SUMMARY
Executive Committee
Eric Yeh AB ’98 SM ’98
President (president@haaaa.net)
Jeannie Park AB ’83
First Vice President (firstvp@haaaa.net)
Ed Park AB '97
Vice President of Operations (operationsvp@haaaa.net)
Judith Li AB '06 MBA '13
Vice President of Development (developmentvp@haaaa.net)
Vicki Chou AB ’02 JD ’06
Secretary (secretary@haaaa.net)
Bill Yao AB '99
Treasurer (treasurer@haaaa.net)
Eric Yeh AB ’98 SM ’98
Founding President
Board of Directors
Eric Yeh AB ’98 SM ’98
Margaret Chin AB '84
Yu-Han Chang AB ’99 SM ’99
Vicki Chou AB ’02 JD ’06
Judith Li AB '06 MBA '13
Henry Will Mak AB ’06
Sarah Paiji AB ’06
Jeannie Park AB ’83
Ed Park AB '97
Committee Chairs
Carey Hsu AB ’01
Membership Chair (membership@haaaa.net)
Jacki Chou AB ’07
Theresa “Tree” Loong AB ‘94
Communications Chair (communications@haaaa.net)
Edwina Tom AB ’02
Alumni Outreach Chair (alum-outreach@haaaa.net)
Vicki Chou AB ’02 JD ’06
Nominations Chair (nominations@haaaa.net)
Yu-Han Chang AB ’99 SM ’99
Technology Chair (tech@haaaa.net)
Kay Hashimoto AB ’98
Eugene Kim AB ’01
Regulatory Chair (regulatory@haaaa.net)
Ojas Tejani AB ’99
Finance Committee
Junko Kim GSE ’05
Fundraising Chair (fundraising@haaaa.net)
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Speakers Chair (program@haaaa.net)
Margaret Chin AB '84
Reunion Chair (reunion@haaaa.net)
Jeannie Park AB ’83
Jeff Yang AB ’89
Summit Chair (summit@haaaa.net)
Jeannie Park AB '83
Margaret Chin AB '84
University Affairs Chair (uni-affairs@haaaa.net)
Hoon-Jung Kim AB ’01, JD '04
Mentorship Chair (mentorship@haaaa.net)
Fang Yuan AB ’07
Margaret Chin AB '84
School and Scholarships Chair (awards@haaaa.net)
Chapter Heads
Eric Yeh AB ’98 SM ’98
New York (ny@haaaa.net)
Paula Fernandez AB ’99
Los Angeles (la@haaaa.net)
Sarah Paiji AB ’06
Boston (boston@haaaa.net)
T.K. Yang AB ’98
Washington, D.C. (dc@haaaa.net)
BIOS
Eric Yeh AB '98 SM '98
Eric is currently a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Tower Research Capital, a Manhattan-based hedge fund focused on high-frequency trading. Previously, he has worked in a variety of trading, strategy, risk, and technology roles at various banks and hedge funds. Eric spent 18 years in LA before attending Harvard University, where he received his AB in mathematics and SM in computer science.
Eric is very active in a wide spectrum of NYC Asian-American groups, both as a member and as a leader. He has helped to manage over ten different groups through the years, running the gamut from professional to social to cultural. Some select groups and positions include: The Asian Association of Alternative Investment Professionals (chairman of the board); the New York Taiwanese Financial Association (director); Wall Street Ren (co-moderator); The New York Asian Professionals Meetup (co-organizer); the New York Taiwanese Meetup (organizer); Mind Body Shen (junior instructor); the Asian Artists Meetup (organizer); the Asian Dining Out and Karaoke Meetup (assistant organizer); the New York Reiki Meetup (assistant organizer).
