Trailblazers
Asian Trailblazers
Leaders of New York’s Asian American communities.
City & State presents the 2025 Asian Trailblazers. Matt Cohen; Catalina Kulczar; BFA
Asian Americans are making their voices heard in New York. They’re gaining representation in elected office, emerging as a pivotal force in competitive races and flipping legislative seats. They’re securing policy victories, such as the designation of Diwali and the Lunar New Year as public school holidays in New York City. And they’re taking on influential roles that had never before been held by Asian Americans.
City & State’s inaugural Asian Trailblazers list puts a spotlight on more than 50 of these exemplary individuals, highlighting their extensive experience and noteworthy accomplishments. This list, written and researched in partnership with journalist Phenix Kim, coincides with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Representing a wide variety of backgrounds, the list includes notable figures with family ties to China, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and more. We’re pleased to present the Asian Trailblazers.
Priya Ananthanathan
Guiding nonprofits through acquisition, renovation and new construction projects for over a decade, Priya Ananthanathan has helped strengthen community resources to bring major projects to life. Since joining Denham Wolf in 2023, Ananthanathan has built out the firm’s Development Services Division and broadened its scope nationally. She previously served on the funding team at the New York City Economic Development Corp., where she contributed to more than 50 projects valued at more than $500 million. She also joined the board of The Center for Family Support.
Faiza Azam
From curbing pollution in public schools to creating green union jobs, Bangladeshi American climate activist Faiza Azam leads ALIGN’s intersectional and inclusive climate justice movement. Getting her start in politics, Azam was a legislative aide in the Assembly and served as director of constituent services for New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif. She now co-coordinates the Climate Works for All coalition and chairs the labor committee for the NY Renews coalition. She also spearheads the Green, Healthy Schools campaign and organized a New York City mayoral candidate forum with the Climate Work for All coalition this year.
Becky Baek
A rising star in New York’s legal community, Becky Baek was named to Best Lawyers’ “Ones to Watch” list and was the 2023 recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s Hon. Judith S. Kaye Commercial and Federal Litigation Scholarship. Handling the entire lifecycle of complex commercial litigation, Baek represents clients from a variety of industries, from commercial and residential real estate, arts, medical practices and more. An active member of the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York, she serves as co-chair of the organization’s gala this year.
Stephen Chan
In one of the biggest upsets in a state legislative race last year, Stephen Chan knocked out incumbent Democrat Iwen Chu to secure a seat in the state Senate. The Brooklyn Republican was born in Hong Kong, served in the Marine Corps and later was a police officer and small-business owner. Chan, who got involved in politics through volunteer school posts, defeated Chu handily, reflecting the improving fortunes of the Republican Party in New York City’s outer boroughs. He’s now the first Asian American Republican in the state Senate.
Judy Chang
A West Coast native who grew up in predominantly Latino and Asian American communities, Judy Chang had a diverse upbringing that continues to fuel her commitment to bring vital resources to historically redlined neighborhoods. At it’s electric, a startup that aims to build curbside electric vehicle charging to urban areas with limited at-home charging access, Chang helped plan partnerships with building owners through an innovative community-based model that gave more agency to residents. Her team has also helped commission the company’s two first-of-their-kind EV chargers serving Governors Island and Boston.
Henry Chen
A respected multilingual clinician with over 10 peer-reviewed medical publications, Dr. Henry Chen is a board-certified internist, geriatrician and licensed physician acupuncturist serving as board president at Somos Community Care. Under his leadership, the health care organization has grown into a network of over 2,600 providers, delivering care to more than 1 million Medicaid beneficiaries from underserved, immigrant populations. Chen’s culturally sensitive, community-based strategies have helped provide vital preventive care to thousands of patients. He’s also a past president of the Association of Chinese American Physicians.
Li-Chiou Chen
With a leadership style that extends beyond the classroom, Li-Chiou Chen is the tech visionary leading Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Chen, who earned her doctorate of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, is now championing diversity in STEM and is overseeing Pace’s innovation in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and game development. Chen, who has won federal grants for research on user authentication, application security and security risk perception and management, has also helped boost Pace as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.
