Our Team

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California is comprised of staff, attorneys, legal and policy advocates, researchers, leadership trainers, and more. Together with our advisory councils, board of directors, and vast network of pro-bono attorneys, we are dedicated to advocating for and supporting our community of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Connie Chung Joe, Esq.

Chief Executive Officer

Connie Chung Joe, JD, is the Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

Prior to joining Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California in August 2020, Connie served as the Executive Director of the Korean American Family Services (KFAM) for 11 years. Under Connie’s leadership, KFAM nearly quadrupled its budget and staff, with culturally and linguistically responsive services to immigrant families, particularly those struggling with mental health, domestic/family violence, and acculturation stresses. Prior to joining KFAM, Connie was a public interest lawyer for seven years. She worked at the Housing Rights Center in Los Angeles representing clients in fair housing cases and the American Civil Liberties Union in Chicago working on immigrant’s rights, reproductive rights, post-9/11 racial profiling, police accountability and First Amendment cases. Connie received her BA in Spanish and International Relations from USC and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

Aileen Louie

Chief of Staff

Aileen Louie is the Chief of Staff at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, working closely with program staff and a wide range of institutional partners to secure the resources necessary to support the organization’s work.

Aileen has over 20 years of nonprofit fundraising and management experience, gained primarily from her work at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. Over the course of her career she has held several positions within the organization. She was its first Development Director and has also served as the Vice President of Program Administration as well as the Leadership Development Strategy Director. After stepping away from the organization to focus on her family, she returned to resume her work in supporting its ongoing development. In addition to her work with Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, she has also served on numerous non-profit boards including Search to Involve Pilipino Americans and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, where she was one of its founding sisters. Aileen is a graduate of UCLA where she was a student advocate for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Email: alouie@ajsocal.org
Phone: 213-977-7500 x859

Cori Racela, Esq.

Vice President of Programs

Cori Racela is the Vice President of Programs at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. She joins us with a profound commitment to social justice and a remarkable background in advocating for the underserved.

Most recently, Cori served as Deputy Director at Western Center on Law & Poverty . In her senior leadership role, Cori led the impact litigation team (helping low-income Californians access to health, housing, public benefits, and access to justice), the Center’s initiative to center racial justice in the organization’s external and internal efforts, and policy advocacy efforts focused on Medi-Cal eligibility and due process rights. Throughout her career, Cori has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to fighting for the rights of marginalized communities. Before Western Center, her experience was anchored in Direct Services as an attorney at the National Health Law Program and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. Cori’s contributions in numerous landmark cases and initiatives also led to her appointment as a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Community Prevention and Population Health Task Force. As our Vice President of Programs, Cori will be instrumental in shaping the future of our organization’s initiatives, leading our team of talented attorneys/staff, and collaborating with external partners to effect positive change in in our communities. We are confident that her strategic leadership will significantly contribute to our collective goal to live out our mission and values in meaningful and effective ways.

Email: cracela@ajsocal.org

Richard Crowe

Vice President of Finance

Richard Crowe is the Vice President of Finance at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. He has over 25 years of experience in the Accounting and Financial arenas. After graduating from Florida A & M University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting and Finance and passing the Certified Public Account examination, Richard began working for Chase Bank as a finance specialist evaluating complex loan transactions in overseas markets. After a multi-year stint at Chase, he then earned a Master’s in Finance from the prestigious University of Chicago. After the University of Chicago, Richard moved to Los Angeles and worked several years in finance in the entertainment space at both Twentieth Century Fox and The Post Group. Richard then joined Columbia College Hollywood in 2003 as Chief Financial and Operating Officer when the school’s enrollment was at an all-time low. Richard was instrumental in turning around the college and increasing its enrollment to record levels.

