Board Members

National Chair, AAAFund
Director of Strategy - Government Solutions, PrePass

Albert Shen is Director of Strategy – Government Solutions at PrePass, where he leads strategic initiatives to expand partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies to advance commercial vehicle safety, freight mobility, and transportation technology.

He brings more than 30 years of executive leadership across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to PrePass, Albert served as a Senior Federal Client Partner at Verizon Business, leading strategic initiatives across civilian federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration. He also served as National Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) during the Obama Administration, where he helped advance policies supporting business growth, innovation, and economic opportunity.

Albert previously founded and led Shen Consulting, a transportation and engineering consulting firm, and has served on numerous nonprofit, educational, and civic boards. He earned bachelor's degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Science from the University of Washington.

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

Linda is a Government Affairs and Public Policy Senior 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.

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.

Co-Chair, Endorsement 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.

Co-Chair, Endorsement 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.

Co-Chair, Endorsement Committee, AAAFund
Vice President, Federal Government Relations, UPS

Endorsement 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.

Endorsement Committee, AAAFund
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.

Endorsement Committee, AAAFund
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.

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.

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.

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.

Public Affairs Specialist, Brunswick Group

Eliza is a core member of Brunswick Group’s public affairs team. She is responsible for designing and executing strategic communications campaigns for clients across several sectors.

Vice President of Federal Relations & Strategic Initiatives, Strategies 360

Alex brings over a decade of service in Congress where he worked closely with a diverse range of Hawaii stakeholders and key federal officials.

Most recently, Alex served as a senior member of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz’s leadership team. He got his start in Congress by working as the Deputy Communications Director for the late Congressman Mark Takai.

Deputy Director, APIAVote

Kevin Hirano is a senior nonprofit executive with more than a decade of experience leading mission-driven organizations and strengthening operational excellence. He currently serves as Deputy Director of APIAVote, where he provides executive leadership for organizational strategy, operations, finance, and administration. During his tenure, he has helped guide the organization's growth from a staff of four and a $3 million budget to a team of 14 with an $8.5 million annual operating budget.

Prior to his current role, Kevin served with the Open Society Institute–Baltimore and has held leadership positions across philanthropy, higher education, and the nonprofit sector. He is a native of Hawaiʻi and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Vice President for Development and External Affairs at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)

Tania leads strategic fundraising, external engagement, and partnership development in support of the APAIC’s mission to strengthen the public service pipeline for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

Prior to joining APAICS, Tania served as Executive Director and Co-founder of Solar Sister Kenya (formerly LivelyHoods), a nonprofit social enterprise that expanded access to clean-energy products through entrepreneurship opportunities for women and young adults in underserved communities. She has also held leadership roles in nonprofit management, community engagement, and public service initiatives.

Tania earned a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2022 and a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology, and Society with a concentration in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University.

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.

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.

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.

Federal Affairs, Comcast

Linda 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.

Director of Policy and Partnerships, Fathom

Alekhya is the Director of Policy and Partnerships at Fathom. She is an experienced policy communications expert with a proven track record in legislative policy and navigating the complexities of moving bills through Congress.

Throughout her career, Alekhya has worked in advocacy, communications, political campaigns, non-profits, and within the executive branch. Her digital advocacy efforts have seen her closely collaborate with Capitol Hill, creating industry-influencing content that has shaped grassroots campaigns, GOTV initiatives, and the study of voter demographics.

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.

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.