Charlie Woo, Board Chair

Co-Founder & CEO, Megatoys

Charlie Woo is a founder and Chair of CAUSE, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, community-based organization with a mission to advance the political and civic empowerment of the Asian Pacific American community through nonpartisan voter outreach, training, and education as well as leadership development.

Charlie Woo is an entrepreneur and real estate developer/investor. He is a co-founder and CEO of Megatoys, an international toy manufacturer headquartered in Los Angeles. He has invested and developed numerous real estate projects in the Arts District, Toys District, and Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. He has often been credited for his pioneering role in revitalizing the once neglected industrial part of Downtown Los Angeles.

Charlie has served on a number of government commissions and civic and non-profit boards. He currently chairs the Los Angeles Workforce Development Board, overseeing the nation’s second largest workforce development and job training system. He was first appointed by Mayor Bradley to this body and has been reappointed by four successive mayors as the commission president. Under his leadership, the Los Angeles workforce development system has been regarded as a national model for innovative approaches to reach out and prepare the vulnerable populations for good paying jobs in the growth industries of the region.

He is also the Vice Chair of the Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans. He is a former Chairman of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, being the first Asian American to lead this prestigious civic organization. He has also served on the California Commission For Economic Development and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.

Charlie is an immigrant from Hong Kong. He received his BS and MS degrees in Physics from UCLA. He has two sons and resides with his wife in Pasadena, California.

Ralph Barnes, VICE CHAIR

Consultant

Ralph is a Korean adoptee and dedicated father with a passion for supporting our local communities and future generations. Ralph is currently consulting for one of Los Angeles’ largest talent agencies as they undergo a significant digital transformation of their IT systems and applications to revolutionize the way in which they use and monetize data.

Ralph has over twenty years in business operations, commercial property management, and development.

In his most recent roles as the general manager of Beverly Center and Los Angeles Union Station, Ralph Barnes was responsible for overseeing all functions related to the daily operations including retailer and community relations, marketing, and sponsorship, as well as continuing to play a key role in high-profile leasing initiatives. Past board appointments include the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and the West Hollywood Travel & Tourism.

James Hsu, Legal Counsel

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs

James Hsu leads the corporate finance group of the Los Angeles office of Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP. James represents clients in a broad range of corporate finance and securities matters including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity offerings, joint ventures, public finance transactions, tax exempt financing, fund formation, and private equity/venture capital transactions.

James has particular experience representing clients in complex multijurisdictional acquisition and divestiture transactions. Fluent in Spanish and Chinese, James has focused on practices in Latin America and the Greater China region. Over the last two decades, he has represented numerous clients in inbound and outbound matters involving jurisdictions such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Spain, Australia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam.

In addition to his cross-border corporate transactional practice, James also has extensive litigation experience representing clients in US federal and state court actions, arbitrations and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

James was selected by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) as one of the Best Lawyers under 40 in 2005. He has been consistently recognized as a Southern California Rising and Star and Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles magazine from 2004 to 2011. In 2007, James received the California Lawyer’s Angel Award for outstanding pro bono service.

James serves on the boards of Asian Business League (ABL), Center of Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE), Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and UCLA Department of Political Science.

Wen Hong, Treasurer  

Principal, Pacific Rim Advisory  

Over the past 30 years, Wen Hong has been involved in the banking, financial, investment, public service and food service industries and is recognized as an influential advisor and expert for companies doing business between China and the United States.   He served as Senior Advisor for the Global Advisory Committee of Redwood Securities.

Wen previously served as California State Deputy Treasurer.  During the earlier part of his state government service, he was in charge of the Health and Education Financing Authorities responsible for the approval of billions of state tax exempt bonds for non-profit healthcare institutions such as Kaiser Permanente and Catholic Healthcare System and educational institutions such as the University of Southern California.  Later, he was appointed head of the Investment Division of the Treasurer’s office responsible for investing billions of State revenue in short term fixed income securities.  Wen also represented the Treasurer on the governing board of both the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement system (CalSTRS) responsible for the oversight of both investment funds with a combined asset total of over $175 billion.

Wen also served as Senior Executive of Panda Restaurant Group, which operates over 1500 Panda Express stores in the US and Mexico. He is a Senior Advisor for the Beijing based China Global Advisory, Ltd.

Ben Wong, Secretary

Public Affairs Consultant

Ben Wong is a public affairs professional with nearly three decades of experience in business, community, political, inter-governmental, and public utility fields. Ben currently works as a Board Consultant to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board Member, representing the 34-city Los Angeles County Eastern Region.

Ben is past Executive Director of the Industry Manufacturers Council, where he revitalized programming and advocacy in support of 3,000 businesses in the East San Gabriel Valley. Before that, Ben was a Local Public Affairs Region Director for Southern California Edison, managing the governmental and community relations with a portfolio of cities in the Los Angeles County region of the utility’s 50,000-square-mile service area. Ben also served as Executive Director for the Los Angeles County Division of the League of California Cities, coordinating the League’s local programs for municipal officials within the County. Prior to working for the League, Ben served for three years on the League’s statewide Board of Directors.

