Leadership

After 18 years of active membership and board service at the local and national level, Rose continues to use her leadership experiences to guide the organization in all capacities as President for the Chicago chapter.

Rose led the establishment of a women’s leadership program, an initiative geared toward professional and leadership development of Asian American women in the workforce, and is now nationally known as Women in NAAAP.  Additionally, Rose formed a consortium of Asian American Employee & Business Resource Groups, now known as the Asian American Group Leaders Program, and consists of over 40 corporate employee resource groups and affinity groups.  Rose also co-chaired the 2005 NAAAP Convention in Chicago and was the first convention to feature three C-level executive keynote speakers: Indra Nooyi (Pepsico), Sanjiv Anand (Hewitt), and Rohini Anand, (Sodexo).

Professionally, Rose is a nonprofit consultant, but brings over 20 years of experience in a variety of industries – real estate appraisal, IT consulting, non-profit management, and market research.

Rose is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago where she received her Bachelor of Science in Management with a minor in Labor Relations and Workforce Development.

Mike Valdez currently serves NAAAP at the National and Chicago Chapter levels.   Mike is a Board Member and Treasurer for NAAAP Chicago.  Mike served the Chicago Chapter as Director of Corporate Relations (2005 -2007); Director of Affinity Groups (2007 – 2008), Treasurer (since 2009) & Board member (since 2012).  

At NAAAP National, Mike serves as Chief Business Development Officer responsible for oversight of sponsor management and fundraising (since 2015). 

Mike was drawn to NAAAP through his involvement with his company’s ERG as he led the “Asian Leadership Business Resource Council” at Northern Trust Company from 2004 – 2015.  It was that involvement that also let to the creation of the Asian American Group Leaders of Greater Chicago (AAGL), a NAAAP sponsored program with over 35 corporate ERG/BRGs throughout the Chicago & Suburban area participating to host up to two events each year.  ( The Asian Heritage Month and the Corporate Leadership events. )

Mike holds a bachelor of arts from Elmhurst College and a master’s of business administration from Keller Graduate School.  He currently is a Vice President with the Northern Trust Company.  Mike is  married to Karen Valdez and has two sons, Ethan & Harrison and lives in Crystal Lake, IL. 

Kevin Cooper is currently a residential real estate broker with eXp Realty and a triathlon coach. He has previous experience working with both higher education institutions and large enterprises consulting on selecting IT services and equipment.
 

Kevin is passionate about both helping people and endurance activities like running and racing triathlons. He has served as a triathlon coach for both Team In Training and Team Brightside which both fundraise for cancer research. He also has gone on multiple Habitat for Humanity Global Villages.
 

Kevin is excited to join the board for NAAAP-Chicago and bring his passion for growth and helping people to the organization.

Creative strategist. Consumer Advocate. Champion of Gender Equity.

Brand marketer at Nike, Inc. with experience in elevating brands through strategic partnerships, vision casting, and consumer insights. Sarah currently works on the women’s business at Nike and is passionate about closing the gender gap, specifically in sport. She is driven by social impact, localized connections and cross-functional collaboration. Being part of NAAAP would allow Sarah to build its mission to enhance career and leadership development in the Asian American community.

Doreen Viloria serves as Senior Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant for Bank of America’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Organization.   In this role, Doreen leads the strategy and design of the operational governance model, leader onboarding, and multiple technology platforms for the firm’s global Employee Networks (aka ERGs).    Bank of America has 11 Global Employee Networks, consisting of over 325 chapters and over 5,000 Employee Network leaders running these chapters for the firm’s 202,000 employees.    Doreen also leads process design for the firm’s enterprise Women Ready to Lead program.  Most recently, Doreen’s role has expanded and she serves as the human resources partner for the Iowa market.

Tyng brings with her over 15 years of professionalism in multinational corporations, start-ups, and higher education institutions.  Tyng built her career in brand marketing managing market leading consumer brands at Global Fortune 500 Companies, such as L’Oreal Group and Colgate-Palmolive, where she collaborated with international teams in many new business development initiatives. 