Email: rcrowe@ajsocal.org
Phone: 213-977-7500 x221

Board of Directors

Executive Committee Paul S. Chan, Esq. | Chair & Chair, Litigation Workgroup, Bird Marella Jade Leung, Esq. | Vice Chair, The Walt Disney Company Vincent M. Gonzales, Esq. | Secretary, Southern California Gas Company
Christine Song | Treasurer & Chair, Finance Committee, Capital GroupPhillip Lee, Esq. | Chair, Building Committee, Jamison Services, Inc.
San San Lee | Chair, Audit Committee, Law Office of San San Lee, Inc.Olivia Samad, Esq. | Chair, Governance Committee, Southern California EdisonJack S. Yeh, Esq. | Co-Chair, Development Committee, Sidley Austin LLP
Gloria Chang Yip, CFA | Co-Chair, Development Committee, Managing Director, Head of Asian Wealth, JPMorgan Private Bank

Staff Listing

Finance
Jeff Wu | Accounting Manager
Janet Guan | Senior Grants Specialist
Ivona Holland | Accounting Coordinator

Communications
Liza Ameen | Communications Director
Katrina Nguyen | Social Media Analyst
Liana Liang | Communications Associate

Institutional Giving
Christine Lee | Director of Institutional Giving
Brenda Nelson | Donor Database Administrator
Greg Song | Grant Writer

Development
Janelle Hu, Esq. | Director of Individual Giving
Georgia Archer | Donor Relations Manager
Michi Lew | Individual Giving Associate

Community Engagement
Alice Lee | Managing Dir. of Community Engagement
Chanfou Saelee | Community Engagement Navigator- English
Heidi Shen | Community Engagement Navigator- Chinese
Youjin Yoon | Community Engagement Navigator- Korean
William Tran | Community Engagement Navigator- Vietnamese

Pro Bono Work, Volunteers, & Internships
Christina Yang, Esq. | General Counsel & Pro Bono Dir.
Nathan Vuong | Volunteer Coordinator

Demographic Research Project
June Lim| Project Director
Yannan Li | Senior Research Analyst
Steven Zhang | Senior Research Analyst

Impact Litigation
Paul Estuar, Esq. | Director of Litigation
Andy Tran, Esq. | Staff Attorney
Yufei Wang, Esq. | Racial Justice Fellow
Brian Hu | Legal Adovcate

Immigration
Sheela Sood, Esq. | Senior Staff Attorney
Sabrina Kwun, Esq. | Staff Attorney
Dickran Sevlian, Esq. | Staff Attorney

Affiliates & Associated Groups

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California is part of a national affiliation of five civil rights nonprofit organizations that joined together under one name in 2013. The other member organizations are:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (formerly Asian American Justice Center) is a national organization that advances the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and builds and promotes a fair and equitable society for all through public education, policy analysis and research, policy advocacy, litigation and community capacity and coalition building.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (formerly Asian Law Caucus) is the nation’s oldest legal organization defending the civil rights of Asians and Pacific Islanders, particularly low-income, immigrant and underserved communities.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta (formerly Asian American Legal Advocacy Center or AALAC) is the first non-profit law center dedicated to Asian immigrants and refugees in the Southeast.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago (formerly Asian American Institute) is the leading pan-Asian organization in the Midwest dedicated to empowering the Asian American community through advocacy, research, education, leadership development and coalition-building.

Our mission is to promote a fair and equitable society for all by working for civil and human rights and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities. www.advancingjustice.org

OC Community Advisory Councils

In 2016, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California launched an additional leadership group in Orange County — the Orange County Community Advisory Council (OC CAC), whose main focus is to build a strong coalition of AAPI community leaders and groups in order to raise the visibility and voice of the AAPI community in Orange County. The OC CAC is comprised of key leaders from the OC AAPI and nonprofit organizations, law schools and universities, the judiciary and local Asian bar associations.

