APAICS Announces New Board Members, Advisory Council Members, and Committee Chairs

WASHINGTON–The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) welcomes CAPAC Chairwoman Grace Meng, California State Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, and Alisa La to its Board of Directors and Régine Biscoe Lee to the National Advisory Council. Additionally, APAICS is pleased to announce the earlier election of Jean Lee and Susan Moon to the Board of Directors. Both served on National Advisory Council prior to their election. Moon has been appointed Finance Committee Chair and Pearl Kim will serve as the Governance Committee Chair.

 

Founded by former Secretary Norman Y. Mineta in 1994, alongside the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), APAICS is a national non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) participation and representation at all levels of the political process, from community service to elected office. Serving as the educational arm of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, our programs focus on developing leadership, building public policy knowledge, and filling the political pipeline for AA & NH/PIs to pursue public office at the local, state, and federal levels. APAICS is the sister organization of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

 

“Congratulations to CAPAC Chairwoman Grace Meng, California State Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, Jean Lee, Susan Moon, and Alisa La for joining the Board of Directors. I am thrilled to be working alongside Chairwoman Meng to build upon APAICS’ and CAPAC’s partnership. I look forward to the guidance of all our new board members as we work to strengthen and grow APAICS in support of our communities,” said Jason Chan, APAICS Board Chair. “Régine Biscoe Lee is an important new member of our National Advisory Council, a former Senator in the Guam Legislature, she understands firsthand the importance of our work to train and increase representation in our government. Additionally, I’m thrilled to be working alongside Finance Chair Susan Moon and Governance Chair Pearl Kim to guide our organization to new heights.”

 

“Congratulations to our new board and advisory council members,” said Susan Jin Davis, Immediate Past APAICS Board Chair. “I would also like to thank Congresswoman Judy Chu for her leadership of CAPAC and her abiding support of APAICS. It has been an honor to work with her over my tenure as Chair. I am also grateful to Hawaii State Representative Scott Nishimoto, June Jee, Tariq Khan, and Jimmie Williams who are leaving the Board of Directors. They are among the longest serving members of the APAICS Board and their contributions to the mission and work of APAICS are immeasurable.”

 

“Our National Advisory Council is an integral part of our board succession plan,” said Madalene Mielke, President and CEO of APAICS. “I look forward to working with former National Advisory Council Members Jean Lee and Susan Moon in their new role as board members and Régine Biscoe Lee as our newest National Advisory Council Member. Lastly, congratulations to CAPAC Chairwoman Grace Meng, California State Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, and Alisa La on their election to the board and thank you to Jay Chen and Jim Park for their service on the council.”

 

CAPAC Chairwoman Grace Meng has represented New York’s sixth congressional district since 2013. In addition to her role as CAPAC Chair, Rep. Meng serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she is New York’s senior member and is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. She is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State, and the first female Congressmember from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro. Her full bio can be found here.

 

California State Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2022 to represent the 10th Assembly District and was recently reelected in November 2024. She has served as the Assistant Speaker pro Tempore and was also appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to serve on the Council of State Governments West Executive Committee as well as the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Prior to her election to the state assembly, she served as the Executive Director of Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI) and was the first Asian American woman elected to the Elk Grove City Council. Her full bio can be found here.

 

Jean Lee, a partner at A&O Shearman, co-leads the Agency Finance practice and has over 20 years of experience in global project financing across various sectors. She played a key role in opening A&O Shearman’s Seoul office, served as managing partner in Washington, and has been recognized with prestigious accolades like Chambers USA’s Band 1 ranking and ‘Woman Lawyer of the Year’ by Asian Legal Business. Her full bio can be found here.

 

Susan Moon was most recently Principal Counsel at The Walt Disney Company where she supported Disney’s Parks, Experiences, and Products division and global labor standards program. There she was actively involved in DEI efforts, including in Disney’s resource groups and task forces, while also advocating for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community through voter rights and mentorship. Prior to Disney, Ms. Moon has held leadership roles at Wyndham Worldwide and large NYC law firms, earning recognition such as KALAGNY’s Trailblazer Award and NAPABA’s Corporate Counsel Leadership Award. Her full bio can be found here.

 

Pearl Kim is currently a pro bono prosecutor and consults for the National Mass Violence Center. Prior to her current role, she was appointed to the Executive Office of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and was appointed by Governor Corbett and Governor Wolf to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian American Affairs. In 2018, she was the Republican candidate for US Congress during the midterm elections in Pennsylvania. The American Bar Association awarded Ms. Kim the Norm Maleng Minister of Justice Award for her efforts as a special victims prosecutor, and she was the recipient of the Government Attorney of the Year Award by the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 2015. Her full bio can be found here.

 

Alisa La is the Manager of Public Policy and Government Relations at McDonald’s Corporation, with extensive experience in government relations and political outreach. She has served as Special Assistant to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a political appointee in the Obama Administration, and Deputy Director of National Finance Events for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Her career spans high-level engagements with the White House, Congress, federal agencies, and political committees. Her full bio can be found here.

 

Régine Biscoe Lee is a Communications and Marketing professional, former Guam senator, and a leader in the Asian Pacific Islander community. She has strengthened Guam’s workforce, supported small businesses, and championed environmental protection, earning recognition such as the Guam Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional of the Year and inclusion in the Obama Foundation’s inaugural Asia-Pacific Leaders cohort. She has also served as a delegate to three Democratic National Conventions and is a member of Guam’s inaugural USCCR Advisory Committee. Her full bio can be found here.