Sarita is a marketing professional with 8 years experience working in product and solutions marketing.  Sarita has supported the go-to market product launches and digital marketing campaigns for Walgreens and now works at CVS Health in the Omnichannel Strategy group. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.  Sarita’s main passion is reading, followed by accumulating random pop culture knowledge, biking, and meeting new people. Sarita joined NAAAP-Chicago to better connect with the Asian-American community and make a difference wherever she can.

Tram Alisa Vo has volunteered for the past eight years with the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). Her journey with NAAAP began when she took on the Employee Resource Group (ERG) chair role for her company. This experience propelled her to significantly contribute to the organization, leading to her positions on the Board of NAAAP Chicago and as Chair of AAGL (Asian American Group Leaders).

She has extensive knowledge in retail banking, employee development, management training, compliance, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). In the early stages of her career, Tram focused on the niche area of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), a civil rights law enacted to combat systemic redlining, discrimination, and disinvestment.

After more than two decades in the finance industry, Tram embarked on an exciting career transition, joining Unispace, a global leader in workplace strategy, design, and construction, creating immersive and transformative spaces that cater to the evolving needs of our rapidly changing world. Tram's primary focus in her new role is championing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging across Unispace's global presence, encompassing the Americas, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

In addition to her involvement with NAAAP, Tram actively advocates for change and volunteers with other non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting undergraduate students of color in the United States and Canada. She consistently seeks to create new opportunities for emerging leaders, empowering them to pave their paths within their companies and communities. Tram humbly describes herself as an unintentional advocate. As a first-generation immigrant child, she has a deep-rooted passion for advocating equality and fostering professional, emotional, and mental growth in today's society. Her current perspective is to inspire and empower generations to "Change the World." Tram wholeheartedly believes in her ability to effect positive change through her professional and personal endeavors.

Dr. Elizabeth 방실 Smith (She/Her/They/Them) is a Korean-Irish Licensed Clinical
Psychologist in the state of IL and IN. She received her PsyD in Clinical Psychology
from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a focus in trauma and family
systems. She currently works in an outpatient group private practice where she conducts
neuropsychological assessments and works with individuals, groups, and families, many
of whom have struggles with anxiety, mood, traumatic experiences, are members of the
LGBTQA community, and/or been identified as neurodiverse (those with head trauma,
ADHD, Autism, etc). Much of her work includes play, expressive art, and pop culture,
which are utilized to help facilitate healing and comfort as she aids individuals and
families navigate a variety of stresses and developmental challenges throughout the
lifespan. Elizabeth immigrated to the US at age 5 and her parents inspired her work ethic
and service to the community; her father is a disabled US army veteran and her mother is
an independent business owner that refuses to retire. Her volunteer experience includes
national and local crisis hotlines, hospice, homeless shelters, community cleanup,
advocacy, and marketing/social media for NAAAP-Chicago. She enjoys cooking, baking,
knitting, running, reading, art, music, dance, comics, and cosplay. She is an avid Hello
Kitty and Tokidoki collector and has spoken on several panels at C2E2, Wonder Con, and
San Diego Comic Con to advocate for diversity inclusion in media and the use of pop
culture in therapy.

Tiah Tam is a Business Operations Associate at Ironwood Capital Management where she is responsible for executing business processes and solving complex operational problems. Over the course of her professional career, Tiah has accumulated 5 years of experience in administration and operations. 

Tiah received her Bachelors of Fine Arts from San Francisco State University where she also served as President and Treasurer of Sigma Omicron Pi sorority Beta Chapter - an Asian-interest organization founded in 1930.

Originally from San Francisco, Tiah recently moved to Chicago and has been eager to contribute to both the local Asian-American community and women’s professional development in the workplace. Outside of work, Tiah enjoys trying new cuisine, keeping up with visual arts, and spending time with loved ones. 

Born and raised in Georgia, Dianne made the move to Chicago in 2008 and now calls it her home. She’s a video editor by trade and loves exploring the nooks and crannies of Chicago’s beautiful neighborhoods and connecting with all types of people. Dianne joined NAAAP’s wellness program to grow a deeper and healthier Asian community and share in the collective healing experience.