2016 Ascend National Convention & Career Fair

© 2016 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. | 1511-1742972 MW ASCEND | ED None.

What legacy will
you create?

At EY, inclusiveness is the way we leverage our
differences to achieve better business results, creating
an environment where all of our people know they are
valued. We believe that when differences are celebrated,
talented people from all backgrounds have the chance
to develop, advance and make more meaningful
contributions to our culture and our clients.

We are proud to work with the innovators and game-
changers of today to create new legacies for the world.
Through a career at EY, you will become the builders of
legacy — for our clients, our communities and yourselves.

Join our talent community: tinyurl.com/ASCEND16 or
contact Tonika Hammonds at [email protected]
or Tina Thompkins at [email protected].

ANDREA CHUNG

Producer
Andrea Chung is the founder of Bowery Hills, an independent development and production company. She’s
also a film executive for Korean gaming giant Smilegate, where she oversees the film adaptation of the most
concurrently played game in the world, “Crossfire.” Her goal is to grow the film division of Smilegate to be
equivalent to that of Hasbro Studios. Her recent credits include: “Heartbeats,” a cross cultural romance she just
wrapped in India directed by Duane Adler (the Creator of “Save the Last Dance” and the “Step-Up” franchise),
IFC’s “The Damned” starring Peter Facinelli, Wes Craven’s “The Girl in the Photographs” starring Kal Penn,
Benson Lee’s “Seoul Searching” and PBS TV Special “Soar.”

KAREN CHUNG

Senior Manager, Protiviti; Vice President, Ascend Los Angeles Metro Chapter
Karen Chung has more than ten years of experience providing advisory services to clients in internal audit, risk
assessment, organizational and business process effectiveness/improvement at EY and currently at Protiviti.
Karen is the Vice President of Professional Development and External Affairs at Ascend LA Metro Chapter.
She has dedicated herself to the Chapter since 2013, and finds fulfillment through leading D&I efforts at her
organizations to bring value to the community. She also chaired the 2016 LA Inspiring Across Generations gala
on June 4, 2016. Karen has a BS in Accounting and Accounting Information Systems at USC and holds a CPA
license.

NIRAJ DHOTE

Director, Product Management, Praxair
Niraj Dhote is Director of Product Management with Praxair, Inc.’s U.S. Industrial Gases business. Niraj
joined Praxair in 2007 and has held leadership positions in strategic planning, management, procurement, and
product management. He has handled a wide range of responsibilities – from conceptualizing business ideas
to implementation – accelerating growth and building the organization. Before joining Praxair, Niraj worked
as a consultant with ABG Inc. in Indianapolis and in sales with several leading organizations in India. He has
an undergraduate degree in engineering from Nagpur University, India, and a master’s degree in business
management from the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University.

PATSY DOERR

Global Head, Corporate Responsibility and Inclusion, Thomson Reuters
Patsy Doerr is the Global Head of Corporate Responsibility and Inclusion for Thomson Reuters. In this role,
she is responsible for overseeing the company’s corporate social responsibility, diversity & inclusion and
sustainability functions. Patsy has over 20 years of experience in talent, learning, organizational development,
diversity and inclusion, employee recognition and customer engagement mainly in investment banking. She has
held a number of global leadership roles at JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, in New York, London
and most recently, Hong Kong.

KIM DRUMGO

Director, Diversity & Inclusion, AICPA
Kim Drumgo is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives for the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants. In her role at the AICPA, she is responsible for working with universities, state CPA societies,
specialty CPAs and accounting organizations throughout the nation to develop best practices in the recruitment,
retention and advancement of minorities in the accounting profession. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the
National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. Kim holds a BS degree from UNC Chapel Hill in public health
and an MBA from the University of Maryland. Kim has been recognized by journals such as The Network Journal
and Profiles of Diversity Journal for her leadership in diversity and inclusion.

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SANDRA ENDO

Television news correspondent, KTTV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News
Sandra Endo is a television news correspondent on KTTV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News. Sandra covers breaking
news and feature reports for Good Day LA. She moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles after spending
most of her career on the East Coast. Previously, she worked for CNN based in Washington DC. Her stories
have appeared on prime time shows such as AC360 with Anderson Cooper and the Situation Room with
Wolf Blitzer. She also reported on the devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, as well as
the international conflicts in Egypt and the U.S involvement in Libya. Sandra is an active member of the Asian
American Journalists Association.

DREW FARIES

Director, Management Consulting, RSM
Drew is a digital thought leader with over seventeen years of consulting experience working with management
teams across financial services, government, nonprofit and healthcare industries. He has strong international
experience having lived and worked across North America, Europe and most recently the Asia Pacific
region. His project experience extends from strategy definition to lead delivery roles on multi-year business
transformations in excess of $1b. Drew has proven experience leading and motivating teams, working with
senior executives and presenting at the Board level. His approach to consulting is pragmatic, collaborative and
driven by a genuine curiosity to find a better way.

MICHAEL FUNG

Former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Wal-Mart US
Michael Fung retired from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in 2011 after 11 years as their Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer for Wal-Mart U.S. In that capacity, Michael was responsible for strategy, merchandising,
operations, real estate, logistics, ecommerce and financial planning. He currently heads the Audit Committee
and is a member of the Board of Directors for 99 Cents Only Stores in L.A. and Franklin Covey, Inc. in Salt
Lake City. Michael is also a member of the Committee of 100, The University of Illinois Foundation and a board
member and past Chair of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF).

CRAIG FURUTA

Director, KPMG
Craig Furuta is a Director in KPMG’s Advisory Services practice in Washington DC. Craig has more than 18
years of experience in serving clients in the areas of IT Transformation and Internal Controls. He is a Certified
Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Craig is a proud
alumnus of the University of California San Diego and the University of Michigan.

BUCK GEE

Executive Advisor, Ascend
Buck Gee is a board member of Ascend Northern California and co-founded the Advanced Leadership Program
for Asian American Executives at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Buck retired from Cisco Systems
in 2008, where he served as Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Datacenter Business Unit. He also
serves on the boards of the Angel Island Immigration Station and the Asia Society/Norcal. He is co-chair of the
Donor Advisory Committee for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. He is a member of Committee of
100. He received BS/MSEE degrees from Stanford and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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VIDHYA GILANI

Director, Digital Strategy and Product Management, CIT Group

Vidhya Gilani is a Director and runs Digital Strategy and Product Management at CIT Group. Vidhya joined
CIT Group in July, 2015. Prior to CIT Group, she was at BNY Mellon (2.5 years), JPMorgan (2.5 years), UBS
PaineWebber (2 years), and Citigroup (16 years). Vidhya is a technology and operations executive with over 24
years of experience in the Financial Industry. She has run technology for the following businesses: Mortgages,
Equity Derivatives, Fixed Income Derivatives, Market Risk Management, Prime Brokerage, and Equity Research.
Vidhya holds a computer science degree from Queens College, New York and an MBA from the Stern School of
Business, New York University.