As captured in the HAAAA vision statement, Eric's goal for the group is to develop a network and sense of community among Harvard Asian American alumni to improve self-awareness of their Asian heritage, provide an outlet for the expression of their common culture, and promote cohesion of the group both within and without the University. In simpler terms: we should all hang out together more, help each other through various aspects of life, and make sure to preserve our cultural heritage! Eric is one of those people who thinks we have a responsibility to know, appreciate, and support Asian culture -- in particular when there are bifurcations to general (global) "cultural paradigms". In those cases, we should understand the Asian instantiations at least as well as their Western counterpoints -- for example: appreciate sake as well as wine; play go as well as chess; read Hong Lou Meng as well as A Tale of Two Cities; paint with inks as well as oils; practice tai chi as well as yoga; listen to pipa as well as guitar; watch "Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven" as well as "La Boheme"; know the existence of Buddhism as well as Christianity; eat sushi as well as steak; scrutinize Yue Minjun as well as Damien Hirst; etc etc. Those are examples of the traditions he hopes we -- and our progeny -- are able to hold on to.
Jeannie Park AB '83
Jeannie is a reformed biochem major whose first journalistic experience was the AAA newsletter East Wind. She is a former executive editor of People and a leader in diversity efforts in the field of journalism. She devoted 22+ years to Time Inc., working at Time, In Style, Entertainment Weekly and People and co-founding the company's Asian-American affinity group. In 1987 she became the founding president of the NY chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, which soon grew to be the largest in the country; she is currently a facilitator for its Executive Leadership Program. She speaks frequently to student and community groups on becoming/being an Asian-American journalist/leader/mom. She has been honored for for her diversity achievements by numerous media and Asian-American organizations. She serves on the board of the Third Street Musical School Settlement and on advisory councils of the Women’s Media Center, the Korean American Community Foundation and NetKAL (Network of Korean American Leaders). Currently on work hiatus, she is a habitual PTA volunteer and lives primarily to serve her two adorable teenagers!
After growing up in suburban Ohio, meeting and finding common cause with Asian-Americans at Harvard was a revelation for Jeannie. She believes that maintaining those bonds can be a great source of strength personally, as well as for the Asian-American community and beyond. She also believes that each of us has a particular duty to help others when your similar circumstances and background might offer special insight or support. Harvard alumni and HAAAA have enviable resources that we might put to best use!
Judith Li AB '06 MBA '13
Originally from Cupertino, California, Judith has spent the last decade of her life in Boston and New York. Her other nonprofit experience includes former Director of Strategy at Teach for America, Executive Director of the Hepatitis B Initiative, founding Board of Directors at the Alma del Mar charter school, and Boston chapter president of the Tzu-Chi Foundation, a disaster relief foundation headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. While away from professional pursuits, Judith enjoys classic American literature, vinyasa yoga, and culinary adventures with her family and close friends.
Ed Park AB '97
Ed is Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at athenahealth. After spending way too much time trying to beat MIT at Quake on his way to earning his Computer Science degree, Ed decided to beat his head against the equally impossible task of fixing U.S. healthcare. In '98, he helped start athenahealth with his brother, Todd Park (AB '94) and Jonathan Bush (Harvard MBA '97), and in 2007 the company found at least some measure of recognition with a successful IPO. In general, Ed believes in "doing well by doing good" and tries to apply that maxim in other aspects of his life--he serves on the boards of Castlight (a Silicon Valley healthcare startup) and Healthpoint (a social venture focused on bringing healthcare to the "bottom of the pyramid" poor in India and other countries). Ed is married to the dazzling Nancy Kim (AB '97) and they have two incredibly energetic daughters, ages 2 and 4.
Ed believes that people sometimes need help; sometimes can help others; sometimes want to know more about themselves; sometimes want to know more about their culture; sometimes want to make new friends; or sometimes just want a good excuse to hang out with old friends. He believes that HAAAA can help with all of this and more.
Vicki Chou AB '02, JD '06
A California native, Vicki is not sure how she survived seven winters in Cambridge. Vicki was a resident of Quincy house and a non-resident tutor at Adams. She fondly remembers her college experiences with the Taiwanese Cultural Society and the Asian American Players and hopes to help build something that alum can share in and benefit from.
