Feature Speakers
Noel J, Brown Noel Brown is the former Director of the United Nations Environment Program, North American Regional offi ce. Over the past two decades, Brown represented the United Nations Environment Program at a number of the major international conferences and negotiations on environment and development issues and on international law, including the historic Earth Summit in Rio, 1992. He has initiated numerous innovations in the service of the earth's environmental protection and sustainable development. He is a founding member of the Aspen Global Change Institute, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, and Indigenous Development International. Brown currently serves as President of the Friends of the United Nations, a non governmental organization dedicated to advancing the cause of the United Nations by mobilizing public support on its behalf and directing public attention to its major programs and achievements. He is a fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, Chairman of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism and Chairman of the Rene Dubos Center for Human Environments. |
 |
 |
Lorraine T. Hunt-Bono Lorraine T. Hunt-Bono is CEO and President of Perri, Inc., a real estate, restaurant development and management company established in 1972. She has been a Las Vegas entertainment and Nevada business leader for more than 35 years. Lorraine served two terms as Nevada's Lt. Governor and led the state's Tourism Commission's effort to successfully secure an exclusive license to market Nevada in the People's Republic of China, making her the first Nevada state official to formally visit the People's Republic of China. As Lt. Governor, she led the state's Economic Development Commission overseeing the Nevada Film Offi ce that promotes motion picture and television productions in the state. Lorraine also was the fi rst woman to chair the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board. In addition, as a board member of Las Vegas Events, she participated in bringing the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and the World Cup in Horse Jumping to Las Vegas along with many other national and international special events. She also served as vice-chair of the Nevada Motion Picture Commission. Lorraine currently resides in Henderson with her family. |
Sichan Siv Sichan Siv is the international bestselling author of Golden Bones, an American dream story, published by HarperCollins. He was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2001 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate as a United States ambassador to the United Nations, serving until 2006. In June 2005, Ambassador Siv addressed the 60th anniversary of the U.N. in San Francisco, following a tradition set by former Presidents, starting with Truman in 1945. From 1989 to 1993, Ambassador Siv served as deputy assistant to President George Bush and as deputy assistant secretary of State. In the private sector, he has held positions in social services, educational exchange, financial management, and investment banking. Currently, he provides global strategic advice and gives motivational speeches around the USA and the world. Ambassador Siv holds a master of international affairs from Columbia University. He escaped Cambodia’s killing fi elds in 1976 and was resettled as a refugee in Wallingford, Connecticut. He and his wife, the former Martha Pattillo of Pampa, Texas, spend their time in San Antonio, New York, and beyond. He is a volunteer in several organizations, including the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and the San Antonio Aviation Police. |
 |
Feature Speakers From Census 2010
 |
Cathy L.Illian Cathy Illian has 20 years experience covering three Census and other surveys throughout the country. She’s developed and led massive workforces, while redefining data collection activities and streamlining data collection procedures. For this she’s won numerous Special Achievement and Performance Awards, including the Director’s Award for Innovation. As Regional Director, Cathy oversees census operations on over one million square miles stretching from Canada to Mexico, approximately 25 percent of the total land area for the contiguous United States. In addition to that, the region has over 5400 governmental units that require additional management resources. |
Speakers
Jacob Alpren Jacob Alpren, Esq. is an attorney with the San Francisco, California law firm of, Collette Erickson Farmer & O’Neill, LLP. Mr. Alpren speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently and has for the better part of a decade been counseling PRC and Taiwanese corporations on legal issues in the United States. He is a graduate of Stanford Law School and formerly, in the early 1990’s, was Shanghai Bureau Chief for Associated Press-Dow Jones News Services. |
John Blum John joined the SBA 24 years ago and covers 4 states to include: Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma and is responsible for administering the SBA’s Export Loan Programs, which include the Export Working Capital Loan Program, the International Trade Loan Program, and the Export Express Program. The U.S. Small Business Administration is located at the USEAC (U.S. Export Assistance Center) in St. Louis, MO. Previous to the SBA, John worked in commercial lending for St. Louis area banks. During this time he experienced both large wholesale banks and community bank marketplaces.Mr. Blum is active in civic and community affairs. He presently teaches Finance, and Economics, as an adjunct professor for Webster University in its MBA program. He is a past president of a local Kiwanis Club, former chairman of his church’s finance committee, and has worked with the American Cancer Society’s Bike-A-Thon. |
