Dr. Srilekha Palle is an accomplished healthcare leader with 23+ years of experience driving performance, improvement, Education, and profitability for major healthcare systems in the DMV area. Dr. Palle earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Boston University and an MBA, focusing on healthcare administration. Dr. Palle is a visiting fellow at the Independent Women's Forum, where she contributes by writing policy papers on current issues healthcare faces, from cost to affordability and price transparency. She is an advisory board member for the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Northern Virginia Community College. Dr. Palle served as Vice President of National Capital Healthcare Executives, a chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, where she served 1800 plus members in a role in which she was dedicated to advancing excellence in healthcare management. Dr. Palle's abstracts and research projects in Health care have been widely accepted on National and International platforms, and you will often see her speaking on global forums such as The World Hospital Congress of the International Hospital Federation. Dr. Palle is currently serving in a volunteer capacity as a Rehabilitation Division Head for the Healthcare Council, an organization of Providers of Care consisting of hospitals and allied healthcare facilities located in the Mid-Atlantic region, where she brings in Rehabilitation leaders and Team members together to discuss innovative practices within rehabilitation field. 

Dr. Palle as an immigrant who believes that Education is the key and has been an active mom in schools. She served elementary, middle, and high schools in multiple volunteer roles, including after-school activity coordinator, Vice President of PTA, and President of Middle school PTA. She is an active proponent of Governor Youngkin's Education and Parental rights policies. 

Dr. Palle is a prominent Asian American leader in the NOVA area and is a community services board member representing the Springfield district of Fairfax County. Dr. Palle also serves DC/MD/VA community in various capacities, from being actively involved in cultural, religious, business, and political arenas. 

Under the leadership of Ambassador Sam Brownback, Dr. Palle is part of the advisory board member of the National Committee for Religious Freedom with a mission of protecting and defending religious Freedom for all Americans. As part of the board of directors in the American Hindu Coalition, she continually promotes the shared commitment of American Hindus to strengthen our American republic. In the spirit of Interfaith, Dr. Palle worked with interfaith organizations such as JCRC within Fairfax County and ensured that FCPS's calendar accurately represents the diversity that Fairfax County has.

Dr. Palle raises funds for the Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA, passionately believing that change, not charity, is the path to sustainable progress in providing rehabilitation care in rural community hospitals across South India. She was part of the US delegation to the Global entrepreneur summit in 2018, aiming to advocate for more support for female entrepreneurs and promote global economic growth, focusing on "Women first, Prosperity for all."

Srilekha is blessed with a supportive husband, son, Mahat, and daughter, Shirdi Palle.

Shakira Khan has been a proud Virginian since 1985. She is passionate about representing AAPI and promoting Governor Youngkin’s agenda and vision.

Ms. Khan has over 25 years of experience in Information Technology with a focus on strategy, consensus-building and organizational effectiveness. Leveraging her strong background as a seasoned leader with a proven track record, she is passionate about helping organizations build a robust and merit-based culture in which people will thrive.

She is a firm believer that technology has made our lives better but insists that it is leadership and accountability that will change the world. With responsibilities ranging from IT optimization and transformation, IT cost reduction, technology roadmap blueprints to managing enterprisewide systems, Ms. Khan has led system integration activities during mergers and acquisitions.

She currently holds a leadership position in Corporate Communications at Dominion Energy, responsible for managing the digital web platform and strategic roadmap. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Richmond World Affairs Council and on the Programs Committee at Rally Virginia. She formerly served as co-chair of the Diversity Council at Dominion Energy. She holds a BA in Biology from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.

Ms. Khan enjoys cooking and ‘all things culinary’, and spending time with her daughter, Jenna, who is a junior at JMU.

Tian Olson is a licensed attorney, a military spouse, an avid volunteer, and a passionate advocate for improving education policies in Virginia. In 2003, Tian came to America to pursue a law degree at American University, Washington College of Law.  