Yu-Han Chang AB ’99 SM ’99
Yu-Han Chang is one of the founding members of HAAAA. He is currently a Research Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California. His interests include machine learning, artificial intelligence, educational tools and interactive games. Prior to USC, Yu-Han spent many years in good old Cambridge. He received his Ph.D. in EECS from MIT in '05, and BA in Econ & Math and MS in CS from Harvard in '99. During college, he was active in several Asian-American campus groups, serving a term as President of the Taiwanese Cultural Society, and helping to found the Boston Intercollegiate Taiwanese Student Association.
With HAAAA, there's a great chance to build an organization that can achieve powerful goals through the collective efforts of our members. These may range from personal goals achieved through the great power of networking among our alums, to collective goals that matter to all of us and can benefit the society and world at large. And it can all start with something as simple as a conversation over a cup of boba tea!
Rui Dong AB '05
Since graduation, Rui has been a Trader in the Energy group at D.E. Shaw, a $29 billion hedge fund based in midtown Manhattan, where she is currently responsible for discretionary trading in Oil and product derivatives. Rui grew up in cold Montreal where she learned to speak Quebecois before fleeing south of the border to receive a joint AB in Computer Science and Economics from Harvard in 2005. At Harvard, Rui was involved in a few Asia focused groups including HPAIR (Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations) where she was Financial Officer ('02), Controller ('03), and Network Club Chair ('03); and HCR (Harvard China Review) where she helped organize set up panels for the annual conference. In New York, Rui has attended events for a number of Asian communities, organizing for a while the Roundtable for SEP (Straits Eastern Partnership).
Having spent her life roughly distributed evenly between three countries (5 in China, 14 in Canada, then now 8 in the U.S.), Rui understands the diversity of backgrounds that Harvard Asian Alumni come from. Yet, whether it be in Quebec, Massachusetts, or New York, she has also been impressed with the strength of the Asian communities that are built. In the end, there is so much that we share - the culture, the food, and even the challenges. As a part of HAAAA, she hopes the group can build a community where we can strengthen our bonds and better help each other--whether it be to smash through glass ceilings, or on a more daily mundane level of enjoying together the best of Bollywood and Tea.
Paula Fernandez AB '99
Paula Fernandez currently works at AT&T Interactive as Associate Director of Business Optimization and Analytics where she focuses on various internet and mobile advertising products. Prior to AT&T she has worked in various positions at other companies including strategy and business development at Disney and derivatives at JP Morgan Chase in Manhattan. Originally from New York and New Jersey, she has lived in the warmer pastures of Los Angeles for over four years, although remains an East Coaster at heart.
At Harvard, she majored in Economics and served as co-president of the Harvard Philippine Form and as secretary of the Harvard Asian American Association in addition to holding positions at Harvard Student Resources and the Pforzheimer House Committee. She also co-edited the Unofficial Guide to Asian American Resources at Harvard. During college, she also took the opportunity to intern in Hong Kong at Morgan Stanley.
Through HAAAA, she would like us to have the chance to meet and reconnect with other alumns as well as learn from each others' varied experiences since our Harvard years. She sees HAAAA as a wonderful opportunity for everyone to not only celebrate our diverse backgrounds and but also participate in the Asian American activities and local matters in our respective communities.
Junko Kim HGSE '05
Junko Kim is the founder of Vision Sprout, a strategy consultancy serving international NGOs and social entrepreneurs, focusing on minority and women-led companies. She is passionate about promoting gender equity and building capacity of young leaders in Asia, Greater Horn of Africa, and the United States. Junko is excited to join HAAAA and help build a global network from which current and future alums may realize their passions. Through the alumni and student activities, she believes HAAAA will be a powerful resource not only for deepening our understanding of culture, history and identity, but also solving some of our greatest challenges we face today. She splits her time between Japan and Denver, Colorado, and would love to see more Asian alumni in the Mile High City!
