AALAM Election of the 2025 Board of Directors
Executive Board
President: Melissa Wong
Melissa is a Partner at Holland & Knight LLP and a member of the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences practice group, which is the largest in the nation. She advises a variety of clients in the pharmaceutical, medical device and managed care sector on health care legal, regulatory and compliance issues, particularly in matters related to the coverage and reimbursement of health care items and services and managed care. Melissa also works extensively with non-traditional health care entities providing delegated services to health care providers and plans. Melissa received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Melissa serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of MAP for Health and has served in board and leadership roles in other health care-related organizations, including Health Law Advocates and the American Health Law Association. Melissa was twice named a Massachusetts Go To Lawyer in Healthcare and Life Sciences by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and has been ranked by Chambers since 2021. Melissa is in the process of rediscovering some long-lost hobbies, including musical theatre, knitting and crafting, but spends most of her time chasing after an active five-year-old.
Vice President: Tiffany Ko
Tiffany is Counsel at MFS Investment Management, one of the oldest asset management companies in the world, which has been credited with pioneering the mutual fund 101 years ago. She regularly works with the MFS Board of Trustees and advises on regulatory, transactional and compliance matters. Before joining MFS, Tiffany spent about six years as an asset management associate at Ropes & Gray LLP and began her legal career at State Street Bank & Trust Company as an Associate Attorney and Assistant Vice President. She holds a B.A. from The George Washington University and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. Tiffany has been a member of AALAM since her first year at Northeastern and joined the AALAM Board in 2018. She actively contributes to the community through pro bono projects focused on citizenship, immigration, asylum, and domestic violence. Additionally, she also volunteered at the aquarium during COVID, caring for over 80 Rockhopper and African penguins.
Secretary: Jay Yi
Jay is an asset management associate at Ropes & Gray LLP, specializing in the representation of investment advisers, private equity funds, hedge funds, and other private funds in connection with various fundraising, structuring, governance, operations, regulatory, and compliance matters. He led monthly meetings and organizes AAPI Heritage Month events for the firm as the co-head of the Asian American Pacific Islanders Lawyers group from 2020 to 2022. Prior to attending law school, Jay taught 9th grade English in a high school in the Bronx, worked as a paralegal in the Special Litigations department of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and volunteered as an auxiliary police officer with the 6th Precinct of the NYPD. In law school, he served as the co-President of APALSA and interned in the Superior Court of D.C. with Judge Florence Pan, who was confirmed in 2022 as the first Taiwanese-American to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In his free time, Jay enjoys boxing, swing dancing and making waffles in his office. Jay received his B.A. in English and Literature from Duke University and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Treasurer: Diana Li Chikwamba
Diana is a mid-level associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in the Investment Management - Private Funds group where she represents and counsels investment advisers, unregistered investment companies, and domestic and offshore private investment entities. Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Diana worked in law firms in Vienna, Austria and Shanghai, China. Diana received her B.S. in Psychology from Boston College in 2016 and J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2019. A fun fact about Diana is that she was born and raised in Vienna, Austria and is native German speaker and speaks conversational Mandarin. She has danced competitively most of her life and is passionate about lifting up the Asian community by planning events and mentoring law students.
Assistant Treasurer: Chantal Choi
Chantal is an Associate Corporate Counsel at ServiceNow, a public software company that develops a platform that helps companies manage digital workflows for enterprise operations. Prior to attending law school, Chantal was a Chinese advocate at the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) and assisted in building the legal program at ATASK. In law school, she served as the President of APALSA and was a member of the Suffolk University Law Review. Chantal was also a recipient of the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship. Chantal received her J.D from Suffolk University Law School and her B.A from Boston College.
NAPABA Alternate Regional Governor: Alan Wong
Alan is Associate Counsel at KabaFusion, where he concentrates his in-house practice on litigation and pre-litigation matters. Alan has long been active in AAPI advocacy, from leading undergraduate AAPI student groups, to co-chairing his law school's APALSA chapter, to being a founding co-chair of his former firm's Asian employee resource group. A lifelong resident of the Boston area, Alan believes strongly in supporting the local AAPI community, and works with organizations like the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence in a pro bono capacity. He is also an Alternate Regional Governor for the Northeast Region of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Alan received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in economics, political science, and Asian American studies. He received his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, and has been a member of AALAM since graduating from law school in 2013.