SANDEEP GUPTA

Partner, Deloitte; Vice President of Chapter Affairs, Ascend

Sandeep Gupta is an Audit Partner in the New York office of Deloitte. Sandeep has over 23 years of experience
serving companies in the financial services industry including broker dealers, banks and asset management firms.
He specializes in performing reviews of risk management, trading, regulatory, and operations areas. Prior to his
move to New York in 1998, Sandeep worked in Deloitte’s offices in Toronto, Canada and Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates, and at an accounting firm in India. Sandeep is a US CPA and is certified by the Chartered Institute
of Management Accountants, UK, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants, India. He serves on the National
Board of Ascend.

S. K. GUPTA

Managing Director & Co-Founder, Ascend Pinnacle

S. K. Gupta currently leads Ascend’s Corporate Board Initiative, Pinnacle, with the goal of increasing the number
of Asian Americans on Public Company Boards. A Charter Member of TiE, he also serves on the Board of Asian
& Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) and has served on other Boards, including the Sandia
National Laboratories, Bay Area Council and San Jose Museum of Art. S. K. retired from Lockheed Martin Space
Systems Company as Vice President of Operations. He is a recognized expert on leading change and developing
minority leadership, and has been quoted in various national media. In 2010, he was awarded the Ellis Island
Medal of Honor.

CAROL HAMASAKI

Director, Talent Acquisition, NBCUniversal

Carol is Director, Talent Acquisition for Corporate Functions at NBCUniversal. She leads a team of talent
advisors specializing in recruiting talent in finance, accounting, research & strategy, as well as legal and Human
Resources areas across NBCUniversal. Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Carol spent three years at PwC recruiting
talent in audit, advisory and tax services for PwC Asia. Carol is passionate about diversity and is actively involved
with many external diversity organizations including Ascend, ALPFA, and National Hispanic MBA. She is the
leader for diversity initiatives in Talent Acquisition at NBCUniversal, identifying and partnering with various
organizations to help meet hiring and diversity needs of the business.

WES HOM

Former Vice President & Managing Director, IBM; Co-Developer, Advanced Leadership Program at Stanford
University; Vice President of External Affairs, Ascend

Wes was formerly an IBM Vice President & Managing Director in the Systems and Technology Group with
global responsibilities for overall execution of IBM’s high end server investments, strategies, sales and emerging
markets initiatives. He held various global line executive positions and was also the Executive Assistant in IBM’s
corporate office serving the Chairman, Vice Chairman, CEO, CFO and SVP of Human Resources. He also
chaired IBM’s Asian Diversity group. Today, Wes advises global corporations on business development, diversity,
and leadership development. He is a graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business.

54 C O N N E C T. I N S P I R E . A S C E N D.



Connect With Us: Copyright © 2016 Accenture. All rights reserved.

Experience that sets you apart

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Bring your unique strengths to Accenture and become part of our collaborative and inclusive team.
Begin your journey: accenture.com/diversity

MICHAEL HUANG

Deputy Editor, ESPN.com
Michael Huang is a Deputy Editor for ESPN, heading up content and logistics for ESPN China. Michael previously
served as the NBA editor for ESPN Insider, ESPN’s premium content, working with Chad Ford, Jay Bilas,
Jalen Rose and George Karl. Prior to ESPN, Michael worked in the Chicago Cubs front office for 11 seasons as
manager of publications and enjoyed a freelance career covering high school and college baseball and mixed
martial arts (UFC). He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Marquette and a Master’s degree from DePaul.

ROBERT M. IRITANI

Executive Vice President, Specialty Banking Division, Orange County Regional Executive, City National Bank
Robert Iritani is Executive Vice President and manager of City National Bank’s Specialty Banking Division.
He also serves as the regional executive for City National’s Orange County Region. He assumed his current
position in July 2006, and is a member of the bank’s Executive Committee. Robert oversees a team of more
than 140 banking professionals in the Structured Finance, Syndications, Capital Finance, International Banking
and Trade Finance, Foreign Exchange, Interest Rate Risk Management, Healthcare, Franchise Finance, Mortgage
Warehouse Lending and Municipal Finance departments. Under his leadership, Specialty Banking has become
one of the bank’s most successful divisions. He also is the executive sponsor of City National’s Multicultural
Mentoring Program and the bank’s Toastmasters International club, CityMasters.

BALA IYER

Board Director, IHS, QLogic
Bala Iyer has served on public company boards since 2001 and currently serves on the board of I H S (NYSE), a
leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas shaping today’s business landscape; QLogic,
a provider of high performance server and storage networking infrastructure products; Skyworks Solutions, an
S&P 500 company, which is an innovator of high performance analog semiconductors and Power Integrations,
a high voltage power conversion integrated circuit company. As a board member, Bala has overseen more than
50 acquisitions and divestitures valued at over $25 billion and has overseen over $5 billion in equity and debt
financing.

ASA KALAMA

Executive Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering
Asa Kalama is an Executive Creative Director for Walt Disney Imagineering, where he oversees the development
of interactive experiences and one of the signature attractions for the recently announced Star Wars Lands. He
started his career with Walt Disney Imagineering more than 10 years ago as an Associate R&D Imagineer and
has since contributed his technical and creative talents to the Parks & Resorts, Consumer Products, and Media
Networks business segments. Asa has a Bachelor’s degree from UCLA’s school of Theater, Film, and Television.

BIMAL S. KAPADIA

Senior Director, ESPN FC
Bimal Kapadia is Senior Director, ESPN FC, ESPN’s global football (soccer) property, where he manages
business and strategy operations. He leads the digital execution, monetization, innovation and integration for
ESPN’s soccer coverage including the UEFA EURO 2016. Bimal joined ESPN in 2005 as senior manager of ESPN
Mobile and has worked on the network’s mobile publishing business, ESPN Fantasy and ESPN3/WatchESPN,
ESPN UK’s digital offering and ESPN GOALS. He also served as senior director, international digital media.
Prior to joining ESPN, Bimal held a senior consultant role at Acumen Solutions. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in
economics from the College of William & Mary.