Carey Hsu AB ’01
Carey is currently an Engagement Manager at the consultancy Oliver Wyman Financial Services in NYC. He returned to the East Coast after attending graduate school at Caltech and receiving a Ph.D. in chemistry. While an undergraduate at Harvard, he held several leadership positions in Asian American organizations, including Co-President of the Taiwanese Cultural Society and Producer of AAA Players theatrical productions. He found that these activities provided an impactful way to bring rewarding and fun experiences to the Asian American community, and he believes that HAAAA can help develop a similar sense of community. He sees a strong Membership base as one of the first steps in building the Asian American alumni network.
Eugene Kim AB ’01
Harvard College, AB '01.
Theresa “Tree” Loong AB ‘94
Tree is an interactive professional and educator. She is currently Chief Operating Officer at Intellitoys, a media and technology company. She develops innovative learning and entertainment platforms for children. Tree is also a partner at FORM360, an interactive consultancy and production company. Clients have included New York Magazine, Reader's Digest, the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Fashionista, CNN/Money, the New York City Department of Education, HUGE, Milestone Films, and more. Tree has an editorial and producing background working at Time Inc., WNET-Thirteen, American Express and LuxuryFinder.com. She has been an adjunct professor at NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. At Harvard, Tree was involved in CSA, AAA, Undergraduate Council and the Class Committee. She graduated with a degree in social anthropology and looks forward to connecting Asian American alumni with each other and with the University.
Sarah Paiji AB '06
Sarah graduated from Harvard College in 2006 with a degree in Economics. While at Harvard, Sarah served as President of the Asian American Association (AAA) as well as Chair of the Boston Asian Students Alliance (BASA). Most notably as President of AAA, she organized the first ever Asian American Alumni Reunion at Harvard to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the first Asian organization at Harvard. Sarah also worked in the admissions office for three years during her time at Harvard and headed Asian American outreach as part of the Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program (UMRP).
Through HAAAA, Sarah hopes to help provide continuity for both undergraduate organizations and students post graduation. She believes that there are is broad group of graduates that desire to maintain close connections with the University and peers – she hopes to help HAAAA be that bridge for Asian American Harvard alumni.
Ojas Tejani AB '99
Ojas is Senior Applications Engineer at LearningExpress, LLC, an educational publishing company based in Lower Manhattan, and was formerly employed at technology consulting firm Winmill Software. Born and raised in Chattanooga, TN, Ojas was a resident of Matthews Hall and Cabot House and a member of SAA before receiving his AB in Biology in '99. Ojas sees in HAAAA a unique opportunity for the Harvard Asian Alumni community to come together to share common experiences and goals while also celebrating the rich cultural diversity of our varied backgrounds.
Edwina Tom AB '02
Edwina graduated from Harvard College in 2002 with a degree in economics and a citation in Mandarin Chinese. While at Harvard, Edwina founded Aspiring Minority Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs (AMBLE), a student organization that assists women and minorities in pursuing careers in business. She was also active in the Chinese Students Association and the Harvard Yearbook. She envisions growing our membership base and expanding the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance over the next year to have local chapters in different cities throughout the US. The Alumni Outreach Committee is currently looking for class, school, and city representatives.
T.K. Yang AB '98
After a decade working in IT and management consulting, T.K. traded in his airline miles for a new position in the wine industry. He is part of the Store Operations management team at Total Wine & More, a growing retail chain with stores across the U.S. T.K. received his AB in Government from Harvard and his MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon, where he served as the President of the Business and Technology Club. T.K. currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Club of Washington DC and is also an avid violinist, runner, track coach, and small group leader at his church.
T.K. believes that the HAAAA should not only strengthen the internal Harvard Asian American alumni network, but also serve as an active incubator of Asian American leadership in the larger community -- and beyond. The DC Chapter's mission is to expand HAAAA's outreach in the Washington DC area by leveraging the many opportunities to network and collaborate with diverse groups of people. Most recently, the DC Chapter has organized events ranging from dim sum outings and volunteer work to Bollywood dancing and networking events with other alumni associations.
