Board Members

AAAFund’s board includes professionals of all backgrounds, dedicated to increasing the political power of the AANHPI community. Many are highly experienced political operatives, as well as local activists, campaign professionals, and consultants. Our board drives our fundraising efforts and our political strategy.

  • Albert Shen

    Albert Shen

    National Chair, AAAFund
    Public Sector, Verizon

    Albert is a senior strategist and federal client partner at Verizon. He is a respected leader in the Asian American business and political community and champion of small businesses. Albert was previously appointed by President Obama as the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency, National Deputy Director.

  • Linda Pham

    Linda Pham

    Administrative Director, AAAFund
    Manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy, S&P Global

    Linda is a Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager at S&P Global and has served in Government Affairs roles at Expedia Group and the Global Business Alliance. She has previously worked as a Programs Associate at OCA - Asian Pacific Advocates in Houston and as a Consultant at Kroll in New York City.

  • Irene Bueno

    Irene Bueno

    Senior Advisor, AAAFund
    Co-Founder and Partner of NVG LLC

    Irene is a co-founder and partner at NVG where she has been recognized as a Top Lobbyist by the National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics. She has decades of experience working in and with the highest levels of government and served as Special Assistant to the President in the Clinton Administration.

  • Anna Kain

    Anna Kain

    Executive Committee, AAAFund
    Manager, Federal Affairs, Verizon

    Anna is a Manager of Federal Affairs at Verizon, where she builds relationships among House and Senate Democrats. She previously worked on Capitol Hill and as consultant on political action committee fundraising, strategy, and development.

  • Jacob Aki

    Executive Committee, AAAFund
    Public Affairs Manager, Alaska Airlines

    Jacob is a communications and electoral politics professional with a track record of success in high-profile political campaigns. With nearly a decade of public service experience, Jacob spent nearly a decade in the Hawaiʻi State Senate, notably as the Director of Communications. In that pivotal role, he was the chamber’s chief spokesperson, leading communication strategies, managing media relations, and conveying legislative matters to the public. He currently serves as the Public Affairs Manager for Alaska Airlines. In this role, he engages with key government entities and represents the airline across key West Coast cities.

  • Carrie Pugh

    Carrie Pugh

    Executive Committee, AAAFund
    President, 8821 Strategies

    Carrie is the CEO of 8821 Strategies, bringing deep experience as a strategist and senior advisor to campaigns, civic engagement, and stakeholder management for top names in Democratic politics, organized labor, AAPI community organizations, and national advocacy and issue campaigns. She previously served as Director of External Affairs in the US Department of Health and Human Services, Senior Director of the National Education Association, and Deputy Political Director at Service Employees International Union.

  • Eliza Green

    Communications Director, AAAFund
    Public Affairs Specialist, Forbes Tate Partners

    Eliza is a core member of Forbes Tate Partners’ public affairs team. A full-service government and public affairs advocacy firm, she is responsible for designing and executing strategic communications campaigns for clients across health care, agriculture, and tech industries seeking to navigate the intersection of the public and private sectors.

  • Jay Cho

    Jay Cho

    Director Federal Relations, VMware

    Jay is the Director of Federal Government Relations for VMware where he leads commercial advocacy efforts around 5G and cybersecurity. He previously worked for Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly and co-founded the Congressional Tech Staff Association to help educate Congressional staff on technology-related policy issues.

  • Rose Chu

    Rose Chu

    Co-founder and Treasurer, Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV)

    Rose Chu is the President of the AAAF Virginia Chapter. She is the treasurer of the Virginia 8th District Democratic Committee and treasurer and co-founder of the Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV), the official APIA caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Rose is a health policy analyst, member of the Fairfax County Health Care Advisory Board and a volunteer AARP tax-aide.

  • Raghu Devaguptapu

    Raghu Devaguptapu

    Partner, Lefthook

    Raghu is a partner at Left Hook, where he uses over twenty years of campaign experience to lead the firm's Washington, DC office. He is the first Asian American to be named Political Director of a national party committee and has managed one of the largest independent expenditure programs in Democratic politics.

  • Gautam Dutta

    Gautam Dutta

    Managing Partner, Business, Energy & Election Law, PC

    Gautam is the Managing Partner at Business, Energy, and Election Law where he specializes on corporate, securities, regulatory/public entity, election, and voting rights law. He formerly worked as an enforcement attorney for the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program at the New America Foundation.

  • Caroline Fan

    Caroline Fan

    Founder, Canochon Consulting

    Caroline is the founder and president of the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation. She brings years of experience in organizing, campaign and political communications, and policy.

  • Jeffrey Roh

    Jeffrey Roh

    CEO, Intuitive X

    Jeff is the CEO and founder of IntuitiveX, a life science consultancy and incubator and investor in health tech companies. He is a board-certified, award-winning spine surgeon.

  • Devang Shah

    Devang Shah

    Partner, Law Offices of Shah & Kishore

    Devang is a leading expert in immigration law and the Managing Partner of Shah and Kishore, a business immigration law firm. He serves as the Treasurer of the Maryland Democratic Party among many other positions in the Party, focusing on engaging Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

  • Bill Shihara

    Bill Shihara

    Co-Founder and CEO of Titanium Toaster Corporation

    Bill is a results-oriented technology entrepreneur, corporate leader, and philanthropist with a 20-year focus on cybersecurity, gaming, and technology entrepreneurship. In 2018, he founded Ohana Northwest, a family office that invests in U.S.-based technology start ups with 12 investments to date. He started the Shihara Family Foundation the same year, a nonprofit focused on workforce development for Americans facing opportunity inequality through grant-making. Bill is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Titanium Toaster Corporation.

  • Linda Shim

    Linda Shim

    Federal Affairs, Comcast

    Ms. Shim is VP of Federal Government Affairs at Comcast NBC Universal. She most recently served as Special Assistant to the President for economic agency personnel in the White House Presidential Personnel Office and is a former chief of staff for Congresswoman Judy Chu.

  • Willard Tom

    Willard Tom

    Fun and Retired

    Now retired, Willard is a former General Counsel and Deputy Director of the Federal Trade Commission and longtime partner at Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius.

  • Yeni Wong

    Yeni Wong

    Owner/Founder, AAAFund & President & Chair, Riverdale International

    Yeni is the Co-Founder of AAAFund and president and chair of the Board of Directors of Riverdale International. She has served several political appointments and runs Yeni's Dim Sum Plus and Golden Palace.

  • Julian Yap

    Julian Yap

    Founder, Realm

    Julian is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Serial Box, Co-Founder and President of Realm, and editor-in-chief of the Sunday Morning Transport Substack. He serves as the Board Chair of the Museum of Food and Drink and on the Mayor's Advisory Committee for the Judiciary, and previously served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the US Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy.

Emeritus Board Members

Bel Leong-Hong • Irene Natividad • Lani Wong Lisa Kuan Mala Patel Ally Mark

Partners

The AAAFund also collaborates with national organizations that share our values and political goals, including the AAPI Victory Fund, EMILY’s List, Planned Parenthood, and the National Education Association, among others. Through these mutually supportive relationships, we bring AANHPI priorities to the table in discussions with these influential organizations, while advancing other intersectional progressive causes that reflect our values.