ExCLUSIVE
25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia
Posted May 1, 2008
In the spirit of Asian American Heritage Month Celebration, we are documenting the changing of power and the continual shifting of influence of Asian Americans in our communities.
Our third edition of 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia offer a listing of individuals who made an impact in arts, business, government, politics, social work, education, judiciary, and areas that influence every
aspect of Georgian’s daily life.
The list is made possible by the editorial staff and an outside selection committee who are active within the Asian American community.
Enhancement of Asian American image and positive contribution to communities are key selection criteria for this year’s nominee.
Charlice Byrd
Georgia House of Representatives
District 20
Charlice Byrd is presently serving the people of District 20 in the Georgia House of Representatives. She is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana with a B.A. degree in Elementary Education from Southeastern Louisiana University where she spent the late 1970’s as an educator.
She serves on four committees: Children and Youth, Health and Human Services, Human Relations and Aging and Judiciary Non-Civil. She is diligently working to bring affordable, income based senior housing to Cherokee County and a shelter for young children.
A strong advocate for advancing life sciences innovation and promoting public’s health and well being in Georgia. She was named “Legislater of the Year” in 2007 by Biotechnology Industry Organization. Byrd is also the recipient of the 2008 Georgia BIO Community Award.
Her background also includes serving as President of the Republican Women’s Club, the executive board for the Republican Party, campaign manager for her husband Mike’s successful 2000 campaign for Chairman of the Cherokee County Commission.
Wilfredo “Willy” Blanco
Regional Manager, Beckart Environmental, Inc.
President, Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta
As Regional Manager for Beckart Environmental, Inc. Willy oversees regional sales and the service office covering 7 southeastern states plus the island of Puerto Rico. His company helps private industries clean up their wastewaters before discharging it to the sewer.
His community involvement began when he was elected PRO of the Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta in 1994. When the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia was established in 1996, he was one of the Chartered Directors and editor of the newsletter “DIRECTIONS”. He was also appointed by the Philippine Department of Tourism as tourism representative in Georgia in the same year.
Willy established “Yakiniku” Japanese Steakhouse in Snellville, Georgia in March 1997 along with 5 other Filipino American business entrepreneurs. Willy is a charter director of Philippine American Foundation of Georgia which began in 2006.
In 2007, he was voted Vice President of the Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta which got him involved with Asian Pacific American Council of Georgia. He also became APAC Vice President in the same year.
He is charter director of “Makabayan” of Georgia, Inc., a foundation specifically established for the preservation of Filipino culture and heritage through education of the Philippine language, history and culture.
Le Doan
Employment Marketing Representative
Georgia Department of Labor
Le Doan began volunteering immediately upon arriving in the United States with Red Cross and later with a refuge camp in San Diego.
She earned her MBA in 2000. Her professional path led her to San Juan Unified School District as an Employment Specialist, and now she helps people find employment through the Gwinnett Career Center.
Le is involved in numerous community groups including: The Vietnamese-American Community of Georgia, and Asian Pacific American Council of Georgia, Inc. She is the co-founder of Bach Viet Association and Lac Hong Vietnamese Language School.
She was the recipient of Champion Volunteer Award from United Way, Outstanding Women’s Award, and the Refugee Service Award.
Ritesh “Rick” Desai
President, Eshco International
Board Member, Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC)
Ritesh (Rick) began his professional career in electrical engineering with Home Depot, Inc. He went on to work for Commercial Lending Corporation as Regional Vice President and in May 2002, founded Eshco International, Inc.
His involvement with the Asian community includes: working closely with world-wide organizations such as BAPS and BAPS Charities, Inc. Rick served as member of the National Media Relations Core Committee and currently serves as the Director of Public Relations for Atlanta.
Desai was appointed as the youngest member of the Asian-American Commission for a New Georgia by Governor Sonny Perdue in September of 2003. He currently serves as the Co-chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee in the Commission. At present he also serves as the President-Elect for the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC).
He is an active member of the Indian Professionals Network. Desai was among the founding members of the Inter-Ethnic Coalition and the Indo-Jewish Coalition with the American Jewish Committee.