Board of Directors
*Indicates a new candidate as of 2025
Ruoya Burns *
Ruoya is a corporate attorney with broad transactional experience gained at leading AM law firms. She represents clients in various commercial transactions, including debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, securities disclosures and filings, and general corporate matters. She earned her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and an LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University School of Law. An active member of AALAM since her 1L year, Ruoya is committed to supporting the AAPI legal community and advancing diversity within the legal profession. During law school, she served two terms as chair of APALSA and as a DEI committee member of the Northeastern Law Review.
Alda Chan
Alda is an Assistant Attorney General at the Consumer Protection Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office where she investigates and sues actors that engage in unfair and deceptive practices in order to stop such harm moving forward and to provide restitution to Massachusetts consumers. Prior to joining the AGO, Alda was a litigation associate at the Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian representing mainly adults who were survivors of child sexual abuse by the hands of institutional and authoritative figures. Alda also had the honor and amazing opportunity to serve as the clerk of the Honorable Dalila A. Wendlandt while she was on the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Ever since graduating from Boston University School of Law in 2019, Alda has endeavored to make the world just a little bit brighter by bringing compassion into her work and finding the intersectionality across any two people.
Celene Chen
Celene Chen is a litigation associate at Cooley LLP. She received her B.S. in Economics from Northeastern University and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law. A lifelong Massachusetts resident, Celene maintains an active pro bono practice, counseling clients on a wide array of issues, including housing, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights. She also represents clients in a variety of matters, including government and internal investigations, complex contractual disputes, copyright disputes, and false advertising claims involving user-generated content. In her free time, you can find her giving impromptu poetry readings at open mics, attending local concerts, or attending the next Championship Duck Boat Parade.
Diana Chiang
Diana is Vice President & Litigation Counsel at State Street where her in-house role focuses on managing litigation and pre-litigation matters and investigations. Prior to her current position, Diana served as in-house regulatory counsel at a multinational electricity and gas utility company, clerked for a federal magistrate judge and worked at a Boston-based law firm. Diana received a J.D./MBA from Northeastern University and her B.A. from Brandeis University. Diana has always been a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion efforts and mentoring law students, within her places of employment and through AALAM. In her free time, you’ll usually find Diana baking, volunteering at Ricesticks & Tea Asian Food Pantry and the Women’s Lunch Place, indoor cycling and traveling.
Lesley Chuang
Lesley Chuang is a senior litigation associate at DLA Piper. Her practice focuses on the defense of pharmaceutical products and medical devices, including multidistrict litigation and complex commercial litigation. Lesley also counsels clients on regulatory issues involving emerging contaminants, in particular the state of the law and science of PFAS across the U.S. In addition to her practice, Lesley is actively involved in pro bono and represents Afghan clients in asylum matters. Lesley is a long-time AALAM member, and she mentors and supports law students through AALAM’s Law Student Committee. She also co-chairs the Mass Torts & Class Actions Committee at the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Senior Associates Forum at the Boston Bar Association. Lesley is a graduate of Union College, Princeton University, and the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Phebe Hong
Phebe Hong is a litigation associate at Latham & Watkins. Her practice focuses on complex commercial disputes and civil litigation. She previously clerked for the Honorable Patti B. Saris of the District Court of Massachusetts. She received her B.A. from Harvard College in developmental biology and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. While in law school, she served as Co-President of the Harvard Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. In her free time, she likes to teach dance cardio classes and give historical walking tours of Boston.
M. Katherine ("Kat") Delos Reyes
Kat Delos Reyes is an associate at Barclay Damon LLP. She works closely with innovators seeking to acquire, maintain advertise and commercialize their domestic and global trademark and copyright assets, prevent infringement, and enforce their rights. She also helps clients navigate data security and privacy issues related to health-related data, breaches, transactions, and compliance issues in light of evolving technologies, including AI. Prior to her legal career, Kat taught 3rd and 4th grade math and science in Teach for America and worked in development at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Kat graduated from Northeastern University School of Law and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside. In AALAM, she loves meeting community members and is also a Co-Chair of AALAM’s Law Firm Committee. She also serves Fenway Health as the Clerk for the Board of Directors and is passionate about health equity.
Angel Feng
Angel is a Special Counsel at Mintz, where she focuses her practice on business immigration matters and related compliance issues. She works with employers in designing and defining corporate immigration programs and policies, and in structuring short and long-term visa strategies for management, professional and specialized skill foreign employees. She also advises employers on discipline, suspension and/or termination of visa sponsored employees and litigation prevention measures; and counsels clients on employment eligibility verification, I-9, and E-verify compliance and employer defense in ICE audits, and worksite investigations. Angel has been recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of Employment: Immigration as a “Next Generation Lawyer.” Angel graduated with honors from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Comparative Literature. She earned her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law.