Tian spent the first six years of her career in Washington D.C. law firms, specializing in litigating anti-trust and securities fraud class actions and investigating Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.  She later transitioned to public service as an investigator for white-collar crime and misconduct.  In 2019, Tian's family settled in Virginia after her spouse received the final set of military orders to Quantico.  Since then, Tian has been dedicated to improving education policies in her children's school district.  In her role as the Director of Public Affairs for the Chinese American Parents Association of Northern Virginia, she has been tirelessly working towards this goal.

Recognizing Tian's unwavering commitment and wealth of knowledge in education policies, Governor Youngkin appointed her as a senior advisor on his Transition Steering Committee and a member of the Education Landing Team.  Tian subsequently contributed her expertise to multiple Virginia Department of Education task forces and working groups as a parent representative, actively shaping the state's education policies.

Tian is honored and humbled to be appointed to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board. Additionally, she serves on the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. Tian and her family reside in Fairfax County.  She is resolute in her commitment to making Virginia a better place for Asian Virginians.

Nina has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an M.A. in Asian American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a B.A. from Smith College.  Her academic expertise is in Vietnamese and diasporic literature, Asian American Studies, Ethnic American Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and Global/Transnational Studies.  

Through her initiative, the U.S. Department of Education designated Virginia Tech as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution, AANAPISI, which is the first for an institution in Southwest Virginia.   

While Nina resides in Virginia’s New River Valley, she was raised in Massachusetts and has lived in California, Ohio, and Nebraska.  Additionally, she has traveled to Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, Beijing, Iceland, and Barcelona, Spain, and hopes to venture to other places in the future.   

Salinna Lor was appointed to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board in 2021 for a four-year term.

Salinna Lor serves as a Communications Manager for the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA). Before joining VHHA, Salinna worked in Governor Ralph S. Northam's administration in the Office of the Constituent Services and Community Engagement and the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Salinna also served as a Governor's Fellow in 2018. She has also worked as a lobbyist for David Bailey Associates and Virginia Capitol Connections magazine.

In addition to serving on the VAAB, Salinna serves as the Outreach Chair for the Metro Richmond Area Young Democrats.

Salinna earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, with a concentration in public relations, from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Laura Beldin is a Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor at Bank of America Private Bank.  Since joining the firm in August 2002, Laura has been providing services and customized advice and guidance to clients with complex financial needs. She provides such services in regards to credit, banking, investments and trust and wealth transfer. As well as philanthropic and special assets management and financial and succession planning. 

Prior to joining Bank of America Private Bank (formerly U.S. Trust), Laura spent five years as a District Sales Manager for S.A.S. International Trade Company, where she was responsible for overseeing product sales and helping the company expand in China.

Laura received her Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation which is sponsored by the ABA Institute of Certified Bankers in 2014.

Xiawei (Hawaii) Lin believes in the power of small businesses to fuel the economy and foster job growth. As a child, her family owned a series of restaurants and she spent many years helping them run their companies. She is passionate about supporting business through collaboration.

She and her husband own Aqua S Ice Cream Parlor in Virginia Beach, a made-to-order premium ice cream shop located in Red Mill. Before she decided to open her own business, Hawaii was a financial advisor for Edward Jones. She was also a premier banker for Wells Fargo.

She loves living in Virginia Beach and resides there with her husband and young son. She was appointed by Governor Youngkin to serve on the Virginia Asian Advisory Board in July 2023. 

Thomas Okuda Fitzpatrick serves as the Executive Director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) of Virginia, leading HOME’s efforts in eradicating housing discrimination and leveling the playing field to ensure equal access to housing for all people.

Tom previously worked in state government at the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, where he served as the Policy Advisor and Director of the Division of Programs and Services. Before joining state government, Tom worked for the City of Richmond as the Chief Deputy Director at the Department of Social Services and as a Deputy Director at the Department of Justice Services. Tom started his legal career as a civil rights attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia.

Tom received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the College of William and Mary and is a graduate of the Virginia Executive Institute, Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, and Leadership Metro Richmond.  Tom and his wife Gretchen Garber are proud parents to two very rambunctious yet loving boys.

