Apex for Youth
Associate Board
The Associate Board aims to help grow and foster the Apex community through volunteer recruitment and retention, community outreach and marketing, and the cultivation of young donors.
Maggie is a Partner Growth Manager at Roku focused on managing the growth strategy of key streaming partners. Previously, she worked at CBS in Corporate Development and Bank of America Merrill Lynch in their Technology, Media & Telecom group. Maggie graduated with a B.S. in Economics and Management from MIT and an M.B.A. from Wharton. She has been involved with Apex since 2015 and volunteered as a high school mentor for three years. Maggie enjoys running, hosting dinner parties for friends, and exploring local coffee shops in her travels.
Wesley Ru
Vice Chair
Wesley is a Program Manager at Meta. Previously, Wesley was an Associate on the CIO Treasury team at PNC. Wesley graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Cognitive Science and PPE. Wesley has been involved with Apex since 2019 as an Elementary Test Prep tutor and Scholarship Committee member. In his free time, Wesley enjoys traveling, playing tennis and finding the best street eats in NYC.
Sean Wang
Treasurer
Sean is a Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management, a global alternative investment manager, and focuses on life sciences investments. Prior to joining Oaktree, Sean was on the investment teams at Ares Management and Athyrium Capital Management. Sean started his career in healthcare investment banking at Guggenheim Partners. Sean graduated with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University. In his spare time, Sean enjoys eating his way around NYC.
Brian Lai
Events & Marketing Chair
Brian is the Director of Operations & Strategy at Nguyen Coffee Supply, the first specialty Vietnamese coffee company in America, importing and roasting out of Brooklyn, NY. Previously, he began his career as a public accountant and management consultant specializing in the asset management industry with firms like KPMG and Constellation Advisers before transitioning to cofound Abe’s Eats, a social impact, faith-based food startup. A native of New Jersey, Brian majored in Accounting; obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Brian has volunteered with Apex as an Elementary Test Prep tutor and High School Mentor since 2016. He also serves as the Operations & Finance Lead for Send Chinatown Love.
Kristen Hom
Governance Chair
Kristen is a Photo Editor for Psych Central at Healthline Media, focusing on mental health. She has previously worked in photo at BuzzFeed, Fortune, Money, Time, The Daily Meal, John Wiley & Sons Publishing and Everyday Health. Kristen graduated from The University of the Arts with a B.F.A in Photography from Philadelphia, PA. In her spare time Kristen enjoys crafting, exploring the city, trying new restaurants and spending time with her family yellow lab Bailey. She has been volunteering with Apex for 6 years as a mentor with her mentee.
King Leung
Fundraising Chair
King is an elementary school tutor for PS 001 and has been volunteering with Apex since 2018. Professionally, he is a Vice President at Warburg Pincus focused on technology private equity investments. Previously he worked at GTCR in Chicago and J.P. Morgan in New York. King graduated from the University of Chicago and Harvard Business School. In his free time he enjoys traveling to new countries, singing karaoke, trying restaurants and working with Apex!
Alan Liu
Alan is a Group Product Manager at Clover Network. Previously, Alan held a variety of product roles at Jet.com, Walmart, and The Inside. Before becoming a product manager, Alan was a consultant in Deloitte Consulting’s Strategy & Operations practice. Alan graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.S.B.A. in Economics & Strategy, Finance, and International Business. Alan has been a tutor with the Apex Test Prep program for the past 5 years.
Alyssa Kuchta
Alyssa is the Founder & CEO of fyb jewelry and the Author of “Follow your Bliss: Wisdom from Inspiring Women to help you Find Purpose and Joy” with Quarto Publishing. Under her leadership, fyb has grown to encompass a network of hundreds of nationwide retail partners and a thriving brand ambassador program. Her work has been featured in international publications including Vogue, ELLE, CBS News, and the Huffington Post. Alyssa joined Apex in the Fall of 2021 as an Elementary program volunteer. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Minor in Chinese from the University of Delaware. She loves vintage shopping, live music, and hosting dinner parties. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Sam and their mini golden doodle, Pearl.
Andrew Li
Andrew is an investment professional at CC Capital, a private investment firm. Previously, Andrew worked at H.I.G. Capital and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He graduated from Dartmouth College with an A.B. in Mathematics and Economics. Andrew has been involved with Apex for over six years and was previously a middle school mentor.