Ben has served as Assistant to California Board of Equalization Member John Chiang and as general manager of the Great Wall Restaurant in West Covina, where Ben was a three-term member of the City Council, from 1992 to 2005. When an unexpected Council vacancy occurred in early 2015, Ben was appointed to serve a seven-month interim appointment on the West Covina City Council, until a successor was elected in the November election.

Beside his longtime service on the Board of Directors for CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment), Ben currently serves as Treasurer of the San Gabriel Valley Public Affairs Network and is the Council of Governments’ appointee to the San Gabriel Valley Service Council for Metro (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority). Additionally, Ben is a member of the USC Dornsife Alumni Advisory Council and the Board of Directors for The Learning Centers at Fairplex.

With more than 30 years of community service, Ben has previously served on the boards of directors for numerous community and nonprofit organizations, including BizFed (Los Angeles County Business Federation), USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association, Foothill Transit, San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, Citrus Valley Medical Center Foundation, Mt. San Antonio College Foundation, and West Covina Chamber of Commerce.

Ben earned his bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Southern California, where he and his wife met as students. Ben and Debbie are parents to a daughter and two sons, all USC Trojan alumni.

Tami Bui, Board Member

Senior Government Affairs Manager, Turo

Tami Bui is currently a Senior Government Affairs Manager for Turo, based in San Francisco. Turo is the world’s largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace and Tami is responsible for states in the Western region which include Hawaii, Oregon and Utah. In her role, she shares Turo’s vision of increasing economic opportunity for everyday people who represent a rich diversity of demographics. Regulating this industry remains unchartered territory, which means she is constantly thinking of new ways to connect with policymakers and bring this story to life.

Tami has community and government affairs experience in private and public sectors. She previously served as the Associate Vice President of Government and Community Relations for California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), in her hometown of Orange County. CSUF is the largest CSU in the system with over 40,000 students and represent the amazing opportunity to many, like Tami, who are first generation college students.

Prior to CSUF, she served as the head of Corporate Philanthropy for Southern California Edison (SCE). In her ten years with SCE, she held various roles ranging from Local Public Affairs to Corporate Communications. In all of her roles, she was committed to serving the communities in which the company served.

Before joining SCE, Tami worked in Sacramento for several members of the California State Legislature including the former Senator Tom Torlakson and the former Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata and now Congressmembers Judy Chu and Lou Correa.

Tami received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UC Irvine. She and her husband currently live in the Bay Area with their two children who keep her active and continue to motivate her commitment to public service and civic engagement.

Wendy Greuel, Board Member

Commissioner, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

A working mom and lifelong Angeleno, Wendy attended LA public schools and graduated from UCLA. Wendy started her career in public service working for her mentor, former Mayor Tom Bradley, where for ten years she worked on a wide range of public policy issues including child care, senior care homelessness, housing, public health and education.

While in Mayor Bradley’s office, Wendy was a leader in the creation of LA’s BEST, a nationally recognized after school program that provides a safe and supervised environment for children after school, and helped found the city's first childcare center.

Wendy’s commitment to affordable housing led her to Washington D.C., where she served in President Clinton’s administration as the Deputy Director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness and later as the Southern California Regional Director at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In 1997, Wendy transitioned into the private sector, working for five years in the film industry as an executive at DreamWorks SKG. She provided strategic guidance in their civic and philanthropic efforts in the Los Angeles Region.

In 2002, Wendy was elected to the Los Angeles City Council and quickly developed an impressive record of accomplishment by creating jobs, preserving open space and reducing traffic congestion.

In 2009, Wendy was elected City Controller, becoming only the second woman in LA’s history elected to citywide office. As Controller, she brought a laser focus to examining government finances ensuring our taxpayer dollars were spent efficiently and she brought greater transparency to government.

In 2013, Wendy was engaged by the Orange County Discovery Science Center to help open their new facility, Discovery Cube LA, in the San Fernando Valley. She is providing strategic advice on Board development, fundraising and civic engagement for Discovery Cube L.A.

In addition, in 2016, Wendy was appointed as an Executive in Residence and Strategic Advisor at the California State University Northridge Nazarian College of Business and Economics.

She currently serves on the LAHSA Commission working on homeless issues, as Co-Chair of the LAUSD Task Force, as a member of the Women And Girls Initiative Governing Council, and on the boards of Emily’s List, , Emerge CA, East Valley YMCA, Oakwood School, Discovery Cube L.A., Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project, CAUSE, ABODE, Pico Union Project, Homeland Security Advisory Council, UCLA Luskin Advisory Board and on the L.A. Kings Business Advisory Board.

Wendy and her husband Dean are the proud parents of Thomas, who is a high school freshman.

Victor King, Board Member

Legal Counsel, California State University, Los Angeles

Victor King has been the University Counsel at Cal State Los Angeles since 2002. He is a member of the Human Resources Team, and is the Office of General Counsel’s resource attorney for Disability/ADA, Benefits, and Intellectual Property. He also is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Government.

Before becoming an education attorney, he was a Partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith in Los Angeles, specializing in business and professional liability litigation. From 1997 to 2009, Victor was a thrice-elected member of the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees. More recently, he has served as an appointee to the California Law Revision Commission (where he was the Chair in 2015-2016 and is again in 2019-2020) and the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (from 2010 to 2013).