Dokmai Webster is the Founder of Pivotal Point, LLC. Her diverse career began as a member of the United States Air Force and the Maryland Army National Guard and expanded to the private sector.

Ms. Webster holds a M.S. in Management and Technology and a B.S. in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Maryland University College. She is a member of the Air Force Command, Control, Communications and Computers Association (AFC4), the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Associations (AFCEA), and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Falls Church Education Foundation and served on the Board of Directors as the Past President of the Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association (ITPA).

Ms. Webster was appointed to the VA Asian Advisory Board in 2023 by Governor Youngkin.

Bio coming soon...

Dr. Marie Sankaran Raval, M.D. was appointed to the VAAB in 2020.  She is an Anesthesiologist and Assistant Professor at VCU Health.  Prior to her current position, she was employed by Weill Cornell Medical College/New York-Presbyterian Hospital where she served as an Anesthesiologist and Assistant Professor.

In addition to her duties at VCU Health, she currently serves as the President-Elect of the Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists.  She is also an active member of the South Asian community, taking part in multiple cultural events at the Cultural Center of India and previously serving on the Host committee of the American India Foundation’s New Year’s Gala.

Dr. Sankaran attended Brown University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations.  She continued on to the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, ultimately completing an Anesthesia Residency at Boston University and Pediatric Fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Sankaran was born and raised in Suffolk, Virginia, the daughter of Indian and Filipino immigrants, who became Pediatricians and stalwarts of the community.  She currently lives in Richmond, Virginia along with her husband and three children.

Quan Tiet Schneider (Pronouns she/her/hers) has called Virginia home since 1979 after her and her family escaped Vietnam after the war. Quan is a Chinese/Vietnamese refugee who grew up in the Richmond area and has seen it grow and develop over the last 40+ years. She grew up in the public school system in Henrico County and is an alumnus of the University of Virginia. Quan served on the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities State Board from 2016 – 2022. She has had the privilege to facilitate many programs to help develop and support our youth and educators in the Commonwealth. She also is on the Leadership Metro Richmond Board where she serves as the chair for the Recruitment & Selection Committee. Quan is an alumnus of the Leadership Quest program, Class of 2018.

Quan has worked at Altria Group since 1998. She has over 25+ years of experience in sales & marketing, learning & development and diversity, equity & inclusion. She is currently a Senior Market Manager with Altria, leading a team in the Central and Eastern parts of Virginia. Most recently, she was on Altria’s Inclusion, Diversity & Equity where her work centered around Employee Resource Groups.

Quan was appointed to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board by the Honorable Ralph S. Northam, of the Commonwealth of Virginia July 2021. She lives in Glen Allen, Virginia with her husband and daughter.

Since 2011, as Executive Director of the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce My Lan Tran is responsible for the daily operations of the Virginia statewide Asian American economic development agency with a growing network of business and community membership throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and six (6) other U.S states.

Between 2003 and 2011, My Lan was Program Manager of the City of Richmond Office of Minority Business Development where, she oversaw service rendered to more than 5,000 diverse businesses annually.

From 1996 to 2003, My Lan served the Commonwealth of Virginia as International Trade Marketing Manager, then Investment Policy Manager at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) where she managed global trade counseling, marketing, and Business Investment Policy.

Her core career background lays in workforce development system design and administration serving as Career Assessment Director, then Asian Career Center Director, Federal Grant Monitor, then Branch Administrator at three of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ One Stop Workforce Development Centers

Between 1996 and the present, as an Asian American servant leader, My Lan plays a central leadership role in Virginia’s economic development and global diplomacy development through the Virginia International Business Alliance, the National Association for Business Economics in Richmond, the Sister Cities Commission, and the Institute of Supply Management, among others.

From 2012 to 2017, My Lan was faculty member Instructor in Contemporary Asian Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of World Studies.

