Asian
American community organizations. He aims to create
stronger brand recognition for NAAAP in greater Metro
Phoenix through opportunities for increased
professional development, cultural awareness and community
participation.
Jason also takes active part in Governor Janet Napolitano’s Asian American Advisory Council, the City of Phoenix Pacific Rim Advisory Council, University of Arizona Alumni Association, Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and Professional Referral Organization (PRO).
Vice President -
Bao Hoang, Email:
Bao@naaapphoenix.org
Bao Hoang is a first generation Chinese
American, born in Sioux City, Iowa
to parents who emigrated from Vietnam.
At 19, Bao left Sioux City and Western Iowa Tech to
move to Los Angeles and East Los Angeles College.
He soon graduated with a B.A. from
California State University Los Angeles.
Bao currently manages Sunfare, a health
food delivery service catering to people desiring to
maintain, gain or lose weight. More than six years of
experience at Sunfare has given him a strong background
in business and customer service.
Bao hopes to increase membership in NAAAP and construct
a solid foundation for future NAAAP organizers and board
members. He aims for NAAAP to be recognized as the Valley’s
leading Asian American group, which helps young professionals
launch their careers and more seasoned professionals
expand and grow towards meeting their goals in life.
However, Bao knows that those who work hard must “play
hard” and intends to make NAAAP a fun and exciting
group that everyone will want to join.
Treasurer -
Ken Liang, Email:
Ken@naaapphoenix.org
A native of Taiwan, Ken
has lived in the U.S. since 1987, for
the most part in Arizona. He has a
B.A. in Real Estate
from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey
School of Business. People often recognize
him through his involvement with the Phoenix
Chinese Music Art Ensemble, which often plays
at the Chinese Cultural Center during
Chinese New Year, and the occasional
martial arts demonstration.
Currently an Assistant Vice President &
Relationship Manager at Compass Bank,
Ken is in his second year of the MBA
program at Arizona State University.
As one of the original members and current Treasurer
of NAAAP-Phoenix, he looks forward to the continued
expansion of this exciting organization.
He is pleased to see the reputation of NAAAP-Phoenix
grow in the continued work of supporting the local Asian
community. He is excited to help create a cohesive organization
that people can join to better themselves, regardless
of differences in profession, community or culture.
Ken has worked as a financial analyst for a number
of banks and has literally analyzed hundreds, if not
thousands, of financial statements and tax returns.
He obviously has the financial and analytical acumen
for his position of Treasurer! His experience also comes
with a passion for the furthermost of the Asian culture.
Secretary -
Kim Tran, Email:
Kim@naaapphoenix.org
Kim has worked in service-related industries for the past seven years, following her graduation from San Diego State University in 2000. She moved to Arizona from California a couple of years ago and has fallen in love with her adopted state. She feels fortunate to have met so many wonderful people in her involvement with NAAAP.
Kim enjoys helping people make positive changes in their lives through her work at Ironwood Lending. As a mortgage consultant, she assists clients in buying their dream homes, consolidating and paying off high interest rate debts and using equity for new investments. She is excited to be a part of the mortgage lending industry’s growth in professionalism and quality of advice.
As a NAAAP member, Kim enjoys building relationships on both a personal and business basis. She looks forward to helping NAAAP to grow, bringing professionals together on all levels. |
Directors |
Director of Professional Development -
Kristi Lee, Email:
Kristi@naaapphoenix.org
Kristi has an extensive business
background in marketing and retail with more than 15
years of experience. Previous corporate experience includes
responsibility for product and marketing decisions for
more than 2,300 Albertson's Food and Drug
stores in 38 states, and negotiations with national
brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Proctor
& Gamble, Maybelline and Revlon. Her many
strengths include her leadership and training abilities,
including the capacity to adapt to the four different
ways people learn (visual, auditory, kinesthetic and
tactile).
Kristi’s programs are designed to enhance the
skills of NAAAP-Phoenix members in: networking;
negotiating; setting sales performance or personal goals;
putting together effective business cards, logos and
taglines; mastering the corporate rules of engagement;
and avoiding costly, amateurish mistakes. She
says, “I want to help people so they don’t
have to go through the school of hard knocks!”
Kristi enjoys helping people to achieve their goals
and discover the “why” behind their choice
of present career. She also likes to meet new people,
try new restaurants and laugh!
Director of Cultural Awareness -
Frank Koo, Email:
Frank@naaapphoenix.org
Born and raised in Shanghai, Frank came to the U.S. in 1991 to pursue an M.S. in civil engineering at Brigham Young University. After his graduation in 1993, he moved to Phoenix and has worked as a land development consulting engineer ever since.
At Olsson Associates, an award-winning engineering firm, Frank leads the land development team in serving several of Arizona’s largest homebuilders and land developers. He shoulders the responsibility for a number of multi-million dollar consultation projects, with fees annually exceeding one billion dollars.
Frank became a member of NAAAP in September 2007 and quickly became involved in many chapter activities, including organizing the Phoenix chapter’s first annual dinner and serving on both the Corporate Sponsorship and Cultural Awareness Committees. As the acting director of the Cultural Awareness Committee, Frank leads committee members in organizing events that highlight the differences and similarities between Asian and Western cultures. He aims to raise public awareness of Asian cultures through fun and educative events.
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Director of Membership - Michael Pitkin,
Email: Michael@naaapphoenix.org
Proud to be one of the few Arizona natives
in NAAAP-Phoenix, Michael was born and raised in Phoenix,
AZ. He attended Arizona State University
and graduated with a dual degree in Business
and History. As a Field Representative
for Guardian Life the past seven years,
he has helped families and small businesses protect
their life, assets and income through life, disability,
health and long-term care insurance.
As the NAAAP-Phoenix Membership Director,
he builds upon membership growth by recruiting business
and corporate members as well as individuals in the
community. He also plans to introduce more benefits
for chapter members.
Living the best of both worlds, Michael’s ethnic
background is Vietnamese and Caucasian.
He resides in South Phoenix with his
fiancée, Tammie Nguyen (also
a NAAAP member), along with their three “silly”
dogs – Shatan, Max and Shaggy!
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Committee Chairs |
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Legal Counsel |
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Legal Advisor - Bernard Wu, Email: WuBernard@aol.com
Bernard Wu is a sole practitioner
attorney, concentrating in the areas of commercial law
and litigation, in the Phoenix metropolitan
area. Licensed in Arizona, California
and New Jersey, he has also taught
commercial law to aspiring paralegals part-time for
the past eight years.
As the legal advisor of NAAAP-Phoenix, Bernard imparts
his legal knowledge, along with his Asian American
cultural experience, towards the growth of the organization
and his own.
Bernard currently sits on Governor Janet Napolitano’s
Asian American Advisory Council and the Attorney
General’s Asian Advisory Committee. He
has been active on four City of Phoenix Commissions.
He has served as President of the Arizona Asian
American Bar Association (AAABA) and the
Arizona Asian American Association (AAAA).
Bernard was the lead consultant and director for the
highly lauded 2001 Asian Business Forum.
He has also organized multiple legal seminars directed
towards local Vietnamese nail technicians
who were experiencing an overwhelming amount of violations
with the Arizona Board of Cosmetology.
Bernard has also been legal counsel for the Phoenix
Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA)
and the Phoenix Dragon Lions Club.
NAAAP Phoenix would like to thank Sandra Yee
of Yin, Yang & Chocolate for editing the above
bios. For more information, please visit her website
at www.yychocolate.com
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