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Saturday, July 31, 2010
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Rose Olea
President
 As the President of NAAAP Chicago, Rose Olea is responsible for overseeing the execution of the overall mission and vision of the chapter. Having been an active member since 2001, Rose continues to use her previous leadership experiences to guide the organization in all capacities.
Rose’s leadership has lead to the establishment of the fully functional Women in Leadership Program, an initiative geared toward the development of professional and leadership skills of Asian American women in the workforce. Additionally, Rose co-founded the Midwest Asian American Business Network, now known as the Asian American Group Leaders, and co-chaired the 2005 NAAAP Convention hosted in Chicago.
Rose is the Information Technology Manager for The American Orthopedic Food & Ankle Society, a non-profit dedicated to developing educational programs for foot and ankle surgeons. She is a graduate of University of Illinois at Chicago where she received her Bachelor of Science in Management with a minor in Human Relations and Workforce Development. In her free time, Rose enjoys writing stories, playing tennis, and baking alongside her daughter Jocelyn.
Huu T. Ly
Vice President of Operations
 Huu T. Ly is the Vice President of Operations, with nearly three years of experience serving on NAAAP Chicago’s Board of Directors. In this role, Huu is tapped with the responsibility of ensuring the success of the organization through the strategic creation of quarterly work plans, effective budgeting, and assisting the President in executing operational programs for the organization. Additionally, Huu ensures the success of the operational directors through accountability metrics and direct guidance.
Under Huu’s recommendation and initiation, the organization has implemented many successful procedures that are in use today including: the volunteer benefit resolution, event payment policy, new event feedback system, and event job codes for efficient reference and archiving. As the previous Director of Cultural Awareness, Huu has executed many successful events including the 2008 & 2009 Lunar New Year Celebration, the 2009 Asian American Film Showcase Preview, the 2008 & 2009 Dragon Boat Race, and the 2009 Asian Senses Series. Huu was also successful in securing monetary and in-kind sponsorships for many of these events from partnerships including those with Chang Beer and Cinepod.
An alumnus of Iowa State University, Huu is currently a Civil Engineer at Terra Engineering, one of the few women business enterprise civil engineering firms in Chicago. Huu has design experience in transportation, hydrology as well as construction management on various jobs including O’Hare International Airport and Illinois Tollway Open Road Tolling Project. In his spare time, Huu enjoys listening to music, photography, reading, and tapping into his creative talents as a DJ. Huu also serves on the Board of the Vietnamese Association of Illinois, where he aids in fostering and developing the strength of the Vietnamese community and organizations in the state of Illinois.
Mike Valdez
Treasurer
 Mike Valdez serves as the Treasurer as well as the Director of Affinity Groups. In this role, Mike brings together Asian Affinity Groups in Chicagoland as one network, allowing participants to share best practices and discuss the value or contributions they add to their organizations. Mike also serves as an asset to companies looking to implement Asian Affinity Groups as a way to retain talented leaders while accomplishing corporate diversity.
Mike’s initial involvement with NAAAP Chicago began in 2004 as a member in the Midwest Asian Affinity Business Network (MAABN) program. Through this involvement, he began to understand first-hand how NAAAP Chicago focuses on creating an open forum for Asian American corporate leaders throughout Chicago and the surrounding areas. Having served on NAAAP Chicago’s Board as Director of Corporate Relations from 2005 to 2007, Mike assumed the role of Director of Affinity Groups in 2008.
Mike is a Vice President with the Northern Trust Company in Chicago. With over 20 years of dedication to the company, Mike also serves as President of the Asian Leadership Council within the company. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Elmhurst College and a Masters in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management. He resides in Crystal Lake with his wife Karen and two sons, Ethan and Harrison.
A strong advocate for diversity and a believer in giving back to the community, Mike serves as a leader in providing NAAAP as a forum for the important discussions Affinity Groups hold, while providing NAAAP as an attractive resource for group members.
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Andrew Samaniego
Director of Marketing
 Responsible for the Chapter’s overall marketing strategy, Andrew Samaniego continues to provide his expertise as the Director of Marketing for NAAAP Chicago. His efforts include branding, creative development, and the creation of multimedia to promote events and programs.
Prior to this role, Andrew served as the Director of Community Service, where he utilized his passion for volunteering and assisting philanthropic activities to create successful events including raising funds for disaster relief, tutoring children, and volunteering at a local sports festival. Andrew was also responsible for spearheading the overall effort of the highly successful 7th Annual Holiday Toy Drive, where the chapter was able to donate 185 toys to the Vietnamese Association of Illinois, the Indo-American Center, and Asian Human Services.
