Linda Toyota is a connector with a purpose — bringing together people, ideas, and organizations to strengthen communities and expand opportunity. As Business Development Advisor for Houston Style Magazine, she helps businesses and nonprofits tell their stories in engaging, distinctive ways. She previously served as Market Executive for LiftFund, a nonprofit lender that helped entrepreneurs across 15 states access capital unavailable through traditional means.

Her leadership includes building lasting programs with the Asian Chamber of Commerce Houston, where she remains a life member, and becoming the first Asian woman to chair Leadership Houston, where she started an endowment scholarship that still supports program participants today. Her honors include Houston Woman Magazine's Top 50 Women of Influence, the Leadership Houston Luminary Award, the Gulf Coast Diversity Council's DiversityFirst Award, and the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber's Pride in Business Champion Award.

Linda's commitment to inclusion is rooted in family history. Her parents, U.S.-born citizens of Japanese ancestry, were incarcerated during WWII; her father enlisted from camp into the celebrated 442nd Regimental Combat Team, while her mother was released after being sponsored by a Jewish family in Cleveland. That legacy of exclusion and unexpected kindness shaped her lifelong belief that one person can make a difference.

A University of Houston alumna, Linda serves on the Harris County AAPI Commission, the Texas Southern University business school advisory council, the American Jewish Committee's Community of Conscience, and the Texas Advisory Council of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition — always building with others, because people support what they help create.  

Deborah Y. “Debbie” Chen, Esq. is an immigration attorney, civic engagement leader, and longtime advocate for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Greater Houston. She serves as Executive Director of OCA-Greater Houston, where she has helped advance initiatives focused on citizenship and naturalization, voter engagement, education, leadership development, and coalition building. Chen has been involved with OCA-Greater Houston since 1998 and has played a key role in expanding the organization’s civic engagement work across the region.

Chen also serves as Vice Chair of the Harris County Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, advising Harris County on issues affecting AAPI residents and communities. Her professional experience includes work in minority-, woman-, and disadvantaged-business enterprise programs and supplier diversity, including service with the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance and earlier work with the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

A graduate of South Texas College of Law, Chen has spent decades combining legal advocacy with community service. Her work has included citizenship workshops, voter registration and turnout efforts, Census outreach, pro bono legal resources, cultural programming, and initiatives addressing discrimination and anti-Asian hate. She has received several recognitions for her public service, including the Lyndon B. Johnson Civil Rights Award and the Garnet F. Coleman AmeriCorps Civic Volunteer Award

Thuy Le, Esq. is a Houston criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor, and longtime advocate for fairness and equal treatment within the justice system. Born in Vietnam and raised in Houston after her family immigrated to the United States, Le has built a legal career shaped by public service, advocacy, and a commitment to protecting the rights of individuals and families. She earned her law degree from Syracuse University College of Law and began her career as a prosecutor in the Galveston County and Harris County District Attorney’s Offices before entering private practice.

In 2013, Le established her own criminal defense practice, where she represents adults and juveniles facing a broad range of criminal charges. Her work has included significant pro bono advocacy, particularly in cases involving vulnerable individuals and families navigating the criminal justice and child welfare systems. She has also been active in efforts to strengthen diversity, mentorship, and professional development within the legal community.

Le has held leadership positions with the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and has supported programs aimed at helping first-generation and underrepresented students pursue higher education and careers in law. In 2025, she was appointed to the Harris County Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission. Through her service on the Commission, Le brings her experience as an attorney, advocate, mentor, and member of Houston’s Vietnamese American community to efforts addressing the needs and priorities of AAPI residents throughout Harris County.

State Representative Gene Wu proudly serves the people of District 137 in the Texas House. Prior to being elected in 2012, he served as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, where he sought justice for thousands of crime victims. Gene is currently an attorney in private practice.

Since being elected State Representative, Gene has maintained a focus on improving the lives of Texas children. Gene has authored numerous pieces of legislation supporting greater justice for juveniles; specifically fighting the school to prison pipeline and passing comprehensive CPS reform. Gene has also been appointed to the Texas Access to Justice Commission, and the Texas State Child Fatality Review Team.