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TARIQ KHAN

Chief Executive Officer, Global Diversity Marketing
Tariq Khan is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Global Diversity Marketing, a New York based management
consulting firm focused on executive consulting in marketing strategy, diversity and social media. His client list
includes major Fortune companies. Tariq has had a distinguished twenty-year career, mostly working at global
Fortune companies including MetLife, Nationwide, and ING. He has held several senior management roles with
major Fortune companies. Tariq serves on the Board of Directors for leading organizations including Asian
& Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies and
Ascend, and is a Board of Trustee for Stratford University. Tariq is also an adjunct professor of marketing and
public relations at New York University.

KIMO KIPPEN

Chief Learning Officer, Hilton Worldwide
Kimo Kippen is Chief Learning Officer at Hilton Worldwide. CLO Magazine recently named him CLO of the
Year. Kimo was selected as the chairman of the board of directors for the Asian & Pacific Islander American
Scholarship Fund (APIASF) of which Hilton Worldwide is a founding member. He also sits on the board for
the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and is actively involved with Business Champions as
a representative for Hilton Worldwide. Kimo has served as the chairman of the board of the Association for
Talent Development and is a member of the organization’s Public Policy Council.

JOANNE KO

Vice President of Internal Audit, Tutor Perini
JoAnne is the Vice President of Internal Audit for Tutor Perini, a $5B engineering construction company based in
Los Angeles, California. She is responsible for leading the internal audit organization, leading the Company’s due
diligence efforts, assisting the AC Chair in managing the Company’s whistleblower hotline program, reviewing
the Company’s quarterly 302 disclosure statements and working with external auditors on SOX 404 compliance
requirements. She also serves on the Corporate Compliance Committee and is the Secretary of the Audit
Committee. Previously, JoAnne spent 11 years at PwC in the Assurance and Advisory groups. JoAnne received
her BS in Accounting from the University of Southern California.

SUDHIR KONDISETTY

Principal, RSM US
Sudhir Kondisetty leads RSM’s Philadelphia region risk advisory practice. In addition, he serves as the office
managing partner of the Philadelphia office and also the firm’s northeast leader of Culture, Diversity, and
Inclusion. Sudhir holds a number of industry certifications in the area of internal audit and IT security. He has
published articles and spoken extensively at conferences in the areas of risk management and IT security.
Additionally, Sudhir is active in the community, volunteering for charity organizations including board
membership. He has a computer science degree from Bucknell University.

C. G. KUM

President & Chief Executive Officer, Hanmi Financial Corporation and Hanmi Bank
C. G. Kum has been in commercial banking for 39 years with banks in California and Colorado. Since June 2013,
he has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hanmi Financial Corporation and its subsidiary Hanmi
Bank. Previously, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of First California Financial Group and its
subsidiary First California Bank for 14 years. He has served on numerous boards of non-profit organizations
including United Way, Boy Scouts and Casa Pacifica Center for at-risk youth. He received his BA from the
University of California, Berkeley, MBA from Pepperdine University and Graduate degree in banking from
Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

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SYLVIA P. KWAN

Director, Recology; Board Chair, Kwan Henmi Architecture & Planning
Sylvia P. Kwan has served as a Director of Recology, a private ESOP Company, since December 2002. Sylvia
founded the award-winning firm, Kwan Henmi Architecture & Planning Inc., in 1980. Some of her major projects in
San Francisco include the Central Subway project, several major projects at San Francisco International Airport,
multi-family residential towers such as Paramount, Arterra, and Panoramic, and Moscone West Convention Center.
Sylvia served as Chair of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Board in 2000, and as Director of the American
Institute of Architects National Board from 1996 to 1998. She was appointed to the California Architects Board by
Governor Jerry Brown in 2013. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

ANOOP LALL

Assurance Director, PwC
Anoop Lall, PwC Assurance Director has over 12 years of experience serving financial services clients who are
active participants in securitization, issuance, surveillance, valuation and compliance. His specialty includes financial
modeling and financial/operational analysis for various types of Fixed Income Securities relating to Asset Backed
Securities, Municipals and Corporate Loans. He has extensive experience in leading teams to focus on executing,
structuring, and analyzing these instruments. Anoop is a Chartered Accountant from India, licensed as a California
and NY CPA and a member of the American Institute of CPAs. He earned his MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship
from University of San Francisco.

SHEENA LAM

Audit Senior Manager, KPMG
Sheena is an Audit Senior Manager in the KPMG Los Angeles office. She has 13 years of experience in providing
high quality US GAAP and ICOFR services to clients, ranging from integrated audits of large public filers to financial
statement audits of start-ups, particularly in the Technology, Media and Entertainment industries. Sheena is the
Executive Vice President of the Ascend LA Metro chapter and an APIN champion at KPMG. She graduated with first
class honors from London School of Economics with a BSc in Accounting, and also has a MA in Risk Management
from University of Nottingham.

CHRISTOPHER LEE

Partner, FAA Investments
Chris is a board director with expertise in financial markets, risk management and leadership development.
Currently, he is an independent director with Matthews Funds, the largest US Mutual Fund with a dedicated focus in
Asia and the Asian Masters Fund Ltd (ASX: AUF), listed in Sydney, Australia. Additionally, Chris is a Partner at FAA
Investments, a private firm focusing in real estate & alternative investments. Previously, Chris was Managing Director
and divisional & regional heads at Deutsche Bank, UBS AG and Merrill Lynch. He has over 20 years of markets
experience in providing sales & trading to institutional clients. He holds a BSME and MBA from UC Berkeley.

MICHELLE K. LEE

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark
Office
As Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property (IP) and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, Michelle Lee is the chief executive of one of the largest IP offices in the world. She also serves as principal
advisor to the President on IP policy. Previously, Michelle was Deputy General Counsel for Google, partner at
Fenwick & West, and computer programmer at MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. She holds degrees from MIT
and Stanford. Michelle was recognized as one of the top 100 most influential women in Silicon Valley and top 50 Most
Influential Visionaries in American public policy.

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BETTY LO

Vice President of Community Alliances & Consumer Engagement, Nielsen
Betty Lo is Vice President of Community Alliances & Consumer Engagement and works with community leaders,
media, entertainment and consumer businesses to promote Nielsen’s insights, philanthropic, and public affairs
initiatives. She serves as the thought leader on the growing impact of multicultural consumers and leads Nielsen’s
multicultural advertising initiatives across African-American, Hispanic, and Asian Americans. Betty has over 20 years
of experience leading multinational CPGs including The Coca-Cola Company and Newell Brands and is an active
community leader and currently serves on the national board of NAAAP, ACE and APIASF’s advisory board. Betty
graduated from Wesleyan and from the Executive MBA program at Emory University.