Jason Jose *
Jason Jose is a litigation associate at DLA Piper LLP, where he focuses his practice in white-collar criminal defense, internal and government investigations, and complex commercial litigation. Jason represents companies and individuals in investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additionally, he advises clients in matters implicating the securities laws. Jason also maintains an active and varied pro bono practice, serving as a legal mentor with Discovering Justice and assisting with the representation of indigent criminal defendants in federal cases under the Criminal Justice Act. Prior to law school, Jason worked as an officer with a university police department in California. In law school, he served as executive managing editor of the Boston College Law Review, president of the Disability Law Student Association, and vice president of APALSA; he also served as a research assistant for Professor Mark S. Brodin and as a teaching assistant for the first-year Critical Perspectives in Law course. While in law school, Jason interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, where he supported the office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit in investigations and litigation implicating the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute. Jason also served as a student attorney with the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, where he represented state agencies and officials in state courts as part of the Government Bureau’s Constitutional & Administrative Law Division. Jason received his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach.
Jan Ryu Koo
Jan Ryu Koo is Counsel and Vice President at Natixis Investment Managers. Prior to Natixis, Jan was a Senior Counsel and Vice President at State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), which is the investment management division of State Street Corporation. Jan joined SSGA from Fidelity Investments, and her prior experience includes practicing in both private practice and in-house (global investment bank) in Sydney, Australia for over 7 years. Jan received her dual LL.B/B.Sc. degree from University of Sydney and a LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University School of Law. She is a licensed attorney in New York, Massachusetts and New South Wales (Australia). Jan has always been passionate about and involved with diversity and inclusion efforts and she is excited to continue her contributions through the AALAM Board.
Sabrina Liu (Law Student Observer) *
Sabrina (Sabi) [she/they] is a law student at Northeastern School of Law. Sabi is an associate editor of Northeastern’s Law Review and the Communications Chair for the Student Board Association. Outside of school, she works as a program manager for MAP for Health; an organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of the queer/trans API (QTAPI) community in Greater Boston and Massachusetts. Sabi attended Boston University and received a B.A. in Political Science and graduated cum laude. In their free time, Sabi enjoys crocheting for their small business and learning new skills on aerial silks.
Ellen C. Miller
Ellen C. Miller (she/her) is an associate in Goodwin Procter LLP’s Real Estate Industry Business Unit, where she advises clients on a variety of commercial real estate transactions, including joint ventures, financings, acquisitions and dispositions. She is a local council co-leader of Goodwin’s Pride group, a member of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, and maintains an active pro bono practice focused primarily on nonprofit entity formation and governance. In addition to her billable work, Ellen serves as a member of the Asian Community Development Corporation’s Real Estate Committee, and on the second Saturday of the month you will usually find her volunteering at Ricesticks & Tea Asian Food Pantry. She believes very deeply in the power of community and collective care. Ellen received a B.F.A. in Visual Arts with a concentration in printmaking from Rutgers University, so it was a bit of surprise for everyone (herself included) when she went on to earn her J.D. from Boston University School of Law. Prior to law school, Ellen competed as a Division I track & field athlete, worked as a children’s art teacher, and taught English as a Fulbright ETA in Kinmen, Taiwan. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her partner and their menagerie of pets.
Andrew Ming-Lum *
Andrew Ming-Lum is an associate at Choate, Hall and Stewart LLP, where he assists life science companies in building and protecting their patent portfolios. He handles an array of intellectual property matters, including: patent drafting and prosecution; due diligence; freedom-to-operate, infringement, and validity analyses; and portfolio strategy and management. Andrew received his J.D. from the Peter A. Allard School of Law, and Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine/Immunology from the University of British Columbia. He is admitted to the Massachusetts bar and the Law Society of British Columbia, Canada. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys trad/sport rock climbing, backcountry camping, photography, and attempting to frugally replicate his favorite Michelin meals.