Now in his 7th term, Gene has been appointed Vice Chair of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. He also serves on the House Permanent Standing Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, the Committee on Redistricting, and on the Appropriations Committee.

Outside his legislative work, Gene remains active and involved in the Houston community. Gene currently serves on community advocacy organization boards such as the OCA-Greater Houston Advisory Board, the Chinese Community Center Advisory Board, and the Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Centers Advisory Committee. As an attorney, Gene serves as a Guardian Ad-Litem representing minors in court in either criminal or CPS cases. Additionally, Gene is passionate in supporting young people becoming active in civic roles, and is proud advocate for the AAPI community across Texas and the nation.

Gene grew up in the Southwest Houston neighborhood of Sharpstown. He earned his Bachelors of Science Degree from Texas A&M University, a Master’s Degree from the LBJ School for Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, and a Law Degree from the South Texas College of Law in Houston.

Gene and his wife, Miya, reside in Southwest Houston. They are the proud parents of two sons, Winston and Lyndon.

Hon. Jason Luong is a Houston attorney, former prosecutor, and former judge of the 185th Criminal District Court of Harris County. He began his legal career as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson before entering private practice, where he represented clients in complex civil and commercial litigation. He later served as a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, handling both misdemeanor and felony cases before returning to private practice.

In 2018, Luong was elected judge of the 185th Criminal District Court, where he presided over felony criminal matters and served the Harris County community from 2019 through 2022. His judicial service built on a career that has spanned civil litigation, criminal prosecution, appellate work, and public service. He has also remained active in Houston’s legal and civic communities, including through organizations supporting Asian American attorneys and broader community engagement.

Luong earned his B.A., cum laude, from Rice University and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review. During law school, he interned for federal and state judges, including U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes and Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill. He currently practices law in Houston and serves on the Harris County Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, bringing more than two decades of legal, judicial, and community leadership experience to the Commission’s work.

Philip Patrick Sun is an architect, planner, and healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience leading complex public, private, and nonprofit organizations. His career has included senior leadership roles with Harris Health and other institutions, where he has overseen major capital programs, facilities, finance and administration, information technology, security, real estate, and other operational functions.

Sun has led large-scale healthcare planning and development initiatives, including an award-winning 1,000-bed replacement program for two major teaching hospitals and related support facilities. The program was completed within budget and schedule and received recognition from the Texas Hospital Association and the Texas Society of Architects. His work has also included development of community health center systems and broader efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure and delivery.

In addition to his professional work, Sun has taught and lectured at institutions including Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, Trinity University, and International Islamic University in Malaysia. He is active in several civic and professional organizations, including the Houston Taipei Society, Chinese Professional Club, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, and the Harris County Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission. He is also an Emeritus member of the American Institute of Architects and has been involved with national and international organizations focused on healthcare architecture and planning.

Aresha Davwa is a policy professional and community convener whose work and heart are rooted in questions of equity, compassion, and belonging.

She is currently a Senior Advisor on the Policy Team for Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis, where she leads and supports major initiatives spanning healthcare access, equitable governance, social safety-net systems, and data‑driven and equity-informed policy innovation. In her role, Aresha works closely with community partners, advocates, researchers, and County departments to advance policies that make government more just, humane, and responsive to the lived experiences of Harris County residents.

Aresha is also a co-founder of One Beyond, a grassroots interfaith initiative rooted in the belief that at the heart of every faith and wisdom tradition lies unity and compassion. Through gatherings and reflection, One Beyond creates space for people of all backgrounds to come together—bridging divides, expanding hearts, and deepening connections, beyond boundaries of tradition or belief.

Outside of her work, Aresha finds grounding in the practice of her Ismaili Muslim faith, in interfaith spaces and community, and in time spent with her husband and their pup, who remind her daily of joy, gratitude, and the quiet blessings that surround us.

Silky Joshi Malik is a Houston native and the daughter of Indian immigrants. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Houston and an MBA from West Texas A&M University.

Her professional background spans public health and education. She previously served as a health education specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, leading cancer prevention outreach at LBJ Hospital, and has worked as an educator in Houston ISD and at an international school in Malaysia.

Malik currently serves on the Harris County Department of Education Board, where her work includes early childhood education, special education services, after-school programming, and support for working families.