People who show up for the neighborhood.

Donald Hong is a born and bred New Yorker who loves his city. He is a proud graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School and has Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Buffalo. He started his career as an Exxon Petroleum Engineer. Now he is a successful real estate developer with 25 years experience.

Volunteering is part of Don’s lifeblood. He has been involved in community volunteer activities for more than 45 years. These activities have included: President of Chinese American Planning Council (10 years); President of Hong Ning Senior Citizen Housing (15 years); and 2003 New York City Districting Commissioner. His current involvement includes 16 years as President of low-income housing 384 Grand St HDFC, and President and CEO of UA3.

David Ho is the first Chinese American elected to the position of Home Care Division Vice President of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the largest healthcare union on the East Coast. Before becoming Vice President, David worked as an organizer in the Home Care Division for nine years, and he now leads thousands of Chinese home care workers in his area.

As health care needs among Chinese Americans increase, the number of Chinese immigrants within the 1199 membership is growing, and the union is committed to reaching them. As the union’s first and only Chinese-speaking organizer, David has inspired several thousand Chinese home care workers to become one of the most mobilized and effective activist groups in the Chinese community. These workers initially had limited engagement with the union because of language and cultural barriers; David first helped them as a social worker with the union’s Member Assistance Program.

Norma Chu, while attending to a busy career as an educator in NYC for 30 years, volunteered tirelessly for the larger community.

Norma's love for people is reflected in her lifelong contribution to the Chinese-American community. As an early member of the Board of Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) she helped design and manage social programs with a special focus to improve the lives of immigrants. She worked tirelessly to obtain public and private funds. Her chairmanships of CPC's numerous gala events are legendary. The collective efforts raised millions of dollars. She remains an active member of the Cosmo Lions Club, Asian Women United, Pan Pacific Southeastern Asian Women's Association, and many other organizations that reach out to have a positive impact in our community. Her latest venture is helping to manage the Gospel Manor Church Food Pantry program. She is currently the honorary chair of UA3 a non-profit organization dedicated to early intervention with digital literacy and bridging the "digital divide", co-founded by her grandchildren.

Norma's efforts have been widely recognized. She is a recipient of the Harriet Tubman Humanitarian Achievement Award and served on the Commission on the Status of Women.

Norma was an educator in the NYC school system for 30 years then launched a second career in media. She has appeared in numerous independent features including Law and Order, and The Blacklist. She appeared in many print and film commercials such as for Pfizer, Coach, and the New York Lottery. Her most recent Apple Iphone X commercial was launched at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Norma received her BA from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and was the third Chinese woman in the history of the University to obtain a BA. She obtained her Master's Degree at Columbia University. She has three children and six grandchildren, all living in New York.

Lily Din Woo served as the principal of PS 130 Manhattan, District 2, for 25 years before retiring in August of 2014. Lily was instrumental in transforming P.S. 130 Manhattan from a struggling school into a consistently high performing school that has been recognized by New York City, New York State and US Department of Education as a Title I Distinguished School for its academic achievements and as a demonstration site for its ability to incorporate the arts into the education of every child in the school.

In her 44 years in education, Lily has also served as a classroom teacher, an ESL teacher, an ESL staff developer, and as a director for a demonstration project for the Division of High Schools with the NYC Department of Education. Within that time span, she had also served six years with the New York State Education Department as an Associate with the Division of Bilingual Education. In 2010, she received a “Principal of the Year” Blackboard Award from the New York City media for her exemplary work at her school, and in 2016, received recognition as an Outstanding CUNY Asian-American Woman of the Year for Leadership in Education by the City University of New York’s Asian American/Asian Research Institute.

Lily has served on many advisory committees and task forces for several chancellors of the NYC Department of Education. In addition, she was a mentor principal for both the NYC Leadership Academy and for the Department of Education and was a member of the adjunct faculty at Baruch College and Bank Street College for many years.

She is currently serving as the Associate Director for the Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals at Teachers College, Columbia University, a highly selective advanced national leadership development program for high-performing principals. Lily was one of 16 principals in the first cohort of this program and is still actively serving as a mentor for principals through this program in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Dallas, and Tampa.

