U.S. Congresswoman The Honorable Judy Chu

Judy Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009.  She represents the 27th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley of southern California.

Rep. Chu currently serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to taxes, revenues, Social Security, and Medicare. In that Committee, Rep. Chu is a member of the Subcommittees on Health, giving her oversight over healthcare reform and crucial safety net programs, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight. 

She also serves on the House Small Business Committee, which has oversight of the Small Business Administration, as well as the House Budget Committee. 

Chu was first elected to the Board of Education for Garvey School District in 1985.  From there, she was elected to the Monterey Park City Council, where she served as Mayor three times.  She then was elected to the State Assembly and then California’s elected tax board, known as the State Board of Equalization.  In 2009, she became the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress in history.

MI State Senator The Honorable Stephanie Chang

Sen. Stephanie Chang, the first Asian American woman to be elected to the Michigan Legislature, worked as a community organizer in Detroit for nearly a decade before serving two terms in the Michigan House of Representatives.

She served as state director for NextGen Climate Michigan, alumni engagement and evaluation coordinator for the Center for Progressive Leadership in Michigan, deputy director for the Campaign for Justice and as an organizer for Michigan United/One United Michigan. She also worked as a community engagement coordinator for the James and Grace Lee Boggs School and assistant to Grace Lee Boggs, an activist, writer, and speaker.

The senator also is a co-founder and past president of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote-Michigan, and she served as a mentor with the Detroit Asian Youth Project. She is a founder and board member of Rising Voices of Asian American Families and serves on the board of the Southwest Detroit Community Justice Center.

In the state House, Sen. Chang led the way on air quality protection, education, criminal justice reforms, improving economic opportunities, and affordable, safe drinking water. She passed bipartisan legislation on a range of issues including female genital mutilation, nitrous oxide “whip-its”, reentry services for wrongfully convicted individuals who were exonerated, and more. She quickly earned her colleagues’ respect and was named chair of the Progressive Women’s Caucus in her second term. She also served on the leadership team for the House Democratic Caucus both terms and was a co-founder of the Asian Pacific American Legislative Caucus.

Chang earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degrees in public policy and social work from the University of Michigan. She lives in Detroit with her husband and two young daughters.

Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs Caroline Choi

Caroline Choi is senior vice president of Corporate Affairs at Southern  California Edison and its parent company, Edison International. Choi  oversees Corporate Communications, Corporate Philanthropy,  Government Relations and Public Affairs at the national, state and local levels. 

Previously, Choi served as senior vice president of Regulatory Affairs at  SCE and was responsible for the company’s regulatory engagement, policy and strategy. Choi also served as SCE vice president of Energy and Environmental Policy and oversaw the analysis and development of energy and environmental policies and strategies, as well as engagement at energy and environmental regulatory agencies. 

Before joining SCE in 2012, Choi was executive director of Environmental Services & Strategy at Progress Energy (now Duke Energy), where she led environmental permitting, compliance and policy.  

Choi is active in national policy and community engagement. She serves on the board of SEPA, a nationwide organization that supports the implementation and deployment of clean energy and distributed resources. She also chairs the board of Veloz, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the shift to electric transportation through public-private collaboration and public engagement. In addition, she is a member of the Electric Transportation Community Development Corporation, National Forest Foundation, and Public Policy Institute of California’s Statewide Leadership Council. 

Choi holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College.

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. 

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.