Wellington Chen
One of Chinatown’s most well-known leaders, Wellington Chen has long championed innovative methods to protect the community. From establishing Chinatown as a business improvement district to improve health and safety conditions, to now increasing affordable housing through community land trusts, Chen’s visionary initiatives have helped revitalize historic neighborhoods. A Chinese American leader who served as commissioner of the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals, the Chinatown Partnership executive director now promotes novel solutions with young change-makers.
Willing Chin-Ma
Born in Hong Kong and raised in New York City, Willing Chin-Ma has spent three decades – and counting – at Grand St. Settlement, a major social services nonprofit serving 17,500 New Yorkers. A tireless advocate for underserved families and service providers, Chin-Ma continues to champion wage parity among early education teachers and human services workers. As chief operating officer of Grand St. Settlement, she recently helped secure over $18.4 million to expand services to 583 children in the Bronx and Brooklyn, totaling access for over 1,400 children and families.
Bess Chiu
A lifelong New Yorker devoted to public service, Bess Chiu has long promoted equity-based policies impacting Asian communities. At SUNY, Chiu was a key legal adviser of the institution’s response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders and the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of affirmative action. From 2014 to 2021, Chiu advised the New York City Mayor’s Office on the COVID-19 pandemic response, bringing attention to the rise of hate crimes against Asian people. At SUNY, Chiu helped create SUNY’s AANHPI Leadership Institute, where she currently serves as a steering committee member.
Anna Mercado Clark
With extensive expertise in law with technology, Anna Mercado Clark is Phillips Lytle’s chief information security officer and a member of the firm’s governing committee. As co-lead of the technology industry team, Clark heads matters on data privacy, cybersecurity, e-discovery, cryptocurrency and blockchain. A varied tech specialist, she shares her insights with budding lawyers as an adjunct professor at the Fordham University School of Law. Clark, who is from the Philippines, has also been an active member of the American Bar Association’s science and technology committees, was president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and co-founded the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York.
Jeehae Fischer
Since taking the reins of the Korean American Family Service Center in 2019, Jeehae Fischer has boosted its budget from $1.8 million to $4.5 million and maintained services for individuals facing domestic violence and sexual assault during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously the organization’s director of programs and administration from 2011 to 2015, Fischer pivoted to serving immigrant students with the Internationals Network for Public Schools. She serves on the state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence’s advisory council and the board of Mekong NYC, a social justice nonprofit.
Michael Fong
Michael Fong draws from his immigrant family’s entrepreneurial background to advocate for small-business and housing equity. The founder of the Asian American Small Business Task Force champions immigrant entrepreneurs. He spent seven years at the New York City Department of Small Business Services, where he supported the NYC BEST initiative, an effort to help small businesses navigate city government – and avoid millions of dollars in fines. A 2025 Asian Real Estate Association of America presidential appointee and member of the government affairs committee at the Long Island Board of Realtors, Fong continues to empower underserved communities.
Lawrence Han
Award-winning attorney Lawrence Han shares his courtroom savvy with over 500 professionals of the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York, where he serves as president. In addition to advancing the professional development of Korean American legal professionals, Han has expanded pro bono outreach to strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations, elevating issues impacting the Asian American community. As a partner at the law firm Rivkin Radler, Han represents clients in commercial litigation and defends domestic and foreign corporations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Lisa Do Hofflich
Government affairs veteran Lisa Do Hofflich came on last year as director of partnerships for Public Partnerships LLC, or PPL, whom she helped secure a major contract as the sole intermediary for New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. She also spearheaded a successful campaign to pass the Safe Hotels Act, which set hotel licensing requirements in New York City. Hofflich, a Vietnamese refugee, previously was at Actum and served as a senior adviser and regional director for U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and a legislative aide to Assembly Member Amy Paulin.
Carl Hum
Advocating on behalf of over 14,000 real estate professionals, Carl Hum handles legal matters for the Real Estate Board of New York, an influential trade organization. Hum recently helped adjust REBNY’s Residential Listing Service to adapt to a national class-action agreement on real estate commissions. He also helped with the merger of the REBNY Foundation and the Realty Foundation of New York and spearheaded a successful lawsuit that overturned a New York City measure imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic limiting enforcement of guaranties on rent defaults for commercial leases.
