APAC Board of Directors
Alexander Nguyen
Parliamentarian
Alexander Nguyen Bio
Natasha Wong
Member at Large
About Natasha Wong
Alexander Nguyen
Parliamentarian
Alexander Nguyen Bio
Natasha Wong
Member at Large
About Natasha Wong
Steve Hsieh has been living in San Diego for over 30 years and has devoted his effort promoting API involvement in public affairs. Steve has also been actively involved in community affairs to boost API visibility.
Steve is currently serving on San Diego City’s Commission on Police Practices as well as the vice president of Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of San Diego. Steve is also a commissioner to the Republic of China Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council.
Steve Hsieh holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California and a master’s degree from the University of Texas. Steve also receives a board member certificate from The Nonprofit Institute at University of San Diego.
Mary works with individual private investors on off-market acquisitions from building master plan town centers to acquiring large scale projects. She also serves as Vice President of the HOA Board of The Legend condominium complex in downtown San Diego, actively participates in East Village BID board, and the Downtown Community Planning Council (DCPC).
It is because of her hardships she continues to engage, encourage, and actively participate in giving back to the community. This past year she has dedicated time and built friendships within the Filipino community as Deputy CIO of United Pilipino International (UPI) board, COPAO’s 50th Anniversary Event Co-Chair, and assisted with Ditas Yamane campaign for National City District 3 Council member. She also served as a trustee on La Jolla Town Council.
Mitz Lee has been a community leader, coalition builder and neighborhood advocate for nearly three decades. Mitz’ early public service started the same way many others have served. She was a military spouse, a Youth Soccer and Little League Team Mom, a Den Mother, a school classroom volunteer, and a School Parent Volunteer Coordinator.
Later, Mitz was elected to the San Diego Unified School District’s Board of Education. Mitz has also served on San Diego City Human Relations Commission. She cofounded several nonprofit organizations and has served on their Board of Directors. In addition, she is now spearheading two neighborhood-focused projects as Executive Director of Mira Mesa Senior Center and Chairperson of D6 Night Market. She continues to serve as President and CEO of Alliance for Quality Education. She also accepted the position of Chair of the Board of Directors of Parents for Quality Education and Asian Pacific American Coalition.
Mitz has received numerous awards for her efforts including the Governor and First Lady’s Service Award, Special Recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives, the California State Legislature, and from local elected officials, and was named one of the Top 50 People to Watch in San Diego by San Diego Magazine. She also received the 2016 Woman of the Year for the Assembly 77th District, State of California
Mitz received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Economics from the University of the City of Manila and a master’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Financial Management from National University in San Diego. Mitz has made San Diego her home for 37 years with her husband, a U.S. Navy veteran, and their 2 sons.
Donna Lee has been a resident of San Diego since 1974. She has served on the boards of the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum and the San Diego Chinese Women’s Association. Currently, Donna is a member of the Board of Directors for the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and is serving as the President of the San Diego United Lions Club.
Additionally, Donna Lee is a member of the House of China, part of the House of Pacific Relations in Balboa Park.
Alexander Nguyen is an Emmy award-winning journalist. He is currently the web producer for KPBS News. As web producer, he is responsible for covering breaking news online, writing web stories, and copy editing and updating the station’s website and social media.
Alexander has covered Southern California extensively for several publications, including Patch, Times of San Diego, MyNewsLA.com, and NBC San Diego where he won several Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club awards for his writing. He is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and San Diego Press Club.
In addition, he’s been on the board of several community organizations, such as the Mira Mesa Town Council, Mira Mesa Theatre Guild, Vietnamese American Youth Alliance. He is also involved in producing, either directly or indirectly, several community events, such as the annual San Diego Tet Festival, City Heights Lantern Festival, among others.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in journalism innovation from Syracuse University.
Natasha Wong is an international law attorney who began her career in San Diego as the Executive Director of the Chinese Service Center. Providing various social services to low-and middle-income Chinese, the Center provided services ranging from job referrals to free financial literacy courses. Wong helped implement the first IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for mono-lingual Chinese.
Under her leadership, hundreds of Chinese restaurant workers also received training and earned a Food Sanitation certificate from the County of San Diego Health Department to work in restaurants all over San Diego County. Wong earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.
She earned her Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School and a Master of Law in International Law from the University of San Diego, School of Law. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Avery Tsui Foundation. She is a trustee of the Stephen Hawking Professorship at Cambridge University in England. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Letters and Sciences. She is also the treasurer and serves on the board of directors of San Diego Balboa Park’s House of China.
Kenya Benitez is a San Diego native, born and raised in the South Bay. She has a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Writing Studies and is currently pursuing her master’s in public health. Through her degrees, she plans to work in the health policy sector to fight for vulnerable populations that don’t have access to reliable healthcare.
During her time as a student, she has mentored incoming college freshmen, helped fellow students as a writing tutor, and joined the Lavin entrepreneurship program.
Nikki Summa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Finance in 1989, which
marked the beginning of her professional journey. Shortly after, from 1989 to 1992, she
served as an Assistant Executive Financial Advisor, gaining valuable experience in the
financial sector.
In 1994, she graduated with an MBA in Finance from Southeastern University in the
United States. Following her graduation, she took on the role of Lending Officer and
Commercial Real Estate specialist at Siam Commercial Bank Headquarters. This
position set the stage for her subsequent career advancements.
By 1998, she had risen to the position of Senior Asset Manager at Goldman Sachs-BBC
Management Company in Thailand and served as the Assistant Vice President at SAM
Asset Management Co. Ltd.
In 2000, she transitioned into entrepreneurship, becoming a restaurant owner, a venture
that she continues to manage successfully to this day.
In 2018, she expanded her leadership roles by founding and serving as the President of
America’s Thai Chamber of Commerce in San Diego. Since 2019, she has been an
active member of the Honors Advisory Board of the Thai Samakkee Coalition.
Additionally, in 2020, she was honored to join the Honors Advisory Board of the Thai
Southern California Association.
Kim-Trang Dang has been a dedicated resident of San Diego for over 40 years. She currently serves as the President of the Vietnamese Community of San Diego and is also the Advisor to the Vietnamese Historical and Cultural Performing Arts Foundation, which she founded 12 years ago.
Her lifelong mission is to empower Vietnamese refugees and immigrants as they navigate a new and challenging environment, while ensuring the preservation of Vietnamese culture. Over the past decade, Kim-Trang has volunteered extensively, offering exceptional organizational advice and fostering strong relationships within the Vietnamese community and beyond. Her collaborative efforts extend to partnerships with organizations such as the Indochinese Association of San Diego and the Cambodian Association.
In addition to her leadership roles, Kim-Trang is an associate member of The Vietnam Veterans of America – Chapter 472, a member of The House of United States at HPR Balboa Park, and the King Hung Foundation in San Diego. She actively participates in various community events, including the annual Tet Festival, City Heights Lantern Festival, and the Mira Mesa Fourth of July Celebration & Parade, among others.
Before immigrating to the United States in 1975, Kim-Trang was a high school teacher in Vietnam. Upon arriving in San Diego, she began her career at the Refugees & Immigrants Services Department of Catholic Charities, where she served as Program Manager for Refugee Health Services, Supervising Case Manager for the CalWORKs Program, and ultimately as Support Services Supervisor. After 23 years of dedicated service, she retired from Catholic Charities.