Bill Yao AB '99
Bill is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Paulson & Co., Inc., a large multi-strategy hedge fund headquartered in New York. At Harvard, he set out with a vague pre-med plan, sidestepped to psychology after one semester of Chem 10 (which I understand is no longer offered), then in his senior year panicked and switched to computer science in order to find gainful employment after graduation. Bill spends his free time enjoying the many diverse activities New York City has to offer, particularly good friends, good food, good theater, the NYC triathlon and the occasional Thursday night poker game.
Fang Yuan AB '07
Fang Yuan, originally from Beijing, grew up in Queens and is a proud Stuyvesant and Harvard alum. She graduated from Harvard in 2007 with a degree in Social Studies and a Citation in Spanish. Her senior thesis was on inter-ethnic interactions in Chinese supermarkets in Argentina, where she spent 5 months conducting hundreds of hours of doing field work and over 70 interviews with Chinese immigrant workers, their Latin American co-workers and their Argentine clients. After graduation, she spent a year studying at Peking University as a Harvard Yenching Fellow.
Jinger Zhao AB '04
Jinger currently works as a Quantitative Researcher at Two Sigma Investments, a hedge fund focused on systematic strategies nestled in lower Manhattan. Born in Beijing and raised in Texas, Jinger spends her free time running races, exploring the outdoors, and cooking for her friends. She received her AB in Computer Science with a certificate in Mind/Brain/Behavior from Harvard in '04.
Joyce Zhang AB '09
Joyce works at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Bank Supervision. A proud resident of Leverett House, she graduated with a joint concentration in Economics and Government, a secondary field in Mind/Brain/Behavior, and a citation in French. As an undergraduate, she was involved in the Chinese Students Association, the Asian American Christian Fellowship, the Harvard College in Asia Program, the Association for US-China Relations, the 2009 Senior Class Committee, the Institute of Politics, the Undergraduate Council, Leverett House Committee, Women in Business, and The Crimson. She currently also serves as a Harvard Alumni Association Board member and an admissions interviewer.
Yuming Zou AB '03
Yuming, originally from Beijing, China, grew up in the Deep South city of Atlanta, GA where he learned to imitate a slow southern drawl, before making a northward trek to Harvard to study Economics(A.B.) and Statistics(A.M.). At Harvard, Yuming was involved in Harvard Asia Pacific Review(editor), WHRB Sports Radio, AAA Players, as well as playing the violin in several orchestra and music groups.
After graduation, Yuming took the plunge, and decided to moved to Asia and join J.P. Morgan's M&A group based in Hong Kong. Upon arriving with a few suitcases, and not much else, he spent two amazing years in a part of the world that seemed to be the Wild, Wild, West of the 21st century. Four years ago, Yuming returned to New York, where he currently works in Equity Derivatives at JPMorgan.
Yuming believes that HAAAA, can be a powerful agent in helping to strengthen connections and relationships within the Harvard Asian-American Alumni community, as well as with other Asian-American professional groups. As chair of the mentorship committee, Yuming hopes the committee can serve as a resource for younger Harvard graduates, and possibly students as well, in navigating the endless choices that everyone inevitably faces when embarking on a career path.
LEADERSHIP ALUMNI
We sincerely thank our leadership alumni for their service in the following positions and for their ongoing contributions to HAAAA:
Theresa "Tree" Loong ’94 - Alumni Outreach Chair (2010-2012)
Hye-Won Choi AB '85 - Reunion Chair (2010-2012)
Yuming Zou AB ’03 - Mentorship Chair (2010-2012)
Fang Yuan AB ’07 - Awards Chair (2010-2012)
Joyce Yan Zhang AB ’09 - Public Service Chair (2010-2012)
Rui Dong AB ’05 - Program Chair (2010-2012)
Jinger Zhao AB ’04 - Program Chair (2010-2012)