Rajeev Dhawan
Director, Economic Forecasting Center
Associate Professor, Georgia State University
Rajeev is widely sought for his expertise and is widely seen on local and national media. He also advises the boards of private companies, and serves on the Georgia Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. He has reported on the effects of escalating oil prices on the national economy.
Rajeev earned a B.A. in Economics, with honors, from St. Stephen’s College in India, an M.A. in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics in India and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Prior to his current position, he taught economics, logistics and statistics courses at Pepperdine University and California State University at Long Beach.
He has received several awards for his forecasting precision, including Most Accurate GDP forecast by Bloomberg News.
Jay Eun
President, Golden Stella
President, Korean Association of Greater Atlanta
Eun attended Pusan National University in Korea, served three years of obligatory national service with the Korean Army, and then decided to join his parents already in the US. He managed his family’s restaurant business for six years. Eun and his wife started Golden Stella Inc. a fashion jewelry and accessories wholesaler business in 1987.
Jay carves out time to be active in his church and local community organizations. He is currently serving as an Elder at Korean Community Presbyterian Church in Duluth. One of his goals is to unite the over 200 Korean churches in the area to interact more effectively with each other.
Jay was elected to the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce in 2004. After he completed his term of three years he was promoted to serve in the Chamber’s Executive Committee.
Eun was elected as the President of Korean Association of Greater Atlanta for a two-year term which runs through October 2009. He has hopes to foster a kindhearted and caring relationship with conventional Americans and other non-Korean Asian communities.
Jay has formed a committee to arrange fundraising for a new Association headquarters building. He has also been the recipient of the 2004 Republic of Korea Prime Minister Award.
Sanjay Gupta
Chief Medical Correspondent, CNN
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is chief medical correspondent for the health and medical division at CNN. Gupta is also a practicing neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital. He is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine.
Gupta has been published in a diverse assortment of scientific periodicals and has received much praise for his work. In 2006, his report, “Sabrina’s Law,” brought him his first Clarion award, and with “Charity Hospital,” he was awarded his first Emmy.
He won the Humanitarian Award from the National Press Photographers Association, and his first book, Chasing Life, was released in the spring of 2007 and became a national bestseller.
While on assignment for CNN, covering a story on the doctors in the US military in Iraq, Gupta performed an emergency brain surgery on a young Iraqi boy. Dr. Gupta is also a member of Do Something Foundation which is a website community where young people learn, listen, speak, vote, volunteer, ask, and take action to make the world a better place.
Yuann L. Kuo
Principal, Tzu Chi Academy Atlanta
Chairwoman, Global Commerce Bank
President, Kuolin Inc.
In addition to being a successful entrepreneur as President of Kuolin Inc, Yuann Kuo also founded Global Commerce Bank in August of 1995 to serve the Asian Pacific community. The bank started its operations with an office located in Asian Square.
In 1999, she became the commissioner of Tzu-Chi Foundation in Atlanta; a non-profit organization for community service and outreach. As part of Tzu Chi Foundation’s international relief mission, she has traveled to Peru, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, and World Trade Center 911 site for relief efforts. She was in charge of Tzu Chi Foundation’s relief of 2005 Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi and tornado relief in Enterprise, Alabama in March 2007.
Mrs. Kuo demonstrates her compassion and her spirit of helping others as her life perspective.
Victoria Kim
President, Universal Wireless
The Paragon at Satellite
Victoria Kim came to the US in 1984 and settled in Ohio. She decided from an early age that she could improve her standard of living; and escaped the impoverish lifestyle in her hometown of Chun Chan, South Korea.
She moved to Atlanta in 1983 and started a small photography business. In addition she took a chance and bought a pager business which paid off handsomely. By 1996, her business, Universal Wireless, was generating around $10 million in profit annually. After that successful start, revenues doubled every year for the next five years.
Victoria stresses for Asian immigrants to believe in themselves and have the confidence to strike out on their own in the business world. In 2007, she purchased a 45 acres tract of undeveloped land in Gwinnett. She is overseeing the building of The Paragon, a high-end retail development featuring fine restaurants, unique entertainment outlets that are popular in Japan and Korea.
