Speaker Profiles:
Dr. Henry Yu
Department of History, UBC and Principal, St. John’s College, UBC
As a history professor, Dr. Yu’s research and teaching has been built around collaborations with local community organizations, civic institutions such as museums, and multiple levels of government. He is passionate about helping British Columbians unlearn the cultural and historical legacies of colonialism and to be inspired by the often hidden and untold stories of those who struggled against racism and made Canadian society more inclusive and just.
In 2015, Dr. Yu was appointed as the Co-Chair for the Province of British Columbia’s Legacy Initiatives Advisory Council implementing legacy projects following the province’s apology in May 2014 for BC’s historic anti-Chinese legislation. He also served on the Advisory Group for the City of Vancouver’s apology consultation process for Historical Discrimination Against People of Chinese Descent (HDC) from 2016-2017 that resulted in the City of Vancouver’s formal apology for its historical discrimination against its Chinese Canadian residents on April 22, 2018. Currently, he leads a research team in support of the City of Vancouver’s commitment to create a cultural heritage asset management plan for Vancouver Chinatown, and led the consulting team for the Province of BC for the creation of a provincial Chinese Canadian Museum.
Dr. Yu is also a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia, as well as a Founding Board member of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and the Pacific Canada Heritage Centre/Museum of Migration Society.
Prof. Yu received his BA in Honours History from UBC and an MA and PhD in History from Princeton University. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the Province of BC’s Multicultural Award in 2015 in recognition of his research and community leadership.
Honourable Anne Kang
B.C. Minister of Citizen Services, responsible for Multiculturalism
Anne Kang was elected as the MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake in 2017. Anne Is the Minister of Citizens’ Services and the Minister responsible for Multiculturalism. She immigrated to British Columbia as a child, and has lived in Burnaby for over 30 years. She has been an active community volunteer since the age of 8.
Anne was a three-term Burnaby City Councillor before becoming an MLA, and has been a leader in many organizations that build community and support those who are vulnerable. Anne’s commitment to community was recognized when she was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 for her contribution to Canada.
Anne has a passion for life-long learning. She completed her post-secondary education at UBC, receiving a Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Education – Elementary, a Diploma in Special Education – Learning Disability, and a Master degree in Special Education – Gifted and Creative Learner, and completed two levels of Montessori Certification. Before being elected MLA of Burnaby-Deer Lake, Anne was a music teacher in the Burnaby school system. Anne lives and works in Burnaby and has two young children, who attend school in Burnaby.
Alice Fu
Director of Events – Connector Extraordinaire
Alice is an accomplished entrepreneur and financial services professional with 10 years of experience across multiple disciplines.
She is the Co-Founder and COO of Fu Investments, a Real-Estate Portfolio specializing in Commercial and Residential properties in Toronto. After finishing a Bachelors of Science at the University of Toronto, she sought International experience through her work as the Program Coordinator for a series of 15 Private Colleges in China. Fully Bi-Lingual, she acted as the liaison between the local colleges and their partners in Europe, Australia and North America. This ensured the integrity of the program for thousands of undergraduate students.
As the Senior Manager for a Technology Consulting Firm, Alice is used to wearing many hats. During her time with the consultancy, she headed up Business Development, Business Analysis, Marketing, IT Support, and Operations.
In her current role as Business Development Manager for OFX, a Global leader in International Payments, she helps SMB’s with their FX needs. As the Co-Founder of T. Events, she is used to running large-scale events in support of the Arts. Her work helps build a tight-knit global community.
An advocate for Diversity & Inclusion, Alice is also the VP Membership & Recruitment for Asians Without Borders, Marketing Consultant for Ascend Canada, and Head of Strategic Partnerships for Discover Your Personal Brand. In her spare time, she races motorcycles, teaches scuba diving, dances and rock climbs.
Ben Hum
President | York Region (Ontario) – Keiretsu Forum
An award winning multi-passionate serial entrepreneur, Ben is no stranger to the start-up world having been involved with a number of early stage companies and organizations. In fact, he discovered an entrepreneurial streak at the ripe age of 14 while others where striving for good grades. Ben has always thought he would have done much better in school if only the child next to him had applied himself a little more.
With the last 20 years being involved in nurturing numerous technology company start-ups, his current roles include; President of InsightArk Inc., Co-founder and CTO at DermaviaLABS and Co-founder of oxiGEAR Corporation. Ben is also the President of the York Region Chapter at Keiretsu Forum; the world’s largest angel investor network with 56 chapters and 3,000+ members spanning 23 countries on three continents. Fostering a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders, Ben serves as Chairman of the Youth Entrepreneur Committee at the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs. An invaluable advisor by some and a leadership chiropractor to others, no matter how Ben is described, clients and partners regularly welcome the impact and benefits that result from their work together.
Barbara Lee
Founder/President at Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Barbara is the Founder and President of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and passionately believes that the most effective method to combat racism is by increasing Asian Canadian representation in mainstream film, television and all media in Canada. Recently VAFF launched the Elimin8hate Campaign to address the increasing anti-Asian racist attacks and VAFF is partnering with project 1907 to coordinate a national reporting centre for victims of these incidents.
Barbara is a recipient of Women in Film and Television’s Wayne Black Award and Vancouver Asian Heritage Month’s PAN ASIAN Recognition Award. She has worked as a broadcast journalist/reporter for CBC and received the national Radio and Television News Directors’ Association (RTNDA) Award for Best Editorial in 1998. Her film “In Between the Laughter” was one of the National Film Board’s REEL DIVERSITY 2004 winners which aired on CBC and PBS Northwest.