PETER LOO

Acting Chief Information Officer at Los Angeles County Office of the Chief Information Officer
Peter Loo is the Acting Chief Information Officer of County of Los Angeles. With over 30 years of public sector IT
experience, he provides strategy, leadership and guidance on enterprise IT initiatives, IT governance and the delivery
of information technology capabilities. Previously, Peter served as Program Lead for the eGovernment Program,
where he was responsible for the development of eGovernment strategies and the deployment of a shared portal
platform. Prior to joining the County, he was Director of Consulting Services for CGI Group Inc. Peter holds an MBA
from the Anderson School of Management and a BS in Chemical Engineering from UCLA.

TING LUO

Senior Associate, PwC
Ting Luo is a Senior Associate in the Assurance practice at PwC LLP where she provides financial audit services to
various asset management clients, including mutual funds, private equity companies and investment advisors. Ting
obtained her BS in Accounting from University of Southern California, where she co-founded and served as the
first President of Ascend USC Student Chapter, the very first student chapter in the Southern California region.
Currently, she remains active in the Ascend Los Angeles Professional Chapter as a member and volunteer.

LINH LUU

Manager, Technology Forensic Services, KPMG; Secretary, Ascend Los Angeles Metro Chapter
Linh Luu is a manager at KPMG in the Forensic Technology Services practice in the Seal Beach office. She has 10
years of experience leading and managing eDiscovery projects across a broad range of cases including federal
criminal investigations, antitrust and patent litigation, DOJ and SEC investigations, and product liability lawsuits. Linh
is also the co-leader of KPMG’s Asian Pacific Islander Network for the Los Angeles office and enjoys planning and
promoting a variety of professional development and social networking outings for the Southern California APIN
members. Linh also serves on the board for Ascend Los Angeles Metro Chapter.

FIONA MA

Chairwoman of California State Board of Equalization
Chairwoman Fiona Ma was elected to the State Board of Equalization (SBOE) on Nov 4, 2014. She is the first
woman and only the second CPA to serve on the SBOE since the board formed in 1879. Prior to SBOE, she
served as Majority Whip and then became the first Asian woman to ever serve as Speaker pro Tempore since
1850 representing the 12th Assembly District. The SBOE is the only elected tax board in America. Chairwoman
Ma represents the 2nd District which serves close to 10 million people in 23 counties from the Oregon border to
Santa Barbara County. Chairwoman Ma received her BS from the Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), her MS
in Taxation from Golden Gate University (SF), and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She has been licensed in
California as a CPA since 1992.

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Joe Kanjamala and the Partners and Principals at
Marks Paneth LLP are honored to support the

9th Annual Ascend National Convention & Career Fair
Best wishes for a successful event!

It all adds up. ®

#33 What you do makes
you who you are.

KEVIN MA

Senior Manager, International Tax Services, EY
Kevin Ma is a CPA and an international tax senior manager with EY based in Irvine, California. He has been a
member of EY’s Pan Asian Pacific American affinity group for 10 years and leads the local Orange County chapter in
hosting diversity and inclusiveness events to help grow future minority leaders within the firm. Kevin has moderated
a number of EY D&I events. He is a graduate from the University of Southern California with a BS in Accountancy
and a MSc in Taxation.

AEISHA MASTAGNI

Portfolio Manager, Corporate Governance, CalSTRS
Aeisha Mastagni is a Portfolio Manager within the Corporate Governance Unit of the California State Teachers’
Retirement System (CalSTRS), the nation’s largest teacher retirement fund. She is responsible for working with
a governance team to further CalSTRS’ mission to secure the financial future and sustain the trust of California’s
educators. Aeisha’s main areas of focus are the corporate engagement program, executive compensation, selecting
and monitoring managers in the activist manager portfolio, and working with regulatory authorities on market-wide
issues. Most recently, Aeisha was named one of the “40 Under 40, Freshest Talent at the World’s Largest Asset
Owners” by aiCIO Magazine, for the second year in a row.

S. SINGH MECKER

Principal, Global and US Alliances Leader & US Advisory Innovation Leader, KPMG
S. Singh Mecker heads KPMG’s strategic alliances globally, as well as the US Advisory Innovation portfolio. In
his Innovation role, S. Singh oversees new services investments, development and launch for KPMG Advisory.
Additionally, S. Singh has global responsibility for KPMG’s firm-wide alliance portfolio with market leading companies,
overseeing the creating and launch of new alliances. Prior to KPMG, S. Singh was a Senior Vice President at SAP
AG, overseeing SAP’s global ecosystem and partnerships organization. His prior experience includes product
management and consulting roles at Oracle, PeopleSoft and KPMG Consulting as well as founder & Chief Executive
Officer of Valdero, a venture-backed software company.

JENNY MING

President & Chief Executive Officer, Charlotte Russe
Jenny Ming is President & Chief Executive Officer of Charlotte Russe Inc. She was President of Old Navy and held
various executive roles over her 20 year tenure at Gap, Inc. Business Week named Jenny one of the nation’s top
25 managers in 2000. In 2003 and 2004, Fortune listed her as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in American
Business.” Jenny serves on the boards of Levi Strauss & Co, Paper Source, San Jose State’s Tower Board and was
previously on the board for Kaiser Permanente and Barneys New York. She graduated from San Jose State University
and received an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters.

M. CHRIS MITCHELL

Vice Chair & Board Director, Marshall & Stevens
M. Chris Mitchell is a Director of Parsons Corporation, a global engineering, construction, and professional services
firm; Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corporation (NYSE:WMC), a mortgage REIT; Grandpoint Capital, a private
equity-backed bank holding company; Reis, Inc. (NASDAQ: REIS), a real estate information company; and, Stearns
Holdings, a Blackstone mortgage company. He serves as Vice Chairman of Marshall & Stevens, a national valuation
and financial advisory firm. He is Chairman of the Southern California Chapter of the National Association of
Corporate Directors and has been recognized twice by Directorship magazine as “one of the 100 most influential
people in corporate governance”.

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JIM MOFFATT

Chief Executive Officer, Global Consulting, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited; Deputy Chief Executive Officer,
Deloitte LLP (Deloitte U.S.)
Jim Moffatt is Chief Executive Officer, Global Consulting, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and Deputy Chief
Executive Officer, Deloitte LLP in the U.S. He has served in various senior positions in Deloitte U.S., including
as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Consulting LLP from 2011-2015. Since joining the Deloitte
U.S. practice in 1987, Jim has earned a long-standing reputation for serving clients with distinction from strategy
through execution and developing the next generation of leaders. In addition, he was instrumental in creating the
Deloitte U.S. pro bono program. Jim holds a BA from the University of California at San Diego and an MBA from the
University of California at Los Angeles.

