The Creating Our Paths: Women in Power webinar will feature and explore the paths of change-making California elected women leaders. They will have conversations with CAUSE Leaders for a closer look at their paths to public service, their experiences as women leaders in office, and their personal insight for aspiring community leaders.
With special pre-recorded interviews with Congresswomen Kim and Treasurer Ma, Women In Power will include:
U.S. Congresswoman Young Kim, District 39, California
Treasurer Fiona Ma, State of California
Vice Mayor Tammy Kim, City of Irvine, California
Tami Bui, Board Member, CAUSE Board of Directors / Senior Government Affairs Manager, Turo
Tammy Tran, Board Member, CAUSE Board of Directors / Senior Manager - Government Relations, Southern California Edison
Diana Hwang, Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Asian-American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI)
CAUSE equips community leaders with the skills and networks to address issues affecting the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. As part of the CAUSE Leadership Institute (CLI), a certificate program for high-potential professionals, Women In Power is the second edition of CAUSE’s Creating Our Paths, a series designed to connect leaders and community members to share, discuss, and reflect on their journeys as part of collective solution-building initiatives.
FEATURING
U.S. Congresswoman Young Kim
Congresswoman Young Kim, representing California’s 39th District, is one of the first Korean American women elected to Congress. Elected in November 2020, Congresswoman Kim has dedicated her life to public service and giving back to her community. She started her public service as Director of Community Relations and Asian Affairs for Congressman Ed Royce, where she was a key liaison to the local communities and advised Congressman Royce on issues pertaining to the Asian community. Despite long odds in 2014, Young Kim unseated an incumbent Democrat to become the first-ever Korean-American Republican woman elected to serve in the California State Assembly. As an Assemblywoman, Young Kim was a champion of public safety causes, low tuition rates, veterans, children, and victims of domestic violence.
CA Treasurer Fiona Ma
Elected in November 2018, Treasurer Fiona Ma is the 34th State Treasurer. She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position. California is the world’s fifth-largest economy and Treasurer Ma is the state’s primary banker. As Treasurer, she works closely with the State Legislature to ensure that members know the state’s financial condition as they consider new legislation and gives recommendations for the annual budget. Prior to serving as State Treasurer, Fiona Ma served as an Assembly Member where she authored 60 bills that were signed into law by two different governors.
Vice Mayor Tammy Kim
Vice Mayor Tammy Kim, is a mother, nonprofit leader, educator, community advocate, small
business owner, and former corporate executive who has lived, worked and raised her
son in Irvine for the past two decades. She was elected to Irvine City Council in November 2020
in a historic win beating out thirteen other candidates with the highest vote count for any City Council candidate in the city’s history. Tammy currently represents the City of Irvine on the boards of the Orange County Public Libraries and the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control, where she is part of the Policy & Personnel Committee. She also serves on the Board of Irvine’s Green Ribbon Committee and Irvine Child Care Project, and is on the liaison committee for Irvine Unified School District.
Tami Bui
Tami Bui serves as a CAUSE Board of Directors and is currently a Senior Government Affairs Manager for Turo, based in San Francisco. Turo is the world’s largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace and Tami is responsible for states in the Western region which include Hawaii, Oregon and Utah. In her role, she shares Turo’s vision of increasing economic opportunity for everyday people who represent a rich diversity of demographics. Regulating this industry remains unchartered territory, which means she is constantly thinking of new ways to connect with policymakers and bring this story to life. Tami has community and government affairs experience in private and public sectors. She previously served as the Associate Vice President of Government and Community Relations for California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), in her hometown of Orange County.
Tammy Tran
Tammy Tran serves on the CAUSE Board of Directors and is Senior Manager for Community Engagement, Local Public Affairs, Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. Tammy has also served as a Senior Community Liaison at SCE. In this role, she also served as a strategist to inform SCE’s senior management about important matters that impact diverse communities including the Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities. Tammy currently serves as the President for SCE’s Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group, called Asian Society for Cultural Exchange, Networking, & Development (ASCEND). She is also an active board member of Orange County Youth, Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking, and the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment.
Diana Hwang
Diana Hwang is the Founder and Executive Director of the Asian-American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI). She began her career politics at the State House as the Executive Director of the Caucus of Women Legislators and as the Legislative Aide to late State Representative Debby Blumer (D-Framingham). She then served as Chief of Staff on the Boston City Council. Diana is a Founding Commissioner on the Mayor’s Women’s Commission for the City of Boston. She also serves on the Boards of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP) at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Salesian Boys and Girls Club of East Boston, and served as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Boston Women’s Fund.