Bibi Karim
A first-generation immigrant of Indo-Caribbean descent, Bibi Karim spent her formative years living in rent-stabilized housing, an experience which would inspire a career in social service. For more than three decades, Karim has had a hand in BronxWorks’ programming – from foster care prevention to helping those suffering from chronic illness. Promoted last year to vice president of the social services organization, Karim has an expanded portfolio that includes community health, immigration services and older adult services. She also has a private therapy practice and serves on the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center Community Advisory Board.
Virginia Kee
Sixty years ago, Virginia Kee submitted a proposal for summer remedial English classes. Over the years, that effort blossomed into the Chinese-American Planning Council, the country’s largest Asian American social services organization – and she’s still driving its expansion, with a new headquarters in a building with 200 units of affordable housing. Born and raised in New York City, Kee ran for New York City Council in 1985 to encourage more Asian Americans to vote. Her influence at the CPC continues to be felt, as she mentors local community members and drives civic engagement.
Tina Kim
As far as high-ranking Korean Americans in state government go, Tina Kim leads the way through her focus on accountability as it pertains to government funding. Through her no-nonsense and innovative “Smart Audit” initiative, Kim has worked to identify over $27 billion in savings over the past five years – helping her division become the first state audit shop to win the Citizens Budget Commission’s Prize for Public Service Innovation. With her work now the standard across the United States and abroad, Kim shares her expertise as a member of the Council of Korean Americans’ Audit Committee.
Judy Kim
In 2016, Justice Judy Kim made history as the first Korean American judge elected in the state. Kim, who serves as an acting state Supreme Court justice for Manhattan Civil Court, was appointed in September to the state Unified Court System’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics and serves on the Equal Justice in the Courts and Gender Fairness committees. Kim is also co-president of the Judges’ Division of the Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert and board member of the Korean American Community Foundation.
Jackson Koo
In the face of more frequent and more extreme storms, Jackson Koo and his weather and technology team ensure the safe delivery – and, when needed, the rapid restoration – of power to nearly 4 million customers across New York City as well as Westchester, Orange and Rockland counties. Utilizing the latest meteorological technology and streamlined internal processes, the 20-year industry veteran recently helped Con Edison win the 2024 ReliabilityOne National Reliability Award. As a leader of the Asian Professionals Alliance of Con Edison, Koo prioritizes diversity through volunteer initiatives, community cleanups and mentorships.
Maya Kurien
A seasoned social services leader, Maya Kurien oversees the economic empowerment of Harlem residents as board chair of the nonprofit Hope Community through strategic planning, fundraising and fiscal management. Kurien, who’s also a board member of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, previously served as vice president of advocacy at the Real Estate Board of New York. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurien served as executive director of government affairs at the New York City Housing Preservation and Development, where she helped protect rent-regulated housing and raise lending limits.
Amy Lee
A native of Chinatown, Amy Lee learned to navigate New York City’s sprawling social safety nets at an early age, sparking her desire to make health care more accessible. Getting her start by funding policy studies to advance the Affordable Care Act, Lee went on to help build the New York State of Health marketplace, connecting over 6.7 million New Yorkers to affordable and comprehensive health coverage. She later transitioned to the health insurance industry, where she now manages and optimizes the access of over 30,000 members at Elderplan.
Chisun Lee
An accomplished legal scholar and journalist, Chisun Lee has worked with the Brennan Center for Justice to secure systemic reforms in democratic and justice systems. Lee was previously a former criminal defense lawyer and law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. As a journalist, she carried out award-winning investigations with ProPublica and The Village Voice. Now, as the deputy executive director of the Brennan Center, she continues to advocate for historically marginalized groups. She also serves on the board of the New York Women’s Foundation.
Christina Lee
An educator committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, Christina Lee has built partnerships and programs reflective of the global community at Monroe Community College. As global education coordinator, Lee co-leads the college’s Global Roundtable and mentors the Global Union International Students’ Association. A recent fellow of the inaugural cohort of the SUNY AANHPI Leadership Institute, Lee’s advocacy continues in her work as vice president of the Brighton Central School District’s Board of Education and board member of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Association of Greater Rochester. She was born in South Korea and immigrated to Rochester as a toddler.
