Gala 2025
We are sold out! Thank you so much for your interest in joining us in celebration at our gala! Please note that while gala tickets are not available, you may still donate or purchase a sponsorship package to contribute to our capital campaign for our new building. We thank you for your support!
Our Emceess
Shirley Leung is an award-winning columnist for The Boston Globe, where she examines the intersection of business, politics, and diversity. She also hosts the Globe Opinion podcast “Say More” and is a regular contributor to GBH’s Boston Public Radio. She previously served as the Globe’s business editor and interim editorial page editor and was named one of Boston Magazine’s “150 Most Influential Bostonians.” Before joining the Globe, she was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. A graduate of Princeton University, Shirley began her journalism career at her hometown paper, The Baltimore Sun.
Shirley Leung
Jim Braude
Jim Braude is the co-host of Boston Public Radio. He has worked with co-host Margery Eagan for 18 years, first doing a TV show together at NECN then a radio show at WTKK. The duo came to WGBH in 2013.
During law school, Jim ran a small retail business in Provincetown (HUBE - Help Us Break Even!). He started his professional career as a legal services lawyer in the South Bronx handling housing and prisoners’ rights cases. He was the founder and first president of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, a union representing staff in civil legal offices for the poor in 35 states. NOLSW helped lead the fight to preserve the national program when President Reagan proposed its abolition.
He then served as the executive director of TEAM, the Tax Equity Alliance for Massachusetts, a tax reform coalition, during which time he led many ballot campaigns, including the defeat of what would have been the largest budget cut on the ballot in U.S. history. He published Otherwise, a magazine on American politics, and then served as a Cambridge City Councilor.
Jim graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and New York University’s Law School.
Our Honorees
Congresswoman and Whip Katherine Clark
Since 2013, Katherine Clark has proudly represented Massachusetts’ vibrant Fifth District, which stretches from the coastal communities of Revere and Winthrop through the northern Boston suburbs to the thriving towns of MetroWest.
In the fall of 2022, Clark was elected by her colleagues to serve as Democratic Whip – the second most senior position in the House Democratic Caucus. She previously served as Assistant Speaker of the House, as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.
One of only two women to ever serve as Whip, she currently has the distinction of being the highest-ranking woman in Congress.
From the school board to Capitol Hill, Clark’s public service has been fueled by a passion for lifting up women and families. She is a leading proponent for ending wage discrimination; safeguarding access to abortion; ending gun violence; improving access to affordable, quality child care; and guaranteeing paid leave.
Before her election to Congress, Clark served her community in elected office as a state senator, state representative, and member of the Melrose School Committee. She also served as general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services and as policy chief for the Massachusetts Attorney General.
She lives in Revere with her husband and has three children.
Public Service for Community Power Award
Mayor Gary Christenson
City of Malden
Mayor Gary Christenson has dedicated himself to serving the public since high school when he was elected Class President in his junior and senior years. After graduating from Malden High School, he went on to Suffolk University where he achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and later earned a Juris Doctorate at Suffolk University’s Law School.
During that time, Gary worked at the State House where he served as a Budget Analyst and later as the Budget Director for the Middlesex Sheriff's Office. He also devoted a combined 13 years of elected service to the Malden School Committee and City Council.
Since becoming Mayor in January 2012, Gary has worked in unison with residents and businesses to tackle the many challenges facing the City. He does this by leading by example and an illustration of that can be found when he picks up litter on his walk to work. He embodies the belief that we are in this together to make our community the best it can be.
Gary truly believes that communication is critical to a better Malden. He can regularly be found on social media outlets such as Instagram and X sharing pictures and videos of the great things happening throughout the city. Finally, he has been committed to fostering an inclusive environment for Malden’s vibrant and diverse community by encouraging resident engagement and enhancing the delivery of services for all residents.
Civic Partnership Champion Award
Paul W. Lee
Co-Founder and Chair: Asian Community Fund, The Boston Foundation
Lifetime Community Impact Award
Paul W. Lee is a Co-founder and current Chair of the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation which is seeking to unite the AAPI community to build a stronger collective voice, and the Asian Business Empowerment Council which advocates and assists AAPI owned businesses.
Paul was a Co-founder and first President of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, Co-founder and past Board President of the Asian Community Development Corporation and Co-founder of the MA Asian American Commission. Nationally, he is a past President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a past Board Chair of the Asian American Justice Center in Washington DC.
Paul is currently Vice Chair of the Board of the Conservation Law Foundation and a board member of WGBH and CARE, the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity in Education. He is a past Board Member of The Boston Foundation and ATASK.
Paul has served on the American Bar Association Board of Governors and is a 2007 recipient of the Spirit of Excellence Award from the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity. He previously served on the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Commission on Women in the Profession and Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
Paul has been named a NAAAP 100 leader by the National Association of Asian American Professionals and has received the Sojourner’s Award from the Chinese Historical Society of New England and the Humble Dragon Award from the Josiah Quincy Elementary School. In 2024, Paul received the Richard A. Soden Public Service Award from the Boston Bar Foundation and the Chairman’s Public Service Award from the United Chinese Americans national organization.
Paul is a Retired Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston. From 1984-2013, he was a partner in the corporate and securities law group, representing high technology and financial services companies.
Corporate Community Champion Award
Eastern Bank is proud to support the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition and its leadership to support the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Eastern and its Equity Alliance for Business team are experienced in working with small businesses and nonprofits by providing access to capital, community networks, and educational tools. Join us in thanking the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition for all that it does and celebrating the opening of its new community center.