Victoria currently serves as Vice Chairman of Korean Association of Greater Atlanta. She is actively promoting unity and collaboration among diverse community in metro Atlanta.
Chaiwon Kim
Executive Director
Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS)
Chaiwon Kim champions causes for the immigrant and refugee families as Executive Director of The Center for Pan Asian Community Services for the past 18 years.
Chaiwon is a registered nurse and an addictions counselor. During her reign, CPACS has grown in size and received national recognition for providing services to the Asian Pacific Islanders community.
Her most noteworthy accomplishment is her work with senior Korean immigrants and senior Asian citizens. She completed the first government subsidized senior housing complex built for Asians in Georgia in 2006.
Chaiwon’s organization also provide transportation to the residents to medical facilities and areas of recreation.
Mariana Mayer
Realtor, Metro Brokers
Vice President, Indonesian Community Heritage Foundation
Vice President, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce
Mariana was raised in Jakarta, Indonesia and moved to Atlanta in 1998. She volunteers much of her time with various humanitarian projects with the American Red Cross. It is also a goal of hers to assimilate Indonesian residents into the mainstream Asian American Community in the state of Georgia.
A realtor with Metro Brokers and she has worked hard to become a Medallion Club Award winner for her real estate achievements.
Mariana has been involved with the Asian Cultural Experience (ACE) Organizing Committee for the last nine years as well as serving the Indonesian Community focusing on cultural and educational programs. She also serves as a Board Member of Indonesian Community Heritage Foundation, a Vice President of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, and she is one of the founders of Sanggar Lestari Indonesia. Mariana currently serves as the dance group’s liaison officer.
Dao Malaythong
Associate Broker
Solid Source Realty
Co-Chair of Laotian American Society
Dao Malaythong is co-chair of Laotian-American Society of Atlanta, a non-profit community organization committed to being a resource to all people of ethnic origins native to Laos. Dao is keen to promote Lao culture and heritage to the younger generations.
She is actively promoting communication and education about issues related to the Laotian community.
Akira Morishita
Co-Founder, Suno Dessert
Operations Director, Atlanta Asian Film Festival
Akira is an active contributor and supporter of Asian community related events.
His passion for movies and films lead him to steering the 2008 Atlanta Asian Film Festival. Akira earned the “2007 Volunteer of Year” award by the Board of Directors of Atlanta Asian Film Festival.
A humble and soft spoken individual with an entrepreneur flair, he is one of the original founders of Suno Dessert, an Asian style dessert cafe. Suno serves a special recipe of shaved milk ice with distinctive toppings of fruits, beans, and nuts.
Akira represents a growing population of young Asian entrepreneurs committed to giving back to their communities.
Eleanor Mae Pascual
Paralegal, Corporate Law Dept. State Farm Insurance Companies
Vice President, Asian-Pacific American Council President, Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta
Eleanor Mae Pascual is an active participant and supporter of Asian Pacific American community events. She is known in the Filipino community as a committed and tireless worker and is most comfortable working quietly “behind the scenes.” She currently serves as Vice President of Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia (APAC).
She aims to work hand-in-hand with other leaders in the Asian community to promote harmony and understanding, expand common interests, and achieve full participation in American society.
Narsi Narasimhan, PhD
CEO Paalam, Inc.
President, Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Narsi Narasimhan earned his Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1988. He is the founder of the Indian Professionals Network (IPN), an informal networking group of over 3000 professionals around the metro Atlanta area.
Narsi is co-founder and the CEO of Paalam, Inc., an Atlanta based offshore outsourcing firm that specializes in Software Services, and Call Center/Business Process Outsourcing, using partners in India and other countries including Jamaica and Malaysia.
Narsi ia currently President of Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, where he actively promoting business networking with diverse communities in metro Atlanta and Georgia.
He had previously served as President of APAC Georgia and have actively participate in various Asian American community events.
Mike Patel
President
Diplomat Hotel Company
Chair, Haven Trust Bank
Mukesh “Mike” Patel is president of Diplomat Hotel Company, an Atlanta-based firm founded in 1981 with his brother, R.C. Patel. Together they became the first Asian franchisors in the hotel industry in March of 2007.