Andrew is a Sr. Global Account Manager at Yahoo! - a leading global internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. As a member of the Global Sales team, he develops search marketing programs for Central and East US sales teams’ highest value clients advertising in Asia, Europe, and Emerging Markets. Before joining Yahoo!, he held sales and account management positions with Getty Images, CDW, and the Michigan Daily. While working full-time, Andrew also strives to volunteer at any given opportunity. Through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, and New City Youth Baseball, he has helped build a house, taught a 5th grade class about business to encourage them to stay in school, and managed concessions for a local youth baseball league while coaching one of their 11-12 year old teams to a championship.
Andrew is an aspiring triathlete and is well versed at playing the piano. Andrew received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan, and continues to lend his background in Marketing and Communications to NAAAP Chicago.
Wit Chitrapongse
Director of Technology
 Wit Chitrapongse serves as the Director of Technology for NAAAP Chicago, functioning as the main resource to ensure that the organization's technological needs are met. In this role, he maintains the organization's website and develops strategies to utilize technology for the organization's benefit.
Wit joined NAAAP Chicago in 2007 to meet new people and expand his network beyond professionals in Information Technology. Realizing that the organization could provide an outlet for him to develop additional skills and further his career in IT, he decided to become more active in the organization. His involvement grew from leading selection of silent auction items for the Red Orchid Gala to managing the organizations technology solutions. Wit then developed NAAAP Chicago's new website and co-hosted the first annual NAAAP Chicago Basketball Tournament. Ultimately, Wit has learned to work on teams with people who have different professional backgrounds from his own and has become more assertive in helping out with events.
Wit is a Software Engineer at Redpoint Technologies, a boutique technology consulting firm, where he develops company critical software systems from the ground up. Prior to Redpoint, Wit was a Consultant with Accenture, where he helped develop Illinois’ Unemployment Application System. A native Chicagoan, raised on the north side of Chicago, Wit obtained his Bachelors degree at UIC in Computer Engineering and a Masters at DePaul in Software Engineering. Wit enjoys spending his free time playing poker with friends, reading comic books, working out, and drawing.
Andrew Samaniego
Director of Marketing
Responsible for the Chapter’s overall marketing strategy, Andrew Samaniego continues to provide his expertise as the Director of Marketing for NAAAP Chicago. His efforts include branding, creative development, and the creation of multimedia to promote events and programs.
Prior to this role, Andrew served as the Director of Community Service, where he utilized his passion for volunteering and assisting philanthropic activities to create successful events including raising funds for disaster relief, tutoring children, and volunteering at a local sports festival. Andrew was also responsible for spearheading the overall effort of the highly successful 7th Annual Holiday Toy Drive, where the chapter was able to donate 185 toys to the Vietnamese Association of Illinois, the Indo-American Center, and Asian Human Services.
Andrew is a Sr. Global Account Manager at Yahoo! - a leading global internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. As a member of the Global Sales team, he develops search marketing programs for Central and East US sales teams’ highest value clients advertising in Asia, Europe, and Emerging Markets. Before joining Yahoo!, he held sales and account management positions with Getty Images, CDW, and the Michigan Daily. While working full-time, Andrew also strives to volunteer at any given opportunity. Through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, and New City Youth Baseball, he has helped build a house, taught a 5th grade class about business to encourage them to stay in school, and managed concessions for a local youth baseball league while coaching one of their 11-12 year old teams to a championship.
Andrew is an aspiring triathlete and is well versed at playing the piano. Andrew received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan, and continues to lend his background in Marketing and Communications to NAAAP Chicago.
Wit Chitrapongse
Director of Technology
Wit Chitrapongse serves as the Director of Technology for NAAAP Chicago, functioning as the main resource to ensure that the organization's technological needs are met. In this role, he maintains the organization's website and develops strategies to utilize technology for the organization's benefit.
Wit joined NAAAP Chicago in 2007 to meet new people and expand his network beyond professionals in Information Technology. Realizing that the organization could provide an outlet for him to develop additional skills and further his career in IT, he decided to become more active in the organization. His involvement grew from leading selection of silent auction items for the Red Orchid Gala to managing the organizations technology solutions. Wit then developed NAAAP Chicago's new website and co-hosted the first annual NAAAP Chicago Basketball Tournament. Ultimately, Wit has learned to work on teams with people who have different professional backgrounds from his own and has become more assertive in helping out with events.
Wit is a Software Engineer at Redpoint Technologies, a boutique technology consulting firm, where he develops company critical software systems from the ground up. Prior to Redpoint, Wit was a Consultant with Accenture, where he helped develop Illinois’ Unemployment Application System. A native Chicagoan, raised on the north side of Chicago, Wit obtained his Bachelors degree at UIC in Computer Engineering and a Masters at DePaul in Software Engineering. Wit enjoys spending his free time playing poker with friends, reading comic books, working out, and drawing.
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