Founded in 1818, Eastern Bank is Greater Boston’s leading local bank with approximately 110 branch locations serving communities in eastern Massachusetts, southern and coastal New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut. We provide a full-range of banking and wealth management solutions for consumers and businesses of all sizes, including through our Cambridge Trust Wealth Management Division. Our longstanding commitment to advocacy and community support includes more than $240 million in charitable giving since 1994. Join us for good at www.easternbank.com.
Goodwin Procter LLP
Humanitarian Award
Goodwin is a global law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in its offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. With deep roots in the greater Boston community, Goodwin builds lasting relationships with clients, including many of the world’s most successful and innovative leaders, entrepreneurs, companies, and investors within the life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology, and financial services industries, and where they converge.
Propelled by the most pressing global crises and the Goodwin innovative spirit, Goodwin’s pro bono initiative champions the legal rights of those in need. Goodwin’s lawyers team up to help individuals navigate the criminal justice and immigration systems, secure safe housing, obtain identity-affirming name changes through the civil court process, access reproductive rights, and attain public and veterans’ benefits. For over two years, Goodwin lawyers worked closely with The Alliance for Asian American Justice, the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition, and community partners to represent the interests of victims and their families affected by hate crimes. And the work is ever-evolving and expanding, as Goodwin continues to champion the legal rights of those in need.
Performers
Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy
Our mission is to promote the study of Chinese martial arts, dragon dance, lion dance, and martial ethics for the meaningful development of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of our diverse student body. Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy serves as an inclusive space for personal and communal growth, and as a martial family, fosters the values of respect, kindness, fellowship, compassion, hard work, community, and empathy. We offer a wide variety of training programs to allow members to become well-rounded martial artists.
Jenn Chang
Jenn Chang is a musician, educator, and strategist working at the intersections of culture and policy. She serves as the inaugural program director for the Culture and Civil Society Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership and as an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Serving in the Biden administration as Chief of Staff at the National Endowment for the Arts, she was instrumental in designing the NEA’s $135 million American Rescue Plan grant program, laid the groundwork for ArtsHERE, the NEA’s first equity-focused grant program, and partnered with the White House on an all-of-government arts integration strategy. A graduate of Harvard College and the Juilliard School, Jenn also spent a decade at Google and worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Peter Ng
Peter Ng is the founder of BrushMagic and BrushMagic Kids. He is a scholar of Chinese culture in the areas of folk dancing, music, martial arts, painting, and calligraphy.
Peter’s passion is to perfect the art of Chinese calligraphy by creating his own style based on the movement of the sword and the brush. Today, he continues to promote his culture by preserving the art of modern Chinese calligraphy.
His goal is to give back to this great country by investing in the future of American youth. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from his artwork sales go toward funding scholarships for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects, as well as for studies in the Arts and Humanities.
The Flavor Continues
The Flavor Continues, established in 2019, is a Greater Boston based community-led nonprofit organization driving social impact through Street and Club dance programming. Founded and led by practitioners of Street and Club dance forms, TFC's programs range from open practices, classes, events, community engagements, and documentation. With a vision to elevate the status of Street and Club dance, advocate for equity in the artistic realm, and promote the collaboration of disciplines, generations, and opportunities, TFC's motto "To Give Back And Give More" encapsulates their pursuit of a sustainable foundation for the Street and Club dance culture. Learn more at www.theflavorcontinues.org and follow our journey on Instagram @theflavorcontinues.
Iskwelahang Pilipino (IP)
Iskwelahang Pilipino (IP), is a non-profit Filipino cultural school founded in 1976 by a group of parents and educators, and serves families throughout the Greater Boston area. IP is proud to be one of the oldest, continually operating Filipino cultural schools in America, and currently teaches students from pre-k to twelfth grade about Filipino culture and the Filipino-American experience. The Iskwelahang Pilipino Dance Team formed in 2021 to supplement regular IP dance classes for students who want to learn more folk dancing.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Premiere
Vivian Sung Yung Tseng
Legacy
Elaine Li Shiang, MD
Visionary
Regina Lee & Reinaldo Rivera
Builder
Mai Du
Changemaker
Paul W. Lee
Luminary
Andrea So
Partner
Diana Jeong
Jarone Lee, MD
James S. Lee & Marian A. Tse
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
Linda Champion
East Cambridge Savings Bank
Ying Zhang
Asian American Civic Association
Shaw Yang
Illuminating and Amplifying Our Community Together will take place on September 12, 2025, from 6:00–9:00 PM at Ming’s Seafood Restaurant in Malden, as we celebrate our new home, the Asian American Community and Cultural Center. Co-hosted by the dynamic Jim Braude from Boston Public Radio and Shirley Leung from The Boston Globe, this special evening will bring together community partners, supporters, and civic leaders to honor the shared journey that brought this vision to life and to spark the next chapter of transformative work. Highlighting the evening will be remarks by Whip and Congresswoman Katherine Clark whose unwavering support has helped pave the way to this historic milestone - a permanent home for GMAACC in the city of Malden.
After more than a decade of organizing, advocacy, and coalition-building, we are planting deep roots and lighting the path to a future shaped by community— we invite you to be a part of this next bright chapter!
For event questions, dietary restrictions or special accommodations, please email gala@gmaacc.org.
