An evening honoring three AAPI leaders in Public Safety, Public Education, and Economic Development, and everyone building a more accountable, more represented Bay Area alongside them.
AAA and APAPA–San Francisco co-host this gala because the work is shared: building AAPI political power from the ballot box to the boardroom.
Our mission is to empower all Asian Americans by ensuring their voices are heard through their votes and by holding elected officials accountable.
Advancing Asian Pacific Islander communities through increased leadership and civic engagement.
Times are locked for the evening: see you there.
Guest check-in, cocktail reception, silent auction bidding opens.
Leadership from AAA and APAPA–SF open the program.
Entrée to be finalized; guest selections collected in advance.
Recognition of the 2026 honorees: Public Safety, Economic Development, and Public Education.
Final bidding and paddle raise in support of AAA & APAPA–SF programs.
Evening entertainment, closing remarks, and thank-yous.
Bay Area native Stephanie Lin is an award-winning TV news anchor at KRON 4 in San Francisco.
Stephanie's reporting has taken viewers to the front lines of California's devastating wildfires, given voice to the afflicted, and shut down consumer scams. She is the recipient of two Emmy awards and six Emmy nominations. Most recently, her reporting on San Francisco's fentanyl crisis was recognized with an SPJ Excellence in Journalism Award. While her work covers a wide range of topics, Stephanie has particular interest in politics, tech, and local AAPI community issues.
Stephanie sits on the board of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) San Francisco Chapter. Fun fact: she was crowned Miss Asian America in 2015, and is a proud UC Berkeley graduate (Go Bears!). She enjoys spending time with her dog, Merlin, ballroom dancing, and finding the best places to eat in her spare time. Find her on social media @stephanielintv.
Ashlyn Tsui is a San Francisco native, a 4th-year Music Theater major and Classical Vocal Performance minor at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. As a proud first-generation Chinese American, she is passionate about promoting representation in the arts and strives to inspire young artists to be creative and take up space unapologetically.
That mission is the message behind her nonprofit summer youth program, Stage Stars Productions. Ashlyn will represent the United States at Miss Icon International in Indonesia this November; her previous titles include Miss Chinatown USA and Miss Bay Area Teen USA.
Three honorees across Public Safety, Economic Development, and Public Education, all confirmed and accepted.
Louis Wong has dedicated over three decades to protecting San Francisco and advocating for the officers who keep it safe. Born at the Chinese Hospital, with both grandparents from China, he spent much of his career on the front lines in some of the city's toughest neighborhoods, including the Tenderloin and South of Market.
Last year, Wong made history when his fellow officers elected him the first Asian American President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, winning nearly two-thirds of the vote. He has become a leading advocate for rebuilding police staffing, improving recruitment and retention, and ensuring SFPD has the resources to protect neighborhoods.
Wong has also been an outspoken advocate for victims of violent crime and for accountability in the criminal justice system, reflecting a sustained commitment to safer neighborhoods and a strong, well-supported police department.
Denise Tran is a Vietnamese American entrepreneur and founder of Bun Mee, the pioneering fast-casual restaurant that has helped bring bánh mì into the American mainstream. Her story began with a childhood escape from Vietnam by boat and growing up as a first-generation immigrant in New Orleans. After a career in law, a transformative trip back to Vietnam ignited her vision to share Vietnamese culture through food.
What started as a single Pacific Heights shop has grown into a national brand with locations across the Bay Area, award-winning restaurants at SFO, an expansion into Manhattan, and a franchise rollout to other cities. Bun Mee has been named one of the world's best airport restaurants by Bloomberg, recognized twice by Fast Casual Magazine as a Top 100 Mover & Shaker, and featured on Travel Channel's Food Paradise.
Supryia Ray has served the city as an independent, student-focused voice on the San Francisco Board of Education, bringing the perspective of an SFUSD parent, attorney, and longtime public-school advocate to the district's most difficult challenges. Before joining the Board, Ray organized parents around reopening schools, school safety, stronger literacy instruction, and restoring access to 8th-grade Algebra.
During her 2024 campaign, she was the only School Board candidate to decline to sign the teachers' union's pledge, explaining that Board members must retain independence to consider all stakeholders and student outcomes rather than commit in advance to one constituency's agenda.
On the Board, Ray has made transparency and accountability central priorities, consistently emphasizing academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, safe schools, and measurable student outcomes, even when doing so means asking uncomfortable questions.
Please join us in recognizing tonight’s confirmed elected officials and honored guests.
Sponsorship tiers for 2026, updated as new sponsors confirm.
Everyone who contributed an item, gift certificate, or experience to this year’s silent auction and prize drawing.