Teresa Woo-Paw
Chair
Teresa is a tireless advocate for diversity, social inclusion and active civic participation. She is known for her ability in bringing diverse people together to joint efforts, break new grounds and create bigger impacts in society.
She is the first Canadian woman of Asian descent elected to the Calgary Board of Education (1995-2000), the Alberta Legislature and Cabinet Minister in Alberta (2008-2015).
Teresa holds a bachelor of arts degree in social work from the University of Calgary. She founded and built eight non-profit entities over a span of 40 plus years including the ACCT Foundation & Asian Canadians Together-ACT2EndRacism National Network; Asian Heritage Foundation, the Ethnocultural Council of Calgary (Action Dignity) and the Calgary Chinese Community Service Association. She has worked with almost 100 organizations in Canada.
Teresa received appointment as the Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation by the Governor in Council in 2018 and is currently Chair of ACCT Foundation and created the Inspire to Lead Leaders’ Summit and the Aspire to Act Leadership Training Program; Convener of ACT2EndRacism Network; Co-Chair of Asian Heritage Foundation; Board member of Calgary Arts Foundation; City of Calgary-Tomorrow’s Chinatown and Lougheed House Advisory Committees.
Lai King Hum
Vice Chair
“Caring is the only daring” defines Lai’s approach to work and life. Lai founded a boutique law firm in 2014, focused on workplace law, human rights, professional regulation, and litigation.
In addition, Lai is a part-time Deputy Judge, Toronto Small Claims Court, Superior Court of Justice, and President of the Ontario Deputy Judges’ associations. She is also one of the three Counsel in the Discrimination and Harassment Counsel Program (a service funded by the Law Society of Ontario), a service that addresses discrimination and harassment by lawyers or paralegals.
Integral to her work and life is Lai’s commitment to the promotion of diversity and inclusion. She has held roles as past-Chair of the Roundtable of Diversity Associations (RODA), a group of legal associations committed to diversity initiatives, and past-President of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL). In recognition of her significant accomplishments in the law and for service to the legal profession, areas of social justice and/or the Asian community, she was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Lawyer Award from FACL.
Alex Cheung
Treasurer
Alex Cheung has been a professional accountant since 1987 in Hong Kong and 1994 in Canada. He has been performing cost recovery audits for Canadian oil and gas companies for over 25 years and engaged in various tax planning work for Canadian small-to- medium enterprises for over 20 years.
As a member of the business community, Alex volunteers his time to host a weekly radio talk in Calgary on Canadian tax topics, which he has been doing since 1995.
Janet Yee
Secretary
Born in Calgary, Janet Yee is passionate about community work. She studied Psychology, while working as an accountant in the oil and gas industry and volunteering in areas against sexism and racism. She became the Crisis Coordinator for the Calgary Sexual Assault Centre, where she trained, counselled, and operated the crisis line. Janet co founded the ‘Women of Colour Collective’ examining issues around racism, sexism and intersecting oppressions.
Janet moved to Vancouver, BC, helping to start up a crisis line and counselling programs at Surrey Women’s Centre. After counselling for many years, she owned and managed an engineering manufacturing company with her husband. While the company grew, Janet still found a way to volunteer in the community by being on local, provincial and national committees, boards and direct services. Janet now volunteers with the ACCT Foundation in training development, administration and on the Board as Executive Secretary.
David S. Tam
David joined the Alberta law firm of Parlee McLaws LLP as a lawyer in 1990 and has been a partner since 1999. Since his call to the Bar, David has focused his practice on securities transactions and has developed valuable experience in numerous securities and corporate transactions. He has represented both issuers and agents for a number of public offerings, private placements and regulatory compliance matters for issuers listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.
David currently works with a number of real estate companies, oil and gas companies, mining and resource companies and technology companies involved in high technology, biotechnology and advanced materials, guiding them from the formative stages through various private placements and eventually to initial public offerings. David is also a graduate of the Canadian Securities Course.
Larry Yen
Larry is an Associate Counsel working in Boughton’s Securities Group. He helps public and private companies strategize, coordinate and plan international corporate transactions. Larry advises his clients on private securities offerings, initial public offerings, regulatory requirements under Canada and US federal securities statutes and business succession strategies through buy-sell arrangements and shareholders’ agreements.
With an international background and fluency in Mandarin, Larry’s practice reaches across borders to the United States, Europe and Asia where he provides his clients with counsel on acquisitions, mergers, and reverse takeovers. As a cross-border business facilitator, Larry helps new businesses establish in Canada in areas such as consulting, information technology and manufacturing.