 |
 |
Joe Coe Joe is responsible for increasing diversity within the supply chain and throughout the organization while increasing awareness of collaborative supplier relationships with the senior leadership team and lines of business across the Boyd Enterprise. Prior to assuming this role in July 2007, he was the Supplier Diversity Program Manager at Starbucks Coffee in Seattle, Washington. Joe’s 27 years of dedicated service afforded him to share responsibly for supplier interactions and commodity management at Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE) a Constellation Energy Company in Maryland: the State’s largest gas and electricity provider. Joe led the successful growth of strategic initiatives, economic development and utility sales through effective alignment with internal business partners and qualified suppliers. |
Eric Dobyne Eric was appointed the Chicago Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency in 2003 with a charge to promote the growth and development of minority business enterprises. With his strong focus on delivering results, the Chicago Regional Office has assisted Minority Businesses receive over $1 billion in procurement and financial transactions, which has also resulted in job creation and retention at numerous minority firms. Adept at identifying gaps in available resources to the minority business community, in 2004 he founded the annual Minority Investment Management Forum (MIMF), a unique event targeted at the underserved professional services industry and specifically minority asset managers. Since its inception, the MIMF has resulted in over $100 million in investment for minority asset managers and has been introduced to other urban cities in the Midwest. Because of Eric’s advocacy for minority businesses, he is a regular on all aspects of media from TV to Radio and host a weekly TV show chronicling minority business news and issues. He currently writes a column in Chicago’s Minority Business, a quarterly publication with a national distribution, providing business solutions to minority entrepreneurs. Routinely called upon for speaking engagements, Eric is recognized as an expert in matters relating to the minority business community including access to capital, market opportunities and business growth strategies. In his role as regional director, Eric has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business and has been the recipient of several awards as a leading executive and minority advocate. |
 |
 |
Andrew Edlefsen Andrew acts as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s point of contact for Nevada companies with export-related and international business-related questions/needs and provides consulting and facilitates USCS services. Prior to moving to Las Vegas in July, 2008, he served as International Trade Specialist in the Utah Export Assistance Center in Salt Lake City and also worked in the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, International Trade and Diplomacy office, focusing primarily on the Asia region. Andrew has a wealth of experience in international business, particularly in the aviation industry, having done consulting work during the past 10 years for international aviation companies exploring China, in addition to having spent several years living and working in Taiwan and other parts of Asia. He was one of the original organizers and creators of the China GA Forum, an annual aviation event held in China which focuses on general aviation industry issues and B2B networking in that market.Andrew is also fluent in Mandarin Chinese, spoken as well as reading and writing, holds a BA in Chinese and a MBA, from Brigham Young University and Utah State University, respectively. |
Lorrinda Gray-Davis In 2008 Lorrinda Gray- Davis started working with Perini Building Company Executives to form her own construction diversity consulting company. In April, 2009 Perini Building Company became Next Level Diversity Consulting, LLC first client. Lorrinda continues to work as the Director of Diversity on a consulting level. In 2005 Perini Building Company hired Lorrinda as its first director of diversity development. In four years, the company had emerged as a leader in diversity initiatives and now has one of the most comprehensive diversity agendas in the construction industry. Projects that Lorrinda worked on were Sheraton Pheonix Downtown Hotel, Gaylord National Resort and MGM Mirage’s $9.2 Billion City Center, just to name a few. Lorrinda Chairs the Board of Directors for the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council and Board Secretary for the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, serves on the board of directors for the Women’s Business Enterprise Council (Regionally), Associated Minority Contractors of America. In 2004, she was appointed to Arizona’s Equity in State Contracting Commission. |
 |
 |