Gigi Li is a nonprofit, government, and community development leader with more than two decades of experience serving New York City's diverse communities. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Chinatown, she has dedicated her career to advancing opportunities for underserved families through public service, community engagement, fundraising, and strategic partnerships. Gigi currently serves as Director of Development at Bellevue Hospital and has held leadership roles with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the New York City Council. As Treasurer of UA3, she brings extensive experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and organizational stewardship to support the organization's mission and long-term growth.

Katelyn “Kai” and Sean Hong, siblings born and raised in New York City, developed a passion for giving back at an early age. In 2012, after seeing how many students did not have access to essential technology, they helped raise funds to provide mini iPads to several fifth graders at P.S. 130. This initiative promptly sparked the creation of UA3 and its guiding philosophy, “Dare to Care.” Since then, UA3 has partnered with Columbia University, the Cosmopolitan Lions Club, P.S. 130, Manor Community Church, and numerous public and charter schools across NYC and Chicago to promote educational equity and digital access. Kai, a high school counselor with a Master’s in School Counseling from NYU, currently serves as a UA3 board member. Meanwhile, Sean, pursuing a degree in Operations Management and Analytics at Baruch College, works as an SYEP Supervisor at UA3. Together, they continue to champion opportunities for underserved communities.

Chi Loek has been involved in the Asian Pacific American communities for over 34 years as a youth counselor, community organizer, employment training/Workforce Development administrator and community advocate in strengthening and improving the lives of members of our community.

Mr. Loek has served as a member of Brooklyn Community Board #14, Manhattan Community Board # 3 and a member of Youth Advisory Board member of the New York State Division of Youth Services. For the past ten years, Mr. Loek has served on the Board of OCA-NY and the last 7 years on the Executive Council. Mr. Loek is a strong advocate for civic engagement and protecting the civil rights of the APA community.

Mr. Loek was instrumental in getting justice for Pvt. Danny Chen and his family and organizing hate crime forum in Queens and Manhattan.

Jennifer began her financial services career while still in college at the University of Pittsburgh. Several years later, she was managing the Rochester, NY branch of a Morgan Stanley predecessor firm. Today, she interacts with a wide variety of Pelican Bay Group clients, including foundations, endowments, banks, trust companies and high net worth families. Jennifer also works closely with other Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors who seek out The Pelican Bay Group for investment management capabilities. She takes pride in the fact that the team maintains strategic relationships with more than 500 Financial Advisors.

Xinkai “Kevin” Hu started volunteering at UA3 as an ambassador since early 2017. He spent 5 years in financial audit and 3 years in M&A advisory at PwC prior to his current role as CFO. He deeply cares about the local community and thrives to promote digital fitness and provide foods to all people regardless of age or background. Kevin is a Certified Public Accountant and received his B.S. and M.S. from Fordham University.

Yan Shan Yu was an SYEP youth, working at UA3 since the summer of 2020. She graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Bachelor in Forensic Psychology and will complete her Master's degree early next year in Forensic Mental Health Counseling. Yan is deeply passionate about addressing food insecurity and creating sustainable solutions to help our community thrive. Access to nutritious food is essential for a healthy, vibrant life, and she believes that no one should have to worry about where their next meal will come from. By working together with local organizations, advocating for resources, and fostering community support, she hopes to make a real difference and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed and feel secure. Helping people meet their basic needs isn't just a cause—it's a commitment to building a stronger, more equitable future for all.

Katherine Mooney is a longtime advocate for social justice with extensive experience in nonprofit development, public service, and community organizing. Her career spans roles in journalism, faith-based advocacy, New York City government, and nonprofit leadership, including over 14 years serving as a Deputy Chief of Staff and Budget Director in the New York City Council. As Grant Writer for UA3, Katherine leverages her expertise in fundraising, public policy, and community development to secure resources that support food access, youth programs, immigrant services, and older adult initiatives across New York City.