My Lan obtained a master’s degree in international policy studies and advanced studies in Asian Affairs from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California in 1981. She completed post graduate business training from the Thunderbird School of International Management, in Arizona.  She conducted advanced Asian history research works at the University of California in Berkeley, CA, the Post Naval Graduate School in Monterey, CA, and the Université de Caen, France.

My Lan is certified as International Trade Specialist by N.A.S.D.A (National Association of State Development Agencies), the U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration, and as an Economic Development Specialist from the Virginia Economic Development Institute at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

She is fluent in Spanish, English, Vietnamese, and French. She traveled extensively to Asia, Africa, Central America, and Europe. She took assignments as journalist in Saigon, South Vietnam and represented Virginia aerospace and building materials companies in Paris, France. 

She is Cabinet Advisors to more than a dozen regional and state institutions and regional and global economic development. She won two national awards from the Small Business Administration ‘s “Champion of Small Business” for the Commonwealth of Virginia and SBA Region III Region III in 6 U.S states, while earning a dozen of leadership awards from the Military, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S Department of Labor, and the US Department of Veteran Affairs. 

My Lan was voted as “Person Making a Difference of The Year “by the Richmond Times Dispatch Newspaper and recognized by the American Red Cross for her distinguished role in helping to advance its multicultural community development mission.

Henry Yuan was appointed to the VAAB in 2021.

Henry has dedicated himself to creating a more equitable and accessible environment

for underrepresented populations. He has a strong passion for community engagement and strives to work with community and business leaders and national, regional, and local organizations. As an avid entrepreneur and investor, his effort to support entrepreneurship has been recognized by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Henry previously served as the young advisor to the sustainability initiative of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum. 

He is currently the State Advisory Committee Member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) in Virginia, and a member of the ACE NextGen, the premier organization for elevating the success of AAPI millennial entrepreneurs.

Harshad Barot immigrated to the USA in July 1985. He started his career in America as a busboy and worked his way up to the Accounting Department of the Gaithersburg Marriott Hotel in Maryland. Eventually Mr. Barot moved to Portsmouth, Virginia to manage a hotel for family. After working several years with family, Harshad ventured out independently and purchased a Quality Inn in 1994.

Mr. Barot is dedicated to helping and serving his community. He is Vice President and Financial Advisor of Galaxy Group Corp, a family hospitality business. He had served on Virginia Beach’s Minority Business Council, and is currently a board member of Virginia Beach Vision, a Portsmouth-Suffolk board member for TowneBank and board member for Green Run Collegiate Foundation. Barot was recognized by the Virginia Pilot’s Power List as a “Person to Watch” in 2022.

Felipe "Pepe" Cabacoy, a dedicated community leader originally from San Narciso, Zambales, Philippines, made the journey to the United States in the 1980s. Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy, he devoted 23 years to the Norfolk Sheriff's Office, showcasing exemplary commitment to safety and security. Beyond his distinguished law enforcement career, Pepe emerged as a prominent figure in the Filipino American community, having served as the former Chairman and Vice Chair of the 3rd Congressional District for the Filipino American Community Action Group. Additionally, he played a pivotal role as a founding member and Director of The Coalition of Filipino American Voters of Norfolk, promoting civic engagement and political awareness. 

Pepe's influence extended into the political arena, where he held significant roles within the GOP, serving as former Vice Chair for both the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts. Currently contributing his expertise to the Sentara Healthcare System in Safety and Security, Pepe, a family man married to Anne Aquino Cabacoy, is a long-time resident of Norfolk, Virginia. His indelible mark on the community is a testament to his unwavering dedication to service and leadership, shaping the narrative of Filipino Americans in Virginia.  

Bio Coming Soon

I am a dedicated and results-driven professional, serving as the President at Omni Financial Risk Management with a proven track record in community engagement and cultivating meaningful connections. My passion for community development and commitment to creating genuine connections within the Korean community, while promoting harmony with mainstream American society, have been integral to my success. I am excited to apply my expertise to the role of Korean Community Liaison with the Virginia Asian Advisory Board. 

Bio Coming Soon

Bio Coming Soon

Bio Coming Soon