Loretta Solon Greene Loretta has a passion for philanthropy and special events. Of special note is her service as the U.S. Committee Co-Chair for The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, “All the Queen’s Horses Salute”, held at Windsor Castle in May, 2002. She is a member of the Wilson Council, the private sector advisory group for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Established by Congress in 1968, the Wilson Center is a nonpartisan institution engaged in the study of national and world affairs. Greene Strategy, is a Washington, DC-based global consulting company specializing in international trade issues, national housing policy, and governmental affairs. Her years of experience in the nation’s capital, spanning the White House, federal agencies, and congressional offices, give her unique political insights and capabilities. Loretta serves as a member on the Advisory Board of the Diplomatic Courier magazine. Prior to Greene Strategy, she was the Director of International Trade Association Affairs for Commercial Service at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). Loretta was the liaison to scores of trade industry groups concerned with critical export and free trade agreement issues. |
May Ho May Ho holds Certified Public Accountant licenses in both the United States and Taiwan, and she is also a certified U.S. Enrolled Agent. May Ho is specialized in international tax, especially in Taxation of U.S., China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. She is the author of the book "Green Cards and Taxes: A Guide to Taxation of Immigration and Foreign Investments in the United States." This book is written in Chinese and sold 9 prints in its first edition and the third edition was published in 2006. Her second book, "Love & Money -- Family Finance and Tax Planning" was published in 2005. |
 |
 |
Sunny Leon Sunny is the founder of the Suncast Network, Inc. (SuncasTV – www.suncastv.com). His professional background is in both business and technology. Combined with his domestic and international experience, Sunny landed the position of Chief Architect for SuncasTV Network’s business platform. He has been responsible for and personally involved in all aspects of SuncasTV. These included: raising seed money, starting up the operation, staffing an experienced management team, and maintaining good public relations with the local communities. September 2009, Sunny was invited to the White House to receive the 2009 National Media Firm of the Year Award by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). |
Bill Liu Bill Liu is a Vice President at NaviAsia Consulting Group. Bill has more than 18 years of combined experience in consulting and industry. He specializes in strategy, marketing, and HR management. He has been helping many US companies entering into the China market as well as sourcing from China. Bill is very active in the Chinese community and is a member of the City of Chicago’s China Committee. He is a frequent guest speaker at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, on negotiation with Chinese and other topics.Prior to joining NaviAsia, Bill worked for Lucent Technologies, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Waste Management, Inc.Bill received his PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later earned a MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. |
 |
 |
Dee Mallas Dee brings a unique blend of skill sets and experiences to all of her diverse business enterprises, having worked in the Commercial Real Estate, Financial Banking and Mortgage Industries for over 20 years. She is also the Chairwoman Emeritus and one of the two cofounders of the First Asian Bank, the first bank in the U.S. designed to serve the ethnically diverse Asian-American community in Las Vegas. In addition, Mrs. Mallas is the Vice-President and part owner of Skofed Mortgage Funding Corporation in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dee believes that “givers gain”. Since 2005, she continues to give college scholarships to under-privilege young adults in Thailand. The Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce recognized Dee for her constant drive for success, motivation and determination when she was awarded the “Business Person” of the year in 2007. |
John Mautner John is a leader in the field of small business growth and profitability. The strategies and principals have led him to build and sell five successful multi-million dollar companies before turning 40. His company was selected as one of the top INC 500, America’s fastest growing companies. In 2001, John founded the Cycle of Success Institute (COSi). It’s the first and only business school in the nation that teaches small and mid-sized companies how to rapidly turnaround and rebuild into an emerging industry leader. COSi’s grows businesses that grow communities and COSi works with city and state economic development agencies to rebuild communities. In addition, John hosts a live talk radio show in Chicago “Small Business Talk” on AM-1530. John has been featured in MSNBC, Yahoo Finance and many others. He is a profit improvement columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine, a member of the USA Today Small Business Panel, the Illinois Honorary Chairman for the U.S. Department of Commerce Small Business Committee. He is the co-author of the Cycle-of -Success published by Nightingale Conant. John was named a 40 under 40 CEO to watch. |