Dr. Lu graduated from Queen’s University with M.D and M.Sc in 1994. Dr. Lu completed her five-year Ophthalmology specialty training at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto with six months Glaucoma subspecialty training under leading glaucoma specialists Professor Graham Trope and Professor Yvonne Buys at Toronto Western Hospital.
Upon finishing her training, Dr. Lu was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Today Dr. Lu is the Head of the Ophthalmology Division at the Scarborough Health Network, one of the largest hospital networks in Canada , and an assistant Professor at the University Of Toronto.
Dr. Lu is the only female ophthalmologist who holds a headship at ophthalmology departments in the public hospitals in Canada . Ophthalmology is the dominant male surgical specialty. She is also the only Chinese female to hold the position in Canada .
Albert Wong
Albert was appointed Citizenship Judge by the Government of Canada in June 2014. As an independent decision-maker, Judge Wong conducts hearings and presides over citizenship ceremonies in the Greater Toronto Area.
Judge Wong had over thirty-nine years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. He served in various public affairs positions with the military across Canada, on a UN peacekeeping mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia, with a multi-national headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark; and with a Strategic Advisory Team in Afghanistan. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
He also served as the Chief Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from April 2013 to December 2020. The first Chinese Canadian to hold this title. He was awarded the Vice-Regal commendation in 2014.
He was named the 2016 Person of the Year by the Transformation Magazine.
An active community volunteer, Albert has made valuable leadership contribution to several organizations including as Chair of the Mississauga Board of Chinese Professionals and Businesses (CPB) and currently supports various other community boards and organizations.
Ana Vu
Ana is a business transformation leader with extensive experience across various areas of the financial services industry including Retail, Commercial Banking, Wealth Management, Insurance, Technology, and Operations.
Over her 20-year career in banking, Ana served in several leadership roles at leading Canadian financial institutions. She has a demonstrated track record for improving strategy, operations, and financial performance in large and mid-size financial services institutions. Ana has led the implementation of strategic initiatives and business transformation projects that contributed significantly to the success of the organizations.
A believer of democratic banking values, Ana is passionate about delivering financial services products and services that enrich the lives of employees and members.
Ana holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration from Ryerson University and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University.
William Wei
Dr. William X. Wei is inaugural Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics, Algoma University. He has provided major service as Research Institute Director, Department Chair and Associate Dean at the School of Business, MacEwan University. Prof. Wei has over 150 peer-reviewed publications in research areas including Emerging Markets and Multinationals. He is Associate Editor of two Emerald journals: Emerging Markets Case Studies and Chinese Management Studies. He was recognized as a distinguished scholar by the Academy for Global Business Advancement in 2012 and received President’s service award from Association of African Business and Development in 2020. He has taught international business courses to more than 400 students in intercultural practicum and study tours in Canada and abroad. He was a member of fund-raising committee of ACCT 2020 and 2021 Summits.
Sunny Lam (Board Member, 2023-2024)
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunny K. F. Lam is a seasoned Certified Financial Planner and Registered Financial Planner (RFP). Sunny is among the first (if not the first) RFP in Canada of Chinese descent. With a rich financial journey spanning over four decades, he has navigated roles as a financial planner, banker, and broker since 1983.
At the helm of his financial planning firm, The Eminent Choice Financial Group Inc, since 1991, Sunny has seamlessly blended his wealth of experience with an unyielding commitment to providing top-tier financial services. His influence extends beyond finance, as he’s lent his strategic insights to national and regional boards within the hospital, private school, and professional realms.
For over 15 years, Sunny has passionately mentored MBA students at UBC, nurturing the minds of future leaders. His civic engagement shines brightly through his support for successful political candidates, driven by his belief in elevating the presence of Chinese Canadians in Canada’s leadership landscape.
Sunny is not just a financial expert; he’s an advocate, a mentor, and a trailblazer, working tirelessly to bridge gaps and carve pathways for a more inclusive and empowered tomorrow.
Sunny believes in “serving and giving back to the communities, and basically, you lose your rights unless you step up and do something about it.” You often find Sunny cooking and serving in the communities.
Christine Qin Yang (Board Member, 2023-2024)
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Christine is a public servant and international trade professional with diverse experience in areas including international relations, public policy, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. As the Manager of Market Development at the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, she plays a proactive role in promoting Nova Scotia seafood internationally. Christine’s contributions and commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion led to her recognition as one of the Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes of Canada. Furthermore, she was recently honoured as the 2023 International Alumni of Impact by ApplyBoard. With a diverse educational background encompassing a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor of Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Christine is driven to utilize her knowledge and expertise to foster an inclusive community in Halifax and beyond.