Ashley Yao
姚嘉琳
As a former Third Princess of the 2024 Miss LA Chinatown Court and current Miss Imagine Talks with Miss Asian Global, Ashley Yao loves pageantry for the sisterhood and unique community service experience.
Ashley grew up learning ballet, musical theater, and jazz. In college, she enjoyed country line dancing and choreographing for a Christian dance group. She also performed in parades, restaurants, and festivals with the Cal Poly Lion Dance Team. Since moving to Los Angeles, she has trained with Whacking Los Angeles and Move In Touch. She is a semi-professional dancer; formerly, as a Maid Cafe performer with Anime Expo and currently, with other industry cafes.
Professionally, Ashley is a transportation engineer and planner passionate about traffic safety. She works diligently to design safer futures in the greater Southern California region. Through her experiences, she is practiced in conducting community outreach and public speaking. She wants every delegate to feel connected to the Chinese community and feel confident on stage.
In her free time, Ashley is a notorious side-quester. So, you'll have to ask her about her other hobbies when you meet her, but she's always down to take a dance class with you.
Read More
Alan Chen
Alan Chen is a Partner at Rimon PC law firm based in Los Angeles. He focuses primarily on intellectual property and international commercial litigation. Alan represents both domestic and foreign clients in the technology, medical devices, broadcasting, publishing, entertainment, fashion, consumer goods, import/export, and insurance industries.Alan also litigates and counsels clients in relation to corporate transactions, e-commerce, privacy, franchise, regulatory compliance, and international trade.
Alan is an adjunct professor who teaches an LLM course “comparatively international intellectual property law” at Southwestern Law School. Prior to Rimon, he was a Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, and Partner at Zuber Lawler & Del Duca LLP.
Alan holds a JD from Southwestern Law School, and a BA from the University of California, San Diego. He is President of the Taiwanese American Lawyers Association, and board member and general counsel of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles.
Read More
Richard Hing
With over 40 years of experience as an insurance broker and a deep-rooted connection to the Los Angeles area, Mr. Richard Hing has dedicated his career to service the local community. Raised in Los Angeles, I attended local public schools, Ivanhoe Elementary, King Junior High, Marshal High School and California State University Los Angeles. All have grounded him in the value and culture of our vibrant city. As a former board member of the LA Chinese Chamber and managing partner of Summit Western and Mandarin Plaza, Mr. Hing has played integral roles in Los Angeles Chinatown’s business and community leadership.
Throughout his career, Richard has served on the board of directors for organizations such as ISU Insurance Services leveraging my expertise to drive strategic initiatives and to foster growth. He also has worked directly with Insurance Commissioner John Garemendi on the Special Committee to assist claims dealing with the Los Angeles Riots.
Now Mr. Hing is driven by a desire to reignite the core values within the Chinese American community to bring families and businesses together to support one another and preserve our community cultural heritage.
Mr. Hing’s goal is to channel his energy back into the community fostering connections and creating opportunities for collaboration and mutual support between the Chamber and Chinese American businesses in the greater Los Angeles area.
Read More
Tina Shih
Miss Tina Shih is the owner of Tina Modeling since 2005. She is one of the top etiquette instructors, beauty pageant trainers, and modeling coaches in Los Angeles. She was born in Taiwan, where she was introduced to the world of fashion and elegance as a youth model. In 1988, Tina immigrated to Los Angeles and became the director and principal of a private elementary school for 10 years. Through her work and social experience from life, Tina recognized the importance of social etiquettes to our globalizing society.
Every aspect of life is involved in social interactions and the understanding of those unspoken rules is the secret to achieving success. With this understanding and her background as an educator and a former model, Tina began to dedicate her time to educating students in modeling and social graces.
Over the years, Tina has established Tina Modeling, House of Etiquette into one of the most prestigious and effective schools not only in Southern California, but also across Asia. With her professional knowledge and teaching skills, Tina has taught etiquettes to men, women, and children of all ages, given lectures and training courses throughout the community through Radio and TV interviews, hosted and choreographed multiple fashion shows, and personally trained yearly Queen-titled leaders in the Southern California and Asia. Because of her devotion.She has also earned the title of “Beauty Ambassador”.