ANNA W. MOK

Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP; Executive Vice President, Ascend
Anna Mok is currently the leader for China & Southeast Asia for Deloitte & Touche LLP which includes the audit
and advisory businesses. In addition she is the financial services leader for the Strategic Risk practice and serves
as a global client leader. She was previously the National Managing Partner, Clients & Client Excellence and the
National Regions Leader. During her 25+ year career at Deloitte, she has served some of its largest and most
prestigious clients in various industries. Anna has received numerous awards and recognitions including The Most
Influential Women Award and the Minority Business Leader Award, and is an active community leader that focuses
on education, economic access, gender and race equality and international business. Anna also serves on numerous
non-profit boards and is a founder of Ascend Pinnacle (The Pan-Asian Corporate Board Initiative) and the Women of
Ascend.

TRISTAN NERY

Manager, KPMG
Tristan Nery is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics and
a minor in Japanese. A former Hill Staffer and Health IT Professional, Tristan has spent the bulk of his career in
Management Consulting with BearingPoint, Deloitte, and KPMG. Tristan is currently assisting large federal clients
with their audit readiness and IT strategy. Tristan has served as a board member on a number of non-profit
organizations, and is currently the EVP for Corporate Outreach with the Greater Washington Chapter of Ascend.
Also known as 9-Volt, Tristan moonlights as a DJ with the Remixologists.

CAROLINE NGUYEN

Franchise Manager, Disney Consumer Products & Interactive
Caroline Nguyen is a franchise manager for the Disney Princess franchise at Disney Consumer Products in Glendale,
CA. Caroline is responsible for all Media Network franchises such as Elena of Avalor. In this role, she develops brand
strategies, marketing partnerships, and retail strategies for key domestic and global partners to drive Disney Princess
licensing business. She received a BS degree in Marketing from the University of San Francisco. Currently, she is
attending University of Southern California (Part-time) for her MBA.

VIKRAM OAK

Director, PwC
Vikram Oak is a Director at PwC who helps organizations better manage financial reporting risks. Over his 12 years
with the firm, he has spent time in the Boston, London and New York offices. He currently works with some of
PwC’s largest banking and insurance clients helping them deal with a number of Board level issues. In addition to his
client service role, Vikram is active in PwC’s Pan Asian Community, a group focused on enabling the professional
growth and networking of Pan Asians. He is also part of Ascend’s New York Metro chapter and serves as an Officer
in the events sub-committee.

2 016 A S C E N D N AT I O N A L C O N V E N T I O N 63

Our success
is driven by
exceptional and
diverse talent

We are proud to
sponsor ASCEND

Enterprise Improvement • Financial Advisory Services • Information Management Services
Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness • Turnaround & Restructuring

www.alixpartners.com/careers

CONSUMER Ascend is a proudAD_0037_Ascend Program Advert_4.25 x 5.5in v1.indd 1 national partner of the Asian 02/06/2016 1

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES American Journalists Association (AAJA) and Asian
AS LIMITLESS AS THE LIVES
YOU’LL TOUCH and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) to
host a historic AAPI Presidential Town Hall in
Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, August 12, 2016.
Ascend will also host a select group of thought

leaders, business leaders and AAPI community at the

first-ever Ascend Thought Leadership Symposium.

PH AR M AC EU T I C AL S “Through Ascend, we can make our impact and
effectiveness as leaders felt beyond our companies
and into the greater community.”

Anna W. Mok
Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP; Executive Vice President, Ascend

M E D I C A L D E V I Cl E S Symposium attendance is by invitation only.

It’s more than a job. It’s a calling. To those who are driven to do something remarkable. Rare.
Contact us for more information: [email protected] or
These are the people we want on our team. People that bring talent and compassion to their work. call 212.248.4888
And these are the ones we empower every day to drive their dynamic careers forward across more
than 275 leading businesses in consumer products, pharmaceuticals and medical technology.
The world’s waiting. Let’s get started.

AMANDA K. PACKEL

Deputy Director, Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance and Co-Director, Stanford Directors’ College

Amanda joined the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance in 2013. She is co-director of Directors’
College, the leading executive education program for board members of publicly traded firms. Amanda serves
on the board of directors of The Thirty Percent Coalition, a national organization promoting gender diversity on
corporate boards, and the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange (SVDX). In addition, Amanda speaks and has published
on various corporate governance topics, including board composition and ethics, and she is co-author of Leadership:
Law, Policy, and Management. Amanda previously practiced law at Covington & Burling and at Orrick, where she
represented individuals and companies in SEC enforcement actions and federal criminal investigations and conducted
internal investigations on behalf of audit committees.

STEVEN M. PAE

Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Operations Officer, CIT Group

Steven M. Pae is Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Operations Officer, Business Capital Technology.
In this role, Steven leads technology and operations for the capital businesses across CIT including Capital
Finance, Commercial Services, Direct Capital, Equipment Finance, and Lender Finance. This includes technology
and operations strategic direction, service delivery and overall alignment of technology and operations services
with business unit goals and objectives. Steven joined CIT in 2013. Prior roles include technology and product
development at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America. Steven serves as a National Board member of
Ascend.

SADAF PARVAIZ

Director, EY

Sadaf Parvaiz is responsible for co-developing and implementing strategies and initiatives supporting the firm’s
efforts to create an inclusive workplace in the US, Canada, and South America. She is the EY Americas lead for the
Professional Women’s Network group and the Diversity and Inclusiveness learning leader. Sadaf received a BBA from
the Schulich School of Business at York University (Canada). She has a CPA designation from CPA Ontario, and holds
a CPA designation in the US. Sadaf’s volunteer activities include her service on Board of Directors of the United Way
of Peel Region as the Secretary and Chair of the Nominations Committee.

DENISE PECK

Executive Advisor, Ascend; Advisor to startups in Silicon Valley

Denise is an Executive Advisor to Ascend, and an advisor to startups in Silicon Valley. Denise co-developed Ascend’s
“Executive Insight for Women”, targeted at helping Pan-Asian women professionals to succeed in their careers. She
co-authored Hidden in Plain Sight: Asian American Leaders in Silicon Valley, the Ascend research report released
in 2015. Denise spent 28 years as a senior marketing executive at Sun Microsystems and Cisco. She was an active
executive sponsor of Cisco’s diversity initiatives. She actively mentors professionals at all career stages. Denise has a
BA degree from U.C. Berkeley, and an MBA from Stanford University.