Co-Chairs
Mary Anne Foo | M.P.H., OCAPICA
Dr. Linda Trinh Vo | University of California, Irvine

Members
Ellen Ahn | J.D., M.S.W., Korean Community Services
Hussam Ayloush | MBA, Council on American-Islamic Relations – LA
Katie Brazer | CHIRLA
Jury Candelario | APAIT
Ellen Chen | ENO
Susie Park Dickman, Esq. | Chapman Law School
The Honorable Judge Halim Dhanidina | The LA County Superior Court
Nathaniel F. Epstein, Esq.
Leigh Ferrin, Esq. | Public Law Center
Caroline Hahn, Esq. | Law Office of Caroline Hahn
Miguel Hernandez | OC Congregation Community Organization
T. Linh Ho, Esq. | Superior Court of CA
Cecilia Hong, Esq. | Magarian & DiMercurio
Ken Inouye | CPA, Japanese American Citizens League
Isabel Kang | Korean Resource Center
Alexander C. Kim | MBA., Three Kings Public Affairs
Janine Kim, Esq. | Dale E Fowler School of Law
Jeannie Kim, Esq. | OC Asian American Bar Association
Lisa Kim, Esq. | California Department of Justice
Jennifer Lee Koh | Western State College of Law
Susan Lew
Annie Lai, Esq. | University of California, Irvine
Zhihai Li | We Irvine & The Chinese American Mutual Association
Michelle Miu, Esq. | The Myers Law Group
Becky Nguyen | Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation
Christine Nguyen | Esq.,Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California
Tricia Nguyen | M.P.H., Southland Integrated Services, Inc
Dr. Eliza Noh | California State University, Fullerton
Jane Ka’ala Pang | Pacific Islander Health Partnership
Ho-El Park, Esq. | Korean American Chamber of Commerce of OC
Vattana Peong, M.P.H. | The Cambodian Family Community Center
Cheryl Kang Prout, Esq. | Orange County Korean American Bar Association
Shakeel Syed | Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development
Sr. Thuy Tran | CSJ., St. Joseph Hospital
Nate Watanabe, Esq. | Orange County Asian American Bar Association
Jacob Wu | Orange County Chinese Chamber of Commerce

Executive Advisory Council

Chair
Gloria Chang Yip | Asian Wealth, JPMorgan Private Bank

Pro-Bono Advisory Council Liason
Wendy Chang, Esq. | Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

