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.
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Albert Shen
National Chair, AAAFund
Public Sector, VerizonAlbert 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.
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Linda Pham
Administrative Director, AAAFund
Manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy, S&P GlobalLinda 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.
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Irene Bueno
Senior Advisor, AAAFund
Co-Founder and Partner of NVG LLCIrene 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.
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Anna Kain
Executive Committee, AAAFund
Manager, Federal Affairs, VerizonAnna 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.
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Jacob Aki
Executive Committee, AAAFund
Public Affairs Manager, Alaska AirlinesJacob 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.
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Carrie Pugh
Executive Committee, AAAFund
President, 8821 StrategiesCarrie 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.
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Eliza Green
Communications Director, AAAFund
Public Affairs Specialist, Forbes Tate PartnersEliza 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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.