Adam Ma, Board member

Director, Commission Appointments & Special Projects, Executive Office, Office of Mayor Karen Bass

Previously, Adam was a Community Relations Manager in External Affairs with the Southern California Gas Company since 2015.

Prior to that, Adam was a Senior Political Advisor to Congressman and Chairman Xavier Becerra of the House Democratic Caucus and formally with CA Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León, CA State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, and Los Angeles City Council Member Wendy Greuel. He also has a background in political and campaign experiences with Jeff Prang for Los Angeles County Assessor, Judy Chu for Congress and the LA County Federation of Labor. He is active in our communities serving on the Board of Directors with Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE), Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Los Angeles (Chinatown) and on the advisory boards with the Korean American Coalition and Friends of the Chinese American Museum.

Adam has a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Texas, Dallas and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from California State University, Northridge.

Dan Schnur, Board Member

Professor, University of Southern California

Dan Schnur is a Professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications and the University of California –Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies. He is the Director for the “California Influencers” project, a statewide program in which 60 of the state’s foremost experts in politics, policy and government discuss the 2018 campaign on a regular basis through the November election.

He has been teaching courses in politics, communications and leadership at UC-Berkeley since 1996 and at USC since 2004. Dan has also taught at the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics at Harvard University and George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. He is the founder of the USC/LA Times statewide political poll.

Previously, Dan worked on four presidential and three gubernatorial campaigns as one of California’s leading political strategists. He served as the national Director of Communications for the 2000 presidential campaign of U.S. Senator John McCain and was the chief media spokesman for California Governor Pete Wilson. In 2010, Dan was appointed Chairman of the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), where he implemented groundbreaking campaign finance disclosure requirements. Dan also was a founder and cochairman of the Voices of Reform project, the bi-partisan statewide effort whose work laid the foundation for California’s landmark redistricting reform.

After completing his FPPC term, Dan registered as a No Party Preference voter and launched Fixing California, an organization dedicated to campaign finance and political reform. In 2014, Dan ran for statewide office as a non-partisan candidate for California Secretary of State.Dan has been an advisor to the William & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Broad Education Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the James Irvine Foundation, the Public Policy Institute of California and the Stuart Foundation on a variety of K-12 education and college and workforce preparedness efforts.

Dan’s commentaries have appeared in several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. In addition, he has been an analyst and political commentator for CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and National Public Radio. Dan is a graduate of the American University in Washington, D.C.

Tammy Tran, Board Member

Senior Manager for Government Relations, Southern California Edison

Tammy Tran is a Senior Manager for Community Engagement, Local Public Affairs, Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. Tammy has also served as a Senior Community Liaison at SCE. She had responsibility for developing, maintaining, and enhancing strategic engagement and partnerships with community stakeholders across SCE’s 50,000 square mile service territory. In this role, she also served as a strategist to inform SCE’s senior management about important matters that impact diverse communities including the Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities. Tammy currently serves as the President for SCE’s Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group, called Asian Society for Cultural Exchange, Networking, & Development (ASCEND). ASCEND was established in 2016 to promote workforce diversity, employee engagement, and leadership development for API employees.

Tammy has over 15 years of experience working in government, election campaigns, media, and grassroots nonprofit organizations. Prior to coming to SCE, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director for a California State Senator in central Orange County. She has also served as a campaign manager, executive director for a nonprofit, which she helped start, policy advisor to a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, and field representative for a California State Assembly Member. Tammy has also worked as a co-host for a weekly bilingual television program aimed at bringing government closer to the people.

Tammy is a strong supporter of youth leadership development and civic participation. She regularly volunteers to help local high schools and nonprofits with career coaching, mentoring, and internship placements. She is an active board member of Orange County Youth, Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking, and the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment.

A proud product of Orange County public schools, Tammy earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with a minor in Health Communications and Masters in Public Administration. Both degrees are from the University of Southern California. Tammy and her husband live in Little Saigon and are the doting parents of two active toddlers, Annalise-Quynh & Viet-Zander.

Robert Yap, Board Member

Vice President of Gen Mobile, Dish Networks

CEO, Gen Mobile

Robert Yap is the CEO of Gen Mobile, Inc., a telecommunications company which provides wireless services to consumers starting at just $5 per month. Gen Mobile provides all consumers affordable wireless service options and helps bridge the digital divide for the 30% of Americans that have limited access to the internet. Prior to founding Gen Mobile, Mr. Yap was an executive at several telecommunications companies and was a corporate attorney at McDermott, Will & Emory.

Mr. Yap has served on several nonprofit boards including as chairman of the Asian Pacific Community Fund (“APCF”), a non-profit that has raised over $5,000,000 for distribution to non-profits that serve communities in Los Angeles; and as a current board member of Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (“CAUSE”), a non-profit dedicated to politically empowering the Asian Pacific American community. He also held leadership positions at Project by Project and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; and served in Americorps at Public Allies Chicago.

Mr. Yap received his B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and his J.D., with honors, from George Washington University School of Law.