THOMAS PHELPS IV

Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Chief Information Officer, Laserfiche; President, Ascend Los Angeles Metro
Chapter

Thomas Phelps IV is Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Chief Information Officer at Laserfiche. He is
responsible for corporate strategy and training, vertical marketing, analyst relations and enterprise IT governance.
Previously, Thomas was the national PwC champion for cybersecurity services focused on the entertainment and
media industry. He has co-authored/contributed to five books, and has been cited in CIO Dive, Financial AdvisorIQ,
Philanthropy Journal, Workflow Magazine and others. Along with speaking at the Harvard IT Summit and instructing
the CISA Review Course, Thomas guest lectures at USC and CSULB on security, data analytics and marketing. He is
on the board of UCLA IS Associates and is the President of Ascend Los Angeles Metro Chapter.

2 016 A S C E N D N AT I O N A L C O N V E N T I O N 65

KALPANA RAMAKRISHNAN

Partner, KPMG

Kalpana has over 20 years of broad base advisory experience in aligning information technology strategy with
business strategy, and has assisted several large clients in the areas of business process re-engineering, sourcing
advisory, IT strategy, market entry strategy, security and controls integration for large ERP implementations, project
management, and other advisory projects. She has managed several large transformation projects that involved
organization design, process improvement, and technology changes to achieve strategic business objectives. The
principal goals of these projects were to streamline processes, gain efficiency, and align the various people, process,
and technology components with the organization’s strategic drivers.

ASHWIN RANGAN

Senior Vice President, Engineering and Chief Information Officer, Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN)

Ashwin (“Ash”) Rangan serves as ICANN’s Senior Vice President, Engineering and Chief Information Officer in
ICANN’s Los Angeles hub office. Prior to joining ICANN, he served as the CIO for a variety of companies in
different Industry-verticals, including Edwards LifeSciences, MarketShare, Walmart Inc., Conexant Systems, and
Rockwell International. Ash serves on the Board of a few companies in Southern California. He also lends his time
and talent to the Board of the American Red Cross in Orange County, California; and the Board of the University
of California, Irvine’s Center for Digital Transformation. Ash holds a Master’s degree from National Institute of
Industrial Engineering in Mumbai, India; and a Bachelor’s degree from the Bangalore University, India. He is a long-
standing member of the International MENSA.

JUDY RAVIN

President and Co-Founder, Accents International

Judy Ravin is the President of Accents International, LLC, and creator of two talent development programs: Powerful
Pronunciation and Inclusive Listening - Global Accent Comprehension, collectively known as the Ravin Method®.
These programs minimize language barriers while maintaining each person’s unique cultural identity. Judy has earned
international recognition for helping Fortune 500 corporations promote minority talent and achieve greater team
collaboration. She has been featured in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, DiversityInc.com,
AOL-Daily Finance, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as on CNN.com, NPR, Voice of America, CBS
Radio-National News, and NBC Nightly News.

LAURA E. ROSS

Human Resources Leader/Senior Vice President, Strategy, Enablement & Insights, Wells Fargo & Company

Laura has been a leader in Wells Fargo Bank and affiliates for over 20 years. Her passion at work is to solve for
business challenges together with diverse team members utilizing effective technology solutions. She is a new leader
in Human Resources responsible for strategy, design and governance of Wells Fargo’s HR technology solutions,
processes, products and human capital data. Much of Laura’s career has been in Technology including Technology
Risk Management/Information Security, Distributed System Technologies, Business Continuity, and Supply Chain.
She has a BS degree in Accounting from Arizona State University and an MBA from Regis University.

RENU SACHDEVA

Greater Houston Market Diversity Leader, PwC

Renu advances PwC’s diversity and inclusion strategy as an advisor on employee engagement, education, retention,
and performance management. She leads PwC Houston’s cultural dexterity and inclusion efforts through employee
affinity networks, training, and individual coaching and development. She previously consulted for seven years in
PwC’s Advisory Forensic Technology practice and five years as a Tax Human Capital Manager. Renu is a certified
Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and earned her BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and her MBA
from the University of Houston.

66 C O N N E C T. I N S P I R E . A S C E N D.

AARON SAITO

M&A Controller, Intel Corporation
Aaron Saito is the M&A Controller at Intel Corporation. He is responsible for valuations, financial due diligence,
purchase price accounting and integration activities associated with Intel’s acquisitions. Aaron has participated in
over 75 acquisitions and divestitures during his time with Intel. Prior to joining Intel Corporation in 2012, he was
the Controller at TransBay Cable. Prior to TransBay Cable, Aaron was a Senior Manager at PwC and holds a BA in
Economics and a Masters in Accounting degree from the University of Michigan.

PATRICIA SALAS PINEDA

Group Vice President, Toyota Motor North America; Board Director, Levi Strauss & Co.; Chair, Latino Corporate
Directors Association
Patricia Salas Pineda is an executive at Toyota North America, Inc. and has served in a variety of roles including
General Counsel, the head of communications and philanthropy and now the head of Hispanic Business Strategy.
She currently serves on the boards of Levi Strauss & Co and Frontier Airlines and previously served on the boards of
Anna’s Linens and Eller Media.

STACY SAWIN

Business Technology Analyst, Deloitte
Stacy Sawin is a Business Technology Analyst at Deloitte Consulting LLP with a strong passion for data transparency
and open government. Since graduating from Lehigh University with a dual degree in business and chemical
engineering, Stacy has focused her career on helping U.S. Federal Agencies realize new insights through data-driven
strategies. Stacy is also very involved with diversity and inclusion efforts and continues to serve on the board of
Deloitte’s Greater Washington Area Asian Business Resource Group.

PINTOO SHAH

Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Studio Operations & Global Real Estate, NBCUniversal
Pintoo Shah is a highly experienced executive who possesses strong skills in operational and financial management.
His skills have been honed by his broad-based experiences in operations management, corporate finance, M&A,
and early stage private equity ventures. His varied industry experiences include media and entertainment,
advertising, technology, manufacturing, and consumer products. Pintoo currently is the Chief Financial Officer of
Studio operations within O&TS. He has over 15 years of experience having held several positions of leadership in
companies such as Paramount Pictures, Technicolor, and Johnson & Johnson. Pintoo received his MBA degree from
the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. He earned his BBA degree in Accounting from
Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada and is a CPA.