Mike’s work with Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) was recognized at the association’s 2000 Annual Conference when he was presented with the prestigious “Award of Excellence.” As chairman with this association, Patel formed the 12-points of fair franchising. This became a piece of legislation in the US Congress entitled The Small Business Franchise Act of 1999.
Mr. Patel serves on the advisory committee for Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality and is a member of the State of Georgia’s Minority Business Council. He is also one of the founders of Haven Trust Bank. During a recent dedication of the majestic new BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, Georgia, Patel was on hand to announce a contribution of $1 million dollars from the three banks that he serves as chairman.
The Indo-US Chamber of Commerce in Tampa held its annual 2008 Banyan Ball at the Tampa Garden Club where Mike gave the keynote address.
He received the 2007 Award for International Cooperation between the U.S. and the U.K. by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mike formerly played soccer professionally in England and the United States before launching his career in hospitality.
Varinee Sangmalee
President, Thai Association World Center
President, Asian/Pacific Council of Georgia
Varinee is an active supporter of community events supporting local Asian communities. She is currently the President of APAC Georgia. Varinee strongly believes in giving back in response to her good fortune.
It is also a goal of hers to promote Thailand in the areas of Thai Language, Thai classical dances, Thai cultural and traditions. She also encourages Thais to unite to help each other and volunteer when community help is needed.
She manages the volunteer effort of Asian Cultural Experience held at the Atlanta Botanical Garden each year. Varinee also keeps actively involved with the Thai Association World Center. In addition to these worthy responsibilities, she is also the founder of Thai Chamber of Commerce of GA.
Among the organizations that Varinee works with: Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia, Asian Cultural Experience, Thai Association World Center USA, Thai American Chamber of Commerce, and Atlanta Asian Film Festival.
Dr. Josephine Tan
Community Development Manager, Georgia Power
Chairwoman, Asian-American Commission for a New Georgia
Dr. Josephine Tan serves as chairwoman for the Asian American Commission for a New Georgia which Gov. Sonny Perdue established in July 2003. The commission has three sub-committees focusing on economic development, education, and health issues. Dr. Tan is also founding president of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce.
She has been a principal coordinator in organizing and promoting positive race relations. Dr. Tan’s career with Georgia Power began in 1980 as a Senior Economist. She held many different positions with the company before moving to Corporate Relations in 1994 and joined the community development Team in 2006.
Dr. Tan is a frequent speaker on energy and diversity issues and has received numerous honors and awards including Atlanta Women’s 25 Most Powerful Women to Watch and Women Looking Ahead’s 100 List of Most Powerful Women in 2006.
Wei-Siong Tan, Ph.D.
President, AccuSentry Inc.
President, Indonesian American Chamber Of Commerce of Georgia
Dr. Tan is an entrepreneur who cares deeply about giving back to the community. He balanced his time between his volunteer efforts and his business duties.
Wei-Siong bestows a significant amount of his enthusiasm to the Indonesian Community Heritage Foundation. He is zealous about encouraging other Indonesians to become involved in their communities. Dr. Tan points out that the best way to improve current conditions is for the immigrants themselves to take an active role in the process and be productive citizens.
His company, AccuSentry founded in 1991 and has corporate customers in US, Canada, South America, Europe and Asia. It has been a mentoring place for young engineers and recruits over the years. He hopes to share his wisdom and know-how with the younger generation.
Baoky Vu
Research Director, A. Montag & Associates
Baoky Vu is actively involved in the Atlanta community, in particular the Vietnamese communities. Baoky is a regular presenter at national events for the Vietnamese community and has often been quoted in national and local periodicals as an important member of America’s growing Asian community.
In August of 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. In 2004, he served as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention and was a member of the Bush-Cheney ‘04 National Steering Committee. He was a panelist on Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s Racial Reconciliation Panel in 2003 in Savannah, Georgia and currently serves as an ex-officio member of Governor Perdue’s Asian American Commission for a New Georgia.
He maintains enthusiasm pertaining to the American and Vietnamese political happenings. As past Vice-President of the Vietnamese Confederation of Georgia, Baoky helped raised funds and organized festivals to promote the Vietnamese cultural heritage. The organization also was able to organize computer and citizenship classes for new immigrant arrivals.