 |
 |
George Chunkau Mui George provides business consulting services for Minority Business Enterprises in the area of globalization and business strategy, technology innovation and applications, international business development with the initial focus on Asia. George created the Access to Global Economy program for assisting Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) with their international business development. His initial focus will be doing business in China or doing business with Chinese companies in the USA. He also leads the Asian American business outreach programs for the MBDA. Prior to joining MBDA, George Mui was the president of New World Connections, Inc. The mission of NWCI was to provide best-in-class management consulting services. These services include globalization support, corporate strategy development, marketing & sales support, crosscultural training, and Asian American professional development workshops. His focus also included US-China International business development supporting both US and Chinese companies with their globalization efforts. |
John O’Neill John O’Neill is an attorney at Collette Erickson Farmer & O’Neill, LLP and has over 27 years of experience counseling businesses on a wide range of legal matters, including business transactions, formations, mergers and acquisitions, compensation planning, licensing, tax planning, tax litigation, and intellectual property. Mr. O’Neill is experienced representing U.S. and Chinese companies alike. |
John Price John Price is an attorney Collette Erickson Farmer & O’Neill, LLP. Mr. Price has over 24 years of experience in corporate finance (private and public), mergers and acquisitions, technology transfers, commercial transactions, leasing, distribution arrangements, asset based borrowing, and research, development and manufacturing joint ventures. John has spent significant time in Beijing establishing relationships with local PRC law and accounting firms, as well as business leaders in areas such as clean tech. |
 |
Rudy Pamintuan In his capacity with Sherman Worldwide, Rudy advises and consults his clients including government entities, Fortune 1000 companies and high profile individuals on a wide range of issues. His specialty is creating successful partnerships and assisting companies in their engagements in new markets — increasing opportunity while minimizing risk. Prior, Rudy served as an appointee of President George W. Bush, advising the President in the areas of economic and community development. He also serves as the Chairman for the US Asia Center -- an organization dedicated in creating strong relations between Asia and the United States.Rudy’s leadership has led to the founding of the Philanthropists Club — a volunteer organization which leads humanitarian initiatives throughout the world, and POTUS People, an association of current and former US Presidential Appointees. |
Beverly Ho-A-Yun Popek Beverly has worked in academia, small businesses and non-profit organizations. She is a certified mediator and notable skills and technical areas are her work with small business enterprises, public agencies, and cross-cultural communication skills. Beverly was the Project Director of the California Public Utilities (CPUC) Supplier Clearinghouse administered by Asian, Inc. She has worked in the certification industry for nine years where she has fostered and led the creation of one of best certification programs in the U.S. She has served as a speaker, panelist, and expert in certification matters. Currently, she is heading up the Environmental Program at Asian, Inc. where she will be launching the E4 (Environment, Efficiency, Energy, and Education) in the OMI District of San Francisco in the Spring of 2010. This is the first program that provides comprehensive education to disadvantaged communities in energy, water, and waste conservation using no-cost or low-cost techniques. In addition, she is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Anthropology Department at Skyline College. |
 |
 |
Jeff Toth Jeff Toth , holds a degree in Geography from The University of California Santa Barbara and is the founder of Language Media Agency Inc, a California-based localization company specializing in global marketing. Language Media Agency developed Caimeiju.com as a tool to provide US real estate professions and developers a platform to reach the growing Chinese market. |
Ron Williams Ron joined the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council (GCMSDC) as its President/Chief Executive Officer on March 8, 2004. He served a 3 year appointment from 2004 – 2006 as the Chair of the METRO Light Rail DBE Outreach Committee. A Memphis, Tennessee native and former U.S. Air Force Contracting/Purchasing Officer, he previously served as the Vice President/Program Manager for the Arizona Procurement Technical Assistance Network for the Department of Defense. Other Positions Include: Director of the Arizona Native American Business Development Center at the National Center and Equal Opportunity Specialist with the City Of Phoenix which included being the Liaison to the Phoenix Mayor’s Human Relations Commission and Certification Specialist & Outreach Team Leader for the Business Relations Section. |