AMY SHANG

Former Executive Vice President, Strategic Implementation (Regulation), HSBC North America; Board Member,
Ascend
Amy captures a unique blend of business and consulting experience. She has spent over 25 years in the financial
services industry, with significant time spent in front office, support and consulting roles. Amy held key positions
in Strategy at HSBC, including managing a number of high-profile regulatory response programs. Prior to HSBC,
she held positions at Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, Bank of America and MMG Partners. Amy
also serves on a number of not-for-profit boards including Ascend, Hong Kong Association of NY and Suzuki Music
School of Westport. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS from Stanford University. Amy is
passionate about developing leaders and promoting an inclusive workplace.

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CHRIS SIMMONS

Retired Managing Partner and US Board Member, PwC
At PwC, Chris achieved numerous career distinctions, including: only African-American elected to the firm’s
Governing Board since the merger creating PwC in 1998; Managing Partner in charge of the Washington DC/VA/
MD region; Partner-in-Charge, U.S. Corporate Development (mergers/acquisitions); President, PwC Charitable
Foundation; and Chief Diversity Officer, reporting to CEO. As diversity leader, Chris highlighted Asian and Asian-
American issues and was an early Ascend supporter. Currently, as Chief Executive Officer of Moments LLC, he
coaches executives on getting promoted; speaks to audiences on leadership, success, sales and diversity strategies;
and coaches leaders and young executives on overcoming diversity challenges. Chris earned his undergraduate and
MBA degrees from Harvard University.

BILLY SPEARS

Chief Privacy Officer, Hyundai Capital America
Billy Spears is the Chief Privacy Officer of Hyundai Capital America (HCA) where he is responsible for information
policy and practices affecting HCA employees and customers. He serves as a thought leader and advisor to
executive leadership relating to the acceptable use of information throughout its lifecycle. He leads HCA’s
engagement in privacy related industry initiatives and has experience in both the public and private sectors.
Prior to HCA, Billy has held privacy and information security related roles with General Electric, Dell, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security and the United States Marine Corps spanning his 21 year career.

ANGELA SUN

Sportscaster, Journalist & Documentary Filmmaker
Award-winning television host/journalist Angela Sun’s passion for storytelling and love for the oceans led to the
creation of her first feature documentary, Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Angela directed &
executive produced the film which has received critical praise and garnered 11 awards worldwide. She is also
Emmy-nominated for her hosting work on NBC’s national travel/lifestyle newsmagazine ‘LXTV 1st Look’. A Bay
Area Native from Silicon Valley, she is a graduate of UCLA. Angela is the first Asian-American female sportscaster
to appear on ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Tennis Channel and Fox Sports. She speaks Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and
some German.

GERALD O. SWEENEY, JR.

Partner, Barnes & Thornburg
Gerald O. Sweeney is a Partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. He is a member of the firm’s
Litigation and Intellectual Property Departments. His practice focuses on the representation of Chinese companies
in federal and state courts in the US. He has conducted international commercial arbitration in Singapore under
LCIA authority and UNCITRAL rules. Gerald is a 2016 Illinois Leading Lawyer and listed by the Martindale-
Hubbell® AV Rating Preeminent from 2003 through 2015. He earned his BA, cum laude, from DePauw University
and his JD from John Marshall Law School.

MARY TEE

Director, Financial Accounting, The Walt Disney Company
Mary Tee is the Controller and Director of Accounting for Disney Interactive. She has more than twenty years of
experience in finance and accounting, including key leadership and managerial roles in multiple Disney businesses
as well as at EY and Public Storage. Mary serves as a Board of Director and Scholarship Chairperson for the Asian
Pacific Alumni Association at USC. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the Leventhal School of Accounting at
the University of Southern California and is a CPA.

68 C O N N E C T. I N S P I R E . A S C E N D.

RAJIV THADANI

Principal, KPMG
Rajiv is a global engagement lead for various technology clients in KPMG’s Bay Area office. He joined KPMG
in 2001 having previously worked with Arthur Andersen. He has more than 20 years of experience providing
a vast array of international tax and human resources services. Prior to relocating to the United States, Rajiv
worked in Belgium, United Kingdom, and India, and is familiar with the tax and HR challenges that accompany the
international assignments. He is the Partner in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility for KPMG in Silicon Valley,
a Board Member of KPMG’s Asian Pacific Islander Network and a Board Member of Ascend’s NorCal chapter.

GANYAPAK (PIN) THANESNANT

Institutional Business Program Officer, Heifer International
Ganyapak (Pin) Thanesnant serves as a Program Officer for Institutional Business Development at Heifer
International. She currently oversees new business opportunities in East Asia and Southern Africa. Prior to
joining Heifer, she worked at Fintrac, an agricultural consulting firm, where she was responsible for policy and
market research for a USAID funded project. Though a Thai native, she grew up abroad in five countries including
Sweden, Cambodia, South Africa, India, and the United States, thanks to her diplomat parents. She holds an MA
in Anthropology from American University and a BA in International Studies/Anthropology from University of
Richmond.

JESSIKA VAN

Actress, Singer-Songwriter, Pianist and Dancer
Jessika is best known for her recurring role as ‘Becca’ in MTV’s “Awkward.” She completed a lead role on the
CW’s apocalyptic TV series “The Messengers,” and recently starred on the CBS TV Remake of, “Rush Hour.” In
2015, she made her Sundance Film Festival debut with the film “Seoul Searching,” where she sings and dances an
acappella rendition of Madonna’s, “Like A Virgin”. Jessika was awarded Best Actress for her work in the short film,
“Paper Lotus” at the 2013 Los Angeles Movie Awards. She won for short film, “Reunion (2011),” at the Asians on
Film Festival the same year.

DOUGLAS VAN GELDER

Department Chief Information Officer, Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the County
of Los Angeles
Douglas serves as the senior IT professional responsible for the overall planning, organization, and execution of
all IT functions for the Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles.
His responsibilities include implementing and directing the design, coordination, maintenance and installation of
the Commission’s information technology systems. He has over 20 years of IT management experience in the
public sector for municipal, county and tribal governments. He was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by the
City of Eastvale for setting up their software systems, networking, and other technology projects when the City
incorporated.

VICTORIA VERHEY

Principal, The Complete Approach
With over twenty-five years of experience, Victoria Verhey is considered a leader in strategic communications
consulting. Working with Fortune 1000 clients, she provides strategic communications solutions which emphasize
the power and pivotal role audience-focused, intentional and authentic communications play in business today.
As a Principal of The Complete Approach LLC, Victoria has established industry “best practices” to ensure that
communications lead by her clients demonstrate their business maturity and organizational presence while driving
results. Prior to this consulting practice, she developed, managed and grew strategic communication consulting
practices for Lahaderne Communications, Provant, Inc. and Novations Group.