Sister Christine Truong My Hanh
Executive Director
Good Shepherd Services Atlanta
Sister Christine have work tirelessly to help the poor and needy especially the refugees and immigrants resettling in metro Atlanta. Since founding GSSA in 1993, her services has expanded outreach centers in Clayton and Gwinnett counties.
Her centers counsel families and youth at risk, provides elderly services, conducts DUI and citizenship classes. She often was called upon to comfort women in prison and to visit inmates who neither have family nor friends.
Sister Christine’s focus is to assist the emotional, spiritual, and physical well being of those in need within the Asian Pacific community.
Lani Wong
Chair, National Assoc. of Chinese Americans
Lani Wong serves as chairwoman of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Chinese-Americans and the Asian American Coalition of Georgia. Lani serves as a volunteer liaison between Atlanta business and government officials, and their enterprise-minded Chinese equivalents.
Lani stresses the importance of Asians in Georgia in becoming citizens so they may participate in the political processes. She believes that more attention would be paid to Asian Pacific Islanders if they were registered voters.
Locally, Lani offers her services to translate for visiting Chinese officials and arranges banquets where they are introduced to important political figures such as Gov. Sonny Perdue and Mayor Shirley Franklin. She was the recipient of the Phoenix Award from Mayor Franklin for her dedication to community service.
She was recognized by Beijing for her liason expertise with an invitation to a key political conference that only five US citizens are invited annually.
Robert Woo, Jr.
Partner
King & Spalding Law Firm
Robert “Bobby” Woo is used to high achievements from his high school days on. He was named Georgia’s STAR student for scoring highest on the SAT. From there he was admitted to Harvard and later accepted to Harvard Law School. After graduating with that prestigious degree, Woo became the first Asian-American partner at King & Spalding.
Bobby heads up the Atlanta office’s pro bono asylum project, which represents persons seeking political asylum in the US. In 2000, the State Bar of Georgia awarded Bobby the H. Sol Clark Award, its highest award for individual pro bono work, for his work on behalf of indigent immigrants in Georgia.
Bobby has been the recipient of numerous awards including: Georgia Rising Star (Georgia Super Lawyers, 2007, 2006, 2005); Best 40 Under 40 (Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2007); Community Leader Award (Organization of Chinese Americans, 2003); Trailblazer Award (National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), 2002).
Woo makes contributions to the community as a board member of the Georgia Asylum Immigration Network or GAIN. Woo helps GAIN and immigrants by providing free legal representation. He has represented charitable organizations in an effort to get Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) to be granted to immigrants who were here legally.
Tommy Yip
Lead Network Engineer – British Telecom
President & Chairman - NAAAP Atlanta
Tommy Yip has been an active member of NAAAP-Atlanta since 2005. He has served as the 2006 Technology Chair and as 2007 Vice President. As president, Tommy made it his goal to not only keep but attract new memberships. He also worked to partner with other Asian organizations.
In 2008 he was elected President and Board Chairman, he encourages members to get involved in more community events. He corresponds with other NAAAP chapters to learn from their successes and share ways he has discovered that can help their organizations as well.
NAAAP’s main event of the year is Chopstix for Charity which raises funds to assist the various metro-Atlanta Asian-American organizations.
Professionally, Yip has obtained the most esteemed level of certification in his field of work, the Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) approval.
Li K. Wang
Principal, Wang Law Firm
Wang is very active in contributing his time selflessly to the Asian Pacific community. His desire to help people is what made him decide to switch careers from his formal engineering education to be an attorney. This is the work he finds most gratifying.
Li recently start his own firm specializing in patent and intellectual properties law.
Li generously donates his time for pro bono legal assistance to Atlanta’s battered women’s group and grandparents’ adoption program in Georgia.
He is highly sought by professional organizations to share his advice and experience on their governing Boards. Among those groups are: Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Atlanta Asian Film Festival, and Monte Jade Science and Technology Association (Southeast chapter) which he currently Chairs. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Shu-Te University in Kaoshiung, Taiwan.