 |
 |
Joy Hagerty Joy began her 11 year Wal-Mart career in Store Operations She received Rookie of the Year award as a District Loss Prevention Supervisor in California in 1995. She was promoted to be the head of Loss Prevention for Wal-Mart China in 1998 where she received the Wal-Mart International Loss Prevention Country Director of the Year Award in 1999. In 2000, Ms. Hagerty was promoted to be the Senior Director of Corporate Affairs, reporting directly to the President and CEO of Wal-Mart Asia. She was instrumental in the expansion of Wal-Mart in China by working with the Minister of State Economics, Governors and Mayors throughout China. In 2006, Joy founded International Southern Solution Inc., offering consulting services on how to develop and sell products to retailers like Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. She works with Clients from China, India and Pakistan on growing business strategically. |
Rebecca Ye Rebecca Ye is a Vice President of San Francisco Bay Area Agency, a Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) General Agency. Prior to join MassMutual, Rebecca Ye was Agency Sales Director with MetLife. She is actively serving Chinese communities in northern Bay Area, California. Also she is President of Bay Area Chinese Alliance, to help building local networking and connections. Rebecca Ye is volunteering helping SHEA, a nonprofit organization in East Bay, to help senior bi-lingual residents by social services and local activities. SHEA (Senior Health Education Association )is a non-profit organization. In recent years it has organized a series of successful recreational activities and has been widely welcomed. Its goal is to actively assimilate the Asian culture into the Bay Area, learn the American culture, and to ultimately break down the cultural barriers that separate many ethnic groups. So that people can come together as not different ethnic groups or cultures, but as one big happy family that helps and understands one another. Its activities include: Dance Classes, Social Events (Anniversaries, Important Events, Etc.), Birthday Celebrations, Dinner Parties and Other Holiday Events. It is also planning tourism activities to help needy families, the elderly, and children. In addition to the tourism activities, it will also provide educational opportunities for all. |
Special Expertise panel
John C.Chen Architect |
Joanne Lu Dentist |
Alfred H. Liu AEPA |
Moderators
Hetty Chang Hetty Chang is a general assignment reporter for News 3, Las Vegas’ NBC affiliate. She is an Emmynominated reporter who has traveled to China to cover the Beijing Olympics. Hetty is a UCLA graduate (and a proud graduate of Whitney High School When she is not chasing the news, you can find Hetty exploring Las Vegas. Hetty is very engaged in the Asian American community and enjoys telling its proud stories. She is fluent in Chinese and conversational Spanish. She is a member of the Asian American Journalist Association. You can watch her reports on the 4, 5, and 6 weekday newscasts. |
 |
 |
Theresa Lin Theresa Lin is broadly popular throughout the worldwide Chinese community as the author of 16 seminal cookbooks in Chinese, which are distributed generally throughout Asia and in Chinese-language bookstores around the world. Her popularity became fame through her role as the executive food designer of the hit film Eat Drink Man Woman, which won an Oscar nomination as Best Foreign Film. She hosts talk shows “Eat Drink Man Woman” (weekly) and “What’s Cooking” (daily) at KAZN AM 1300 radio station for 10 years in Los Angeles. In addition, she also hosts a cooking demonstration program on Power TV Cable Channel, Local TV Channel 18, and HK Jade Channel (TVB). |
Michael C.Synn BCF provides access to working capital, venture capital and business advisory services to certified minorityowned businesses in the United States for over 25 years. Michael covers BCF in the Northwest (Seattle/Portland), Northern CA, Southern CA, San Diego, Nevada (Las Vegas/Reno) and Rocky Mountain Regional Councils including Colorado, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico & Utah. Las Vegas has been the No.1 market for the last 3 years. Michael provides training (Face to Face, Webcasts, Conference Calls) to MBE’s on the following main subject matters-How to Write a Turnaround Business Plan, How to Work the Local Trade Show, How to Work the NMSDC Annual Conference, Strategic Alliances & Joint Ventures and How to Do Business in China. Many of these MBE training seminars are posted on “YouTube” at no cost. |
 |
 |
Derek Uehara Derek serves as Master of Ceremonies, facilitator, and auctioneer for groups such as the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Las Vegas program, the Asian American Advertising Federation, Lions Clubs International, and countless other star-studded events. Derek is locally recognized as a dedicated public servant to the community. In 2007, he was named Lion’s Region Chairman of the year and he also received the Lions’ International President’s Award (the 2nd highest honor bestowed), in recognition of his humanitarian efforts in the service of mankind. In 2008, Derek was honored with the Golden Hand Service Award by the Cultural Diversity Foundation, for his dedication and commitment to supporting those in need. |