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JENNY WEI

Managing Director, PwC
Jenny is a Managing Director in PwC’s Risk Assurance Internal Audit practice specializing in the life sciences,
industrial products, and financial services sectors. She has over 14 years of accounting and consulting experience
including internal audit, enterprise risk assessment, SOX and JSOX compliance, control optimization, operational
audit, regulatory compliance review, business process assessment and improvement, internal audit function quality
assurance review, third party audit, Fraud Corrupt Practices Act assessment, fraud prevention and detection,
corporate compliance program assessment, monitoring, and compliance risk management. She has vast experiences
leading large projects with multi-disciplinary teams of over 50 people in planning and executing internal audits, special
projects, SOX, and JSOX compliance projects for multi-billion global companies.

JANET S. WONG

Executive Advisor, Ascend; Partner (Retired), KPMG
Janet S. Wong is a Board Director and Audit Committee Chairman for Enviva Partners (NYSE: EVA). She is a CPA
and a retired Partner with KPMG. She is an Executive Advisor to Ascend and co-developed the “Executive Insight
for Women” program. Janet also serves on the Audit Committee of the American Heart Association, the Louisiana
Tech Foundation Board and Chairman of the Louisiana Tech College of Business Advisory Board. Janet is a past
recipient of the Louisiana Tech College of Business Alumni of the Year award, Silicon Valley Business Times Women
of Distinction award, and the Ascend Inspirational Leadership Award.

KENTON WONG

Manager, Production Research, ESPN
Kenton Wong started his career in sports working with his alma mater’s athletics department and the local AAA
baseball team. In 2008, Kenton joined ESPN as a researcher in Bristol, Connecticut. He moved to Los Angeles
in 2009 when ESPN launched its new West Coast studio. Kenton currently manages 7 researchers, overseeing
their work on shows such as SportsCenter, NBA Countdown, The Jump and SportsNation. Kenton has his BA in
Communication from UC Davis and his MS in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University.

MARGARET WONG

President, McWong
Margaret founded McWong in 1985 in California and has since linked multi-million dollar businesses between China
and U.S. in the environmental and energy industries to become one of the most successful U.S./China entrepreneurs
in California. She established “California Center” in China to promote California products and services through an
e-Commerce platform to the emerging China consumer markets, hungry for California lifestyle products. Margaret
has also led numerous business and government delegations to China promoting California and U.S. industries, and
has won several prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to U.S. exports for over two decades including,
the U.S. Small Business Administration “Exporter of the Year” Award (Western Region) in 1999 & 2011 and the U.S.
Department of Commerce U.S. Presidential “E” Award in 2012.

NORA WU

Former Vice Chairwoman, Global Human Capital Leader, PwC
Nora was the first woman from China to have held this role. Previously, she was the PwC China Senior Partner
for the Shanghai office, the Central China Markets Leader and the Asia Pacific Human Capital Leader. As a trained
tax partner, Nora has extensive consulting experience advising multinational companies establishing their China
investment projects, and was appointed Executive Advisor to the Mayor of Shanghai office’s International Business
Leaders Advisory Council. Last year Nora was invited to speak at the annual TEDx Shanghai Women event, a
program which she helped create in 2012. Nora’s inspiring TEDx Talk focused on her personal journey and the
lessons she’s learned along the way.

70 C O N N E C T. I N S P I R E . A S C E N D.

MELANIE WYCHE

Pathways Program Manager, USAID
Melanie is a native from New York. She graduated from Georgetown University with a BSc degree in International
Management and Management concentrating in Human Resources. Melanie is certified as a Senior Professional in
Human Resources (SPHR) and offers a wealth of experience in the areas of Recruitment, Staffing, and Outreach.
Her experience has been primarily in the private sector working for several major local corporations (Sallie Mae and
Freddie Mac) and a local search firm. In July 2010 she joined USAID as a HR Program Manager focusing on outreach
as it pertains to students and internship programs.

GARSEN YAP

Marketing Director, Global Wellness, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Garsen Yap is a consumer driven marketer that has created and launched over $120M in innovative new products
for Pfizer, Procter & Gamble and SC Johnson. He has a proven track record to drive highly incremental growth that
transforms brands with over 20 years of leadership experience working in US and Canada. Garsen is an executive
team member of Pfizer’s Global Asian Alliance (GAA). He founded the GAA chapter in Consumer Healthcare
and leads the Building the Asian leader pipeline strategy. He also created the Asian Leadership Forum, a unique
leadership program for Pfizer Asian colleagues.

MICHAEL YAP

Chief Legal Officer, International Investments, Prudential Financial
Michael Yap is the Chief Legal Officer of Prudential’s International Investments business. In this role, he manages
the legal support for Prudential’s mutual fund and investment management operations in Asia, Latin America and
Europe, which manage $46 billion. He is also counsel to Prudential’s global institutional relations and multi-asset class
solutions teams. Michael has been honored as one of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Best
under 40 and as a Corporate Leader by the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey. He is a board
member of the New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and a Co-Chair of the International
Law Committee.

SRI ZAHEER

Dean, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Sri Zaheer is the Dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota where she also holds the
Elmer L. Andersen Chair in Global Corporate Social Responsibility. Sri’s research focus is on international business
– a topic on which she has published extensively and her work been honored by such organizations as the Academy
of International Business and the Academy of Management. She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business
and currently serves on the boards of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the Greater Twin Cities United Way.

LINDA ZHANG

Partner, KPMG
Linda began her career at KPMG in the New York office in 2000 and was admitted to the partnership in 2009 in the
financial services tax practice. In addition to her tax role, Linda is also the partner in-charge of KPMG’s US-China
practice working with US and China based multinationals clients on various business issues. Her career in the
accounting profession includes a broad range of services. She also serves as the lead partner in the United States
for several large Chinese based Fortune 500 companies. Linda is currently a member of KPMG’s highly selective
leadership development program.

2 016 A S C E N D N AT I O N A L C O N V E N T I O N 71

SEE YOU IN

HOUSTON

FOR THE

2017
NATIONAL
CONVENTION
& CAREER FAIR

AUGUST 19–21, 2017

Tap into you

How far do you want to go? Tap Into YOU!
As individuals we all have passion, power and purpose
within. These help to drive our talents, ideas, and abilities.
Tapping into these skills will bring a unique perspective to
the work that you do but first you must Tap into You.

Copyright © 2016 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

Welcome to the Disneyland Resort!

The Walt Disney Company
is proud to sponsor the

2016 ASCEND National Convention & Career Fair