Eric Lee
A passionate public policy advocate, Eric Lee joined Volunteers of America-Greater New York in December to oversee its diverse portfolio of permanent affordable and supportive housing, shelters and education programs. With programming serving a wide range of individuals, Lee fights to improve conditions in underrepresented communities, including the elderly, survivors of domestic violence, and people with mental health needs. Previously, Lee was director of policy and planning for Homeless Services United, where he advocated for improvements to New York City’s CityFHEPS rental assistance voucher program and helped pass legislation to expand its reach.
Tami Lin-Moges
Amid the growing threat of the urban heat island effect, Tami Lin-Moges leads a team that advances nature-based solutions to reduce extreme heat through green roofs, improve air quality and reduce flooding. At The Nature Conservancy, she manages the Future Forest NYC initiative and drives the strategy for the Forest for All NYC coalition to pass measures protecting and expanding the city’s urban forest. Originally from San Francisco’s Chinatown and a New York City transplant since 2009, Lin-Moges has had a lifelong interest in urban design and environmental sustainability.
Kelsey Louie
A native New Yorker and son of Chinese immigrant parents, Kelsey Louie spent the early years of his professional career in youth services, holding key roles at the Harlem United Community AIDS Center and later, at GMHC, an HIV- and AIDS-service organization. Since 2021, Louie has been at the helm of The Door, a youth services nonprofit, launching a master of social work pathway for staff and overseeing the expansion of Bronx services for runaway and homeless youth. Louie is also CEO of the affiliated Broome Street Academy, a charter high school.
Shawn Ma
Shawn Ma has emphasized engagement from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration. In his previous position as the governor’s director of Asian American affairs, Ma helped launch the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, delivered $30 million to Asian American nonprofits and supported governmental recognition of Lunar New Year and Diwali as school holidays. He also orchestrated gubernatorial visits to Hindu and Buddhist temples. Ma was recently promoted to senior director of constituency affairs, a role in which he oversees outreach to various racial, ethnic, religious, LGBTQ+ and women’s groups.
Syra Madad
While the COVID-19 threat has largely subsided, Syra Madad knows the next public health emergency could come at any time. As NYC Health + Hospitals’ chief biopreparedness officer, Madad drives systemwide efforts to improve special pathogen preparedness and advises government leaders on outbreak preparedness, pandemic policy and health security. The Pakistani American expert has navigated outbreaks ranging from Ebola and Zika to measles and mpox – and has prepared for a potential bird flu outbreak. She recently was named public health editor-at-large by the New York Academy of Sciences and launched Critical Health Voices to amplify diverse perspectives in public health.
Enzo Manzano
Within New York City’s crowded nonprofit and political landscape, driving meaningful change can be daunting. But for longtime players like Enzo Manzano, advocacy, coalition-building and community empowerment are like second nature – from his early days as a field organizer in the Bronx to directing Kasirer’s nonprofit team. Within the world of politics, Manzano serves as president of the Filipino American Democratic Club of New York and served as the East Coast regional director for Filipino Americans for Harris, a role in which he spearheaded critical voter outreach in key swing states.
Sanjay Mody
As a seasoned adviser for leaders in government, infrastructure and finance, Sanjay Mody has helped strategize corporate and governance matters at the World Trade Center and the John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports. The former senior adviser to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey chair launched the Infrastructure Development & Finance Group at Windels Marx, a New York City law firm. He is also the general counsel and corporate secretary of The Sentry, an international organization exposing links between dirty money and violence.
Mariko Silver
Last year, Mariko Silver made history as the first woman of color to lead the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, one of New York City’s top cultural institutions. Silver, who is of Japanese American descent, is reinvigorating Lincoln Center through efforts to make its Amsterdam Avenue side more welcoming and to embrace choose-what-you-pay programming. In March, she secured $50 million for the Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance, the largest single programming gift in the center’s history. Previously, she ran the Henry Luce Foundation and was president of Bennington College.
