Maeley Tom, Joel Wong, CLUSA have been selected by the UCA as the winners

Congratulations! Maeley Tom, Joel Wong, CLUSA have been selected by the UCA as the winners

About the winners:

Maeley Tom 

The Asian Week publication once described Maeley Tom as “one of the most powerful and influential non-elected political figures in the Asian community” because of her career accomplishments and her contributions to the empowerment of the Asian Pacific Islander voice in politics at the state and national level during an era when APIA were politically invisible.

During her 20 years professional career in the California Legislature, (1974-94) she holds the unique distinction of having served in chief executive positions in both houses of the State Capitol where she served as the Chief Administrative Officer of the state Assembly under Speaker Willie L. Brown Jr. and subsequently, Chief of Staff to the Senate President David Roberti.

During her tenure in the State Capitol, she was recognized by the Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Magazine, and the California Journal as one of the most influential political figures in the California Legislature.  At this time, she co-founded the Asian Legislative Staff Caucus, the Asian Youth Leadership Project, became the founding President of the Jt. Asian Pacific Legislative Caucus Institute (JAPLCI) and the Capitol Academy which has trained most of the California API state legislators serving in the State legislature today.

Upon leaving the State Legislature, she served as a senior vice president of the prestigious Washington D.C. public affairs firm, Cassidy & Associates.   She subsequently formed her own successful public affairs firm, Tom & Associates which represented clients such as Panda Express, Glaxo Pharmaceutical, City of South Pasadena, Four Pillars of Taiwan, California Democratic Party, Anheuser Busch, Golden Gate University, SF Chinese Hospital, Golden Gate University, and the California Science Center to name a few until her retirement in 2014.

In 1987, through her leadership roles with the state and national Democratic Party, she organized the first national Asian American Conference inviting U.S. presidential candidates to address Asian American issues before a national public forum for the first time in history.  She has served as a campaign advisor on Asian Pacific issues to three presidential campaigns and four California gubernatorial campaigns.

She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve on the Women’s Business Ownership Commission and was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to represent the U.S. at the United Nations Women’s World Conference Platform Committee in New York.  She was the first non-elected Asian American to serve on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee from 1988 – 1997.

She was the first Asian American appointee to serve on the California State Personnel Board which oversees the merit system governing over 250,000 state employees. She served on the CalPERS Board of Trustees overseeing the largest pension fund in the U.S. and among the 4^th largest pension fund in the world.

While serving on the CalPERS Board of Trustees, she co-founded the National Association of Asian American Investment Manager (AAAIM).

Ms. Tom is the former producer and host of the TV program “Facets”, highlighting the Asian Pacific community for local Central Valley TV channel 40 (KXTL) and she was a political columnist with Asian Week for 8 years.

She is a member of Committee 100 and recently published a book “I am not who you think I am” on the Amazon book site.

She is a graduate of California State University of San Francisco with a BA degree in Social Welfare (1962) and completed the Stanford Law School Executive Fiduciary graduate program.

JOEL K. WONG

Joel Wong retired as a scientist/engineer from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2000 where he was the Division Leader of the Environmental Safety and Health Division. He was the founder and CEO of the Environmental Safety Services, a private consulting firm.

Joel has also served as the Chair of the Asian Pacific Affairs Council; the President of the CAPA (Chinese American Political Association); and the CAPA Public Affairs Education Fund.

Currently, Joel is the President of the NAAPAC (formerly 80-20 PAC) and NAAUnited organizations. He served on the National Governing Board and the Public Policy and Issues Committee of APAPA and chaired the CLUSA (Civic Leadership USA) Editorial Committee. He is an Advisor on APIA issues for Ding Ding TV and the editor of Silicon Valley Community Media.

Chinese American Convention（美国华人大会), a national and open convening platform for Chinese communities first started in 2016, is organized by United Chinese Americans (UCA), a national community-based coalition and civic movement. This Convention typically will bring together hundreds of community and civic leaders, activists, elected officials, academics as well as business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the country. They come together to discuss issues of concern to them, share and compare unique experiences, forge consensus and common agenda, and explore opportunities to work together.

The UCA National Youth Convention is a cultural and political experience that seeks to empower Asian American youth through exploring identity and community.

Program

Convention Program Highlights:

• White House & Congressional Citation to Chinese Community
• UCA Congressional Day & Congressional Reception
• Launching UCA Community Fund and Community Showcase
• Launching National Association of Chinese American Elected Officials
• UCA 2021 North American Chinese Photography Awards and Exhibition
• First UCA National Youth Convention
• 100 Youth Convention Scholarships
• AAPI Youth Organizations Showcase/Exhibition
• Mini Grant to Youth Organizations
• UCA WAVES (Wellness, Advocacy, Voices, Education & Support) Mental Health Track
• Intergenerational Dialogue
• College Students Networking
• Report on Chinese American Demographics 2020 & Youth Survey
• UCA 2021 North American Chinese Photography Awards and Exhibition

Highlight of Convention Breakout Sessions (The WAVES Mental Health Track)

Our mental health track will feature four unique breakout sessions exploring a variety of current mental health topics.

1.  Breaking Silences: Youth Mental Health & Parent-Child Communication – Parent education session on improving parent-child communication and supporting youth mental health.
2.  Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Mental Health & Advocacy – Exploring current mental health disparities in AAPI communities.
3.  Demystifying Medications – Educational session on purpose and importance of psychiatric medications in mental health.
4.  LGBTQ+ Workshop: What Coming Out Means – Exploring queer identities and mental health challenges, and howto be an active ally.

Please click here to register for 2022 Chinese American Convention; click here to register for the 2022 UCA Youth National Convention.

Convention Location: Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St. NW, Washington, DC 20008. Designated as our convention hotel, the Omni Shoreham Hotel is conveniently located in the capital, a perfect place to explore many historic destinations in the DC-metro area.