Members
H. James Abe, Esq. | Alston & Bird LLP
Paul K. Abe | Union Bank
Celeste M. Alleyne | Microsoft
Michael Brennan
Thy Bui, Esq. | Orange County Asian American Bar Association
Stewart Chang, Esq. | Whittier Law School
Danny Chen, Esq. | Taiwanese American Lawyers Association
Lily Lee Chen
James C. Chen, Esq. | 13 East Realty Inc.
Raymond K. Cheng | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Andrea Cherng | Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.
Clara Chiu | Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy
William C. Choi, Esq. | Rodriguez, Horii, Choi & Cafferata LLP
Kira Conlon, Esq. | Japanese American Bar Association
Aimee M. Contreras-Camua, Esq. | Sidley Austin LLP
Cornelia H. Dai, Esq. | Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick LLP
LaVerne G. Davis
Daniel H. Deng, Esq. | Law Offices of Daniel H. Deng
Hon. Michael F. Eng | Eng & Nishimura
Alex H. Fukui, Esq. | California Bank & Trust
Leslie Furukawa, Esq. | Gomez & Furukawa
Lori Gage | Hitachi, Ltd.
Albert Giang, Esq. | Caldwell Leslie & Proctor, PC
Mónica Gil | NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
Garrett Gin | Bank of America
Terri Hernandez Rosales | NBC 4 Southern California
Victoria Hsu | J.T. Tai & Co. Foundation
Karen Huoth | Head of Litigation, US & Canada at TikTok
Joon Hur, Esq. | Korean American Bar Association of Southern California
Bryan Ikegami, Esq. | Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
Roy Jasso | Wells Fargo Bank
Don Jue | Retired
Vandana Kapur, Esq. | South Asian Bar Association of Southern California
Beong-Soo Kim, Esq. | University of Southern California
Patricia A. Kinaga, Esq. | Davis Wright Tremaine
Arnold Kleiner
Jonathan B. Ko, Esq. | Paul Hastings
Joanna M. Kong, Esq. | Sun Family Foundation
Yul Kwon | Google
Philip H. Lam, Esq. | Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office
Arnold Lee, Esq. | Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles
C. David Lee, Esq. | Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Martin V. Lee, Esq. | Famco Investments
Stephen C. Lee, Esq. | BP America Inc.
John Lim, Esq. | EAC & Building Committee,LimNexus LLP
Susan Lin | TBC
Vincent S. Loh, Esq. | Michelman & Robinson, LLP
Warren R. Loui, Esq. | Talino Venture Labs
Gail C. Louis, Esq. | Automobile Club of Southern California
Joseph M. Lumarda | Capital Guardian Trust Company
Noel Massie | United Parcel Service
Timothy McCallion | Verizon
Diane G. Medina | ABC
Debra Nakatomi | Nakatomi & Associates
Daphne Ng | Southern California Edison
Tam Nguyen | Advance Beauty College
Gopi K. Panchapaksen, Esq. | South Asian Bar Association of Southern California
Edward Perron, Esq. | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Carol Wong Quan
Cristina M. Regalado | The Workshop
Panida Rzonca, Esq. | Thai American Bar Association
Teresa Samaniego | ABC7
Martha Saucedo | AEG
Sandy Sakamoto, Esq. | LimNexus LLP
Bill H. Seki, Esq. | Seki, Nishimura & Watase, LLP
Ralph Shapiro | Avondale Investment Partners
Eileen A. Shibata, Esq. | Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Anne Shintaku | Microsoft
Anne Shen Smith
Carmen J. Smith | Walt Disney Imagineering
Mimi R. Song | Superior Grocers
Brian A. Sun, Esq. | Jones Day
Donald Tang | Tang Media Partners
Kenneth Tang | California Teachers Association
Peter R. Villegas | The Coca-Cola Company
Emily Wang
Jeff Wang | Asian-American Investors Group
Jonathan Weedman | Wells Fargo
Dora Wong | The Coca-Cola Company
Jai Lee Wong
Kent Wong | UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education
Felix T. Woo, Esq. | Dentons
Michael K. Woo | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, College of Environmental Design
Edward V. Yang | iSoftStone Inc.
Joong-Nam Yang | Koreatown Plaza
Elizabeth Yang, Esq. | Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association
Stan K. Yang, Esq. | The Yang Law Group
Alice Yuan, Esq. | j2 Global
Abigail Zelenski, Esq. | Philippine American Bar Association
Monica J. Zi, Esq. | Reed Smith

Pro Bono Advisory Council

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California’s Pro Bono Advisory Council is complementary to the Board of Directors and other Advisory Councils. Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California relies on the Pro Bono Advisory Council specifically for guidance in the development of its pro bono programs, turning to these members first as a resource in assisting with pro bono matters and issues. The Pro Bono Advisory Council also helps raise vital funds and resources needed to support and expand Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California’s pro bono programs. Members include attorneys from major national and international law firms, as well as in-house counsel at Fortune 100 companies.

Co- Chairs
Jonathan Shih, Esq. | Latham & Watkins LLPSteven K. Yoda, Esq. | Walzer Melcher & Yoda LLP

Members At Large

Champions of Justice

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) is launching, Champions for Justice (Champions), an advisory group of high-profile opinion leaders from the worlds of arts, entertainment, culture and media. Members maintain an ongoing relationship with AJSOCAL and serve as ambassadors. By using their influence to champion the AAPI community, members of this group enhance the work of the organization by amplifying issues and points of view that are crucial to the pursuit of equity and social justice.