Japneet Singh
Japneet Singh isn’t afraid to upset the established order as he advocates for immigrants and others in Southeast Queens. Singh has mounted primary campaigns against powerful Democratic incumbents and is running again for the seat that will be vacated by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Singh, who is Sikh, founded the Khalsa Community Patrol, which targets food insecurity and serves immigrant communities. The lifelong Queens resident previously served as student body president of Queens College and has served on Queens Community Board 10 and the board of the Little Guyana Chamber of Commerce.
Sibi Thomas
While guiding nonprofits in matters of accounting, auditing and consulting for two decades, Sibi Thomas has helped organizations navigate complex regulatory issues. Thomas has served since 2016 as managing director of CBIZ, a business and consulting services firm with offices in New York and across the nation. Thomas also serves on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Not-for-Profit Entities Expert Panel, contributing to the advancement of standards in the nonprofit accounting industry. He is also an educator and trainer, serving as an adjunct on nonprofit accounting at New York University.
Wei Ting Li
Ponce Bank, a federally designated community development financial institution, has a long commitment to serving customers across New York City. One reason for the success of the bank is its reliance on employees like Wei Ting Li. Ting, a first-generation college graduate, joined Ponce Bank three years ago after earning a degree in business management at the College of Staten Island and displaying a commitment to community banking and supporting local businesses. She assists business customers in improving their operations and improving cash flow management.
Veronica Tsang
Veronica Tsang has long worked to advance the Asian American community, both in her professional career and in her civic and volunteer activities outside of work. Tsang has found ways to serve Chinese Americans in the financial sector, both at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and in her long tenure at Cathay Bank, where she now oversees branches in New York and several other states. Tsang, who emigrated from Hong Kong, has also served on a New York City Charter Revision Commission and is the board chair of the Chinese-American Planning Council.
Joey Uy
A proud queer, Filipino Vietnamese American storyteller, Joey Uy uplifts LGBTQ+ and diverse communities as the government and external affairs project coordinator of The LGBT Community Center. Uy recently led an innovative Queer AAPI Food Festival and collaborated with Native Son and Gilead to host preelection and post-election town halls. Uy also partnered with the New York Transgender Advocacy Group to organize the Serve the Vote Ball, using ballroom culture to get out the vote among LGBTQ+ youth and led the LGBTQ+ Community Iftar.
Gaurav Vasisht
Gaurav Vasisht is the first Asian and Indian American to lead the New York State Insurance Fund, or NYSIF, a state-authorized workers’ compensation insurer that covers 2 million workers and 200,000 employers in New York. In addition to leading the 110-year-old insurer, Vasisht chairs the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, which is tasked with recommending economic, social, health and educational policies to improve the lives of approximately 2 million AAPI people throughout the state. Vasisht was previously an adviser to then-Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker.
John Wang
John Wang founded the Asian American Business Development Center in hopes of nurturing future generations of local business leaders. The organization has since elevated Asian American entrepreneurs and senior executives into the mainstream, educated small-business owners and helped foster corporate relationships serving the community at large. In 2003, Wang led the first delegation of New York state legislators and businesses to China, culminating in the creation of the New York in China Center in 2008 to strengthen U.S.-China business partnerships.
Pat Wang
Pat Wang isn’t your typical health insurance executive. The veteran leader of Healthfirst – a nonprofit insurer with nearly 2 million members – Wang is also a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a member of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Commission on the Future of Health Care, one of many government panels she has served on over the years. Wang’s dedication to advancing health equity has made her a trusted voice on Medicare and Medicaid among legislators and government officials.
Shiang-Kwei Wang
As provost and vice president of academic affairs at Hostos Community College, Shiang-Kwei Wang supports the president and works with administrators, faculty and staff to carry out the Bronx school’s mission. Wang has integrated artificial intelligence into curricula, improved student retention and worked to prepare graduates for an evolving workforce. Wang has also secured private, federal and state grants, including funding from the National Science Foundation. The award-winning academic was previously in key roles at Harold Washington College in Chicago, Queensborough Community College and the New York Institute of Technology.