Read More
Dr. Gay Yuen
Dr Gay Yuen is currently the Board Chair of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles. The mission of the Chinese American Museum (CAM) is to foster a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, America’s diverse heritage by researching, preserving, and sharing the history, rich cultural legacy, and continued contributions of Chinese Americans. As Chair, she is currently leading a $4 million expansion of CAM to build additional exhibition and program spaces and to design and build a Unity Garden to commemorate the victims of the Chinese Massacre of 1871.
Dr Yuen, a longtime leader in education, has made a profound impact on the education of minorities and refugees in California’s public schools. Yuen received her PhD from the USC Rossier School of Education, and also holds degrees from Cal State LA (MA) and UCLA (BA). At Cal State La, she was professor and Chair of the Division of Curriculum and Instruction and oversaw the teacher credentialing programs for elementary, secondary and graduate education. Yuen’s professional focus over her 45-year career has been on education equity and inclusion through the promotion of bilingual and multicultural education. Her work has helped children in the US, as well as nations across the globe, to access education equity.
Gay Yuen was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chinese-American Elected Officials organization. She was also recognized with Women of the Year Awards by Congresswoman Judy Chu and Assemblymembers Ed Chau and Mike Fong. Last year she was awarded the Leadership Award by the USC API Alumni Association. She was recently named to serve on the LA County Human Relations Commission for Los Angeles County by Supervisor Hilda Solis.
In addition to sitting on a number of non-profit boards, Gay Yuen is also an active participant and supporter of organizations and businesses in Chinatown and cities throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
Read More
Angela Lai
Ms. Lai has dedicated much of her life to teaching, educating, and promoting Chinese culture through the art of Chinese dance. Her passion and dedication have inspired generations, preserving the beauty and significance of this traditional art form while fostering a deeper appreciation for Chinese heritage both within and beyond the community.
Ms. Lai's journey in Chinese classical dance began when she launched her teaching career at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. Her students have performed at prestigious venues and events, including the Olympic Games in Mexico, World Expo in Japan, Disneyland, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Hollywood Bowl, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Tournament of Roses Parade, Dolby Theatre, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Olympic Relay. They have also received multiple invitations from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office to perform at Double Ten National Day celebrations.
Ms. Lai is a distinguished leader in the arts and business communities, currently serving as the President of the American Chinese Dance Association, a role she has held in various capacities since 1996. She also serves as the Vice President of the Chinese Culture University of Southern California Alumni Association. In addition, Ms. Lai has held leadership roles in several organizations, including as a board member of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Southern California and as Vice Chair of the Performing Arts Foundation. She also served as the Secretary General and Event Chair of the Global Federation of Chinese Business Women for the Southern California Chapter.
Ms. Lai has served as a judge and advisor for numerous esteemed competitions, including the American Chinese Dance Association’s annual Dance Competition, the Performing Arts Foundation’s Asian American Scholarship Award Competition, the Miss Taiwanese American Pageant, and the Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant. Ms. Lai is the new President of the Chinese Culture University Alumni Association of Southern California (CCUAASC).
Read More
Michelle Situ
司徒美笑
Born and raised in Lincoln Heights, just steps away from Chinatown, Michelle’s deep connection to her community has shaped who she is today. After graduating from Lincoln High School, she earned her B.A. in Accounting at Cal State Fullerton. The diversity around her sparked a love for food, music, and inclusivity, and she enjoys everything from food adventures to concerts and comedy shows. Above all, Michelle treasures the sisterhood she’s built with her fellow court members, a bond that will last a lifetime.
Michelle joined MLAC to give back to the Chinese community that molded her. “Without this community, I wouldn’t understand my culture, tradition, or heritage. I wouldn’t be who I am today.” Standing alongside CCCLA and MLAC, Michelle is proud to preserve Chinatown’s rich heritage and ensure its legacy continues for future generations.
Read More