Mary H. Nguyen *
Mary is an Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the Insurance & Unemployment Fraud Division (“IUFD”) in the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (“AGO”) where she leads a team of attorneys, financial investigators, an administrative assistant, and a paralegal, who investigate and prosecute people and businesses who commit fraud against private insurance carriers, the Commonwealth’s unemployment trust fund and the Commonwealth’s workers’ compensation system. IUFD’s efforts help to protect the people of Massachusetts from higher premiums and higher taxes as well as to ensure those in need are able to receive appropriate assistance. Prior to joining the AGO, Mary served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office (“DA’s Office”) for over 15 years. During Mary’s time at the DA’s Office, she served as the supervising attorney in the Brockton Juvenile Court, the supervising attorney in the Wareham District Court, became a member of the Superior Court trial team in the Child Abuse Unit for a number of years, and then joined the Appeals Unit in 2018 where she handled a broad range of post-conviction cases and argued multiple cases before the Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Mary graduated from Syracuse University in 2004, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. In 2007, she graduated from New England Law.
Malinda "Lindy" Reed
Lindy is a litigation associate at Nelson Mullins whose experience includes a wide range of litigation and regulatory matters. Her practice includes government investigations and federal enforcement and compliance actions, labor and employment matters, complex commercial disputes and civil litigation, and gaming law licensing and compliance. She helps clients navigate compliance issues to minimize legal risk. While a student at Northeastern Law, she was Elder Council in APALSA, competed in moot court, and chaired the International Law Society. For the last few years, she’s helped organize her office’s Lawyer’s Have Heart 5K team. While she doesn’t run as often as she probably should, she likes to support the organization’s mission to raise money and awareness for the life-saving research, education, and community programs of the American Heart Association.
Andrew Truong
Andrew Truong is an associate at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, where he represents clients in various commercial transactions including debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, and other corporate matters. During law school, Andrew served as President of APALSA and as a student attorney in the Human Trafficking Clinic. Prior to law school, he served as co-chair of his college’s Asian American and Pacific Islander student organization and interned at Community Legal Aid assisting with the Asian Outreach and Advocacy Project. Andrew received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law and his B.A. in Spanish and Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross.
Ying Wang *
Ying Wang (she/her) is a government attorney and military officer with deep ties to the Boston community. She graduated from Boston Public Schools, including Boston Latin School, and later earned her B.S. from Emerson College and her J.D. from New England School of Law. Ying uses her strong background in the “publics” to help clients navigate complex legal and regulatory frameworks. She is currently an Associate General Counsel at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which regulates the casino, horse racing, and sports wagering industries in the Commonwealth. Ying also serves in the United States Army Reserves as a Captain and Judge Advocate General Officer supporting Army legal operations both domestic and abroad. She is passionate about her volunteer work with the Boston Foundation’s Equality Fund, Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence (ASPIRE), the Prism Foundation, and New Leaders Council (NLC).
Phil Yao
Phil Yao is a litigation associate at Ropes & Gray LLP. His practice focuses on complex civil litigation, appellate litigation, commercial litigation, antitrust law, and education law. His clients include foreign defendants sued in U.S. courts, universities, banks, private equity firms, pharmaceutical companies, and closely held corporations. Phil also maintains an active pro bono practice and successfully challenged Florida’s Stop WOKE Act in federal court, obtaining a statewide permanent injunction against the State of Florida. Under Ropes' longstanding partnership with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Phil served as a special assistant district attorney for Cambridge, Belmont, and Arlington, during which he first-chaired 15 jury and bench trials to verdict as well as argued 30 motions. Phil also serves on the Steering Committee of the Business and Commercial Litigation Section of the Boston Bar Association (BBA). Prior to re-joining Ropes in 2021, Phil clerked for then-Chief Judge Jeffrey R. Howard of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. During law school, Phil served as the editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of Law and Technology and as treasurer of APALSA; he also served for several years as a research assistant to California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, working on the Portrait Project (A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law). Additionally, Phil interned in the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Prior to law school, Phil received graduate degrees in education and business from the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He received his undergraduate degree in physics, summa cum laude, from Harvard College. Phil currently lives with his wife, two kids, and dog in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sarah Yun *
Sarah Yun is currently clerking for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Previously, she was a litigation associate at WilmerHale, where she represented clients in IP and commercial cases as well as pro bono matters, including a prisoner’s civil rights case and an asylum application. Prior to and throughout law school, Sarah worked as a paralegal at Sugarman & Sugarman, a personal injury firm. She also served as a judicial intern for Judge Patti Saris at USDC-MA. Sarah received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where she served as Co-Vice President of APALSA, and her B.A. in English and Psychology from Brandeis University.