Tian Weinberg
When Tian Weinberg was just 26, she became chief of staff of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. During her tenure at the agency, Weinberg helped retain small-business jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and saved local establishments an estimated $15 million in fines and fees while also facilitating $265 million in small-business funding and establishing various small-business advisory councils. Now at Oaktree Solutions, Frank Carone’s public affairs and venture consulting firm, Weinberg supports the firm’s growth in sports and talent industries while helping nonprofit clients expand their footprints in New York.
Julie Won
New York City Council Contracts Committee Chair Julie Won is charting the future of Long Island City, Queens. The Korean American lawmaker is working with the New York City Department of City Planning to develop the One LIC Neighborhood Plan, which calls for 13,667 new units of housing, new commercial and community space and reduced industrial space. Won brokered the deal to move the Innovation QNS development through by getting developers to agree to more affordable housing. Recently, Won secured a suspension of alternate side parking on Losar, the Tibetan New Year.
Eva Wong
In order to boost access to community mental health services, Eva Wong, executive director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, is forging partnerships with local organizations, funders and governmental entities to better serve vulnerable populations. Wong, who is Chinese American, has drawn attention to workforce shortages in mental health and substance use services. A licensed mental health counselor, Wong also launched the first U.S. psychological intervention model for young people tailored to nonclinical staff and mounted an interagency youth suicide prevention initiative.
Frank Wu
The American-born son of Chinese immigrants, celebrated legal scholar Frank Wu is the first person of color to lead Queens College. In recent years, he opened the college’s School of Arts and School of Business, which includes a tech incubator that supports local entrepreneurs and student interns. Wu also has secured federal funding for a Wastewater Epidemiology Training Laboratory and bolstered CUNY’s Asian American / Asian Research Institute. He is the author of “Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White,” and previously was chancellor and dean of University of California College of the Law, San Francisco and a faculty member of Howard University.
April Xu
A journalist whose coverage bridges cultural gaps within New York’s Chinese community, April Xu has helped immigrants navigate complex systems. Fluent in Chinese and English, Xu launched Documented’s first official WeChat account, creating an award-winning platform to engage with Chinese-speaking audiences. Xu’s reporting on questionable campaign donations and fundraising practices preceded government investigations into New York City Mayor Eric Adams, earning her an honorable mention for the 2024 Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting and ranking as finalist for the 2024 Deadline Club Awards.
Trip Yang
Veteran political strategist Trip Yang has long been emphasizing the importance of winning over Asian American voters, and he has the evidence to back it up. Yang, who’s one of the top Asian American campaign consultants in New York, helped Rep. Tom Suozzi take back his congressional seat in 2024 and has drawn attention to Republicans winning seats in New York City’s outer boroughs. Yang’s firm also has a track record of deploying targeted multilingual and culturally informed messaging and has worked with other clients, including Assembly Members Steven Raga and Grace Lee.
Editor’s note: Trip Yang is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
Po Yi
As the leader of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips’ New York office, Po Yi helps key industry clients address regulatory challenges, negotiate business alliances and execute marketing initiatives in areas of advertising, entertainment and media. Drawing from her experience as the chief advertising counsel for major financial services companies, Yi hosts her own podcast, “Perfect Balance: An Advertising Law Podcast,” where she covers marketing and cuts across multiple industries. She has recently helped clients negotiate sponsorships with Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball and the Olympics.
Edgar Yu
At the New York City Department for the Aging, Edgar Yu helps oversee efforts to ensure the dignity and livability of 1.8 million older New Yorkers. Yu, who also manages the department’s external affairs, is a member of the leadership team and plays a key role in shaping public policies and influencing legislation that affect this population. The California transplant previously launched a nationally recognized crime prevention program, oversaw several successful public service announcement campaigns – including an award-winning COVID-19 awareness campaign – and worked on federal drug control policies.
Roger Zhu
With over a quarter century of experience at the intersection of health care and finance, Roger Zhu oversees the $1 billion budget at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst while ensuring stability and allowing for ongoing growth. Zhu, who was named chief financial officer of the Queens hospital in 2022, had risen through the ranks within the city’s public hospital system in roles where he did everything from managing grants to handling budgets and finance before becoming CFO at Elmhurst. Zhu excels in data-driven decision-making and improving financial processes.
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