Annie Chen
Annie is a Compensation Programs Manager at PineBridge Investments, a global asset manager. Prior to joining PineBridge, she was an Executive Compensation Associate Consultant at Semler Brossy Consulting Group. Annie has been involved with Apex since 2018, first as an elementary school tutor and now as a middle school mentor. She graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College. In her spare time, Annie enjoys traveling, all things active (especially running, climbing, and scuba diving), and hanging out with friends or puppies.
Athenie Shi
Athenie is a strategist on the high yield trading desk at Jefferies. She graduated with a B.S. in Finance and International Business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Athenie started with Apex as a high school mentor and after helping her mentee graduate from the program to college, plans to join the athletics program. In her free time, she enjoys fitness classes, sunsets, and farmers markets.
Bhargava Chitti
Bhargava is a resident physician in Radiation Oncology at Northwell Health. He obtained a BS in Biological Sciences from The George Washington University in 2015, and went on to graduate with a Medical Degree with a concentration in the medical humanities from GWU in 2020. While in medical school, he was strongly involved with the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association, first as chapter president and then as Vice President of Health Affairs on the APAMSA National Executive Board. He is an NYC native, hailing from Flushing, NY, and a proud alumnus of the Bronx High School of Science. Bhargava has been a part of Apex since fall 2021, as a middle school mentor. It’s the perfect nexus of his strong passions for mentorship, and for serving and advocating for the Asian American community. In his spare time, Bhargava enjoys reading, particularly history and Asian diasporic literature, running, and making boba for friends and family!
Elizabeth Yan
Liz is a Managing Director on the institutional marketing team covering relationships at The TCW Group. Prior to TCW, she was a Vice President managing consultant relationships at AQR Capital Management. Liz is a member of the Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM), a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in investment management. She holds a BS from Boston College and earned an MBA with a concentration in Analytic Finance and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Liz started with Apex in the Elementary School Program at PS 124 and is currently a middle school mentor. She also serves as a Board Member for Run for Chinatown and is running the NYC Marathon for Apex in November 2022!
Emily Jia
Emily is a data scientist at Figma, a design software startup. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Emily graduated with an A.B. in Math and Computer Science from Harvard University. In her free time, Emily enjoys international grocery stores, hobby classes, and all things creative. She started with Apex in 2020 as a virtual elementary tutor.
Jacqueline Liang
Jacqueline is the Director of Art & Design at Arlo Hotels, doing creative direction and design for properties across New York City, Miami, and more. Prior to Arlo Hotels, she worked at Christie’s Auction House designing catalogs for exhibitions and auctions. In Jacqueline’s free time, she loves creating art pieces and experimenting with different mediums, ranging from gouache painting to relief block printing to sculpting to digital animations. And of course, she loves volunteering for Apex for Youth as a mentor.
Janelle Teng
Janelle has been volunteering with Apex’s elementary school reading program since 2019. She started out in PS 001 and has since transitioned to volunteering with students virtually. She has spent her career in media & advertising primarily at Conde Nast, where she worked for nine years. Prior to working in New York City, Janelle graduated from Cornell University, having majored in Economics and Literatures in English and minored in Asian American Studies. Her love of books and stories and her passion for identity development are what initially brought her to Apex for Youth.
Jason Chandra
Jason works in the brand marketing team at Daily Harvest and is a co-founder of Indonesia-based eyewear brand, Project Soul. Prior to joining the team at Daily Harvest, he was a brand and digital marketing strategists at several creative agencies, working with brands like Google and Adidas Originals. Jason graduated from Duke University in 2017 where he double majored in economics and art history. In his free time, he enjoys visiting remote land art sites, hosting supper clubs, and curating playlists. He has been volunteering in the middle school mentorship program with Apex.
John Lu
John is currently an analyst at Lakewood Capital. Previously, he worked at KKR, Evercore Partners and Ampush Media. John graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering, an M.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering, and a B.S.E. in Economics. In addition to volunteering with the high school mentoring program, John enjoys playing soccer and watching horror movies.
Margaret Kuo
Margaret is the Head of Growth Strategy at Material, a material-conscious start-up that creates culinary goods for the home. Prior to joining Material, she worked in Securitized Product Sales & Trading at Deutsche Bank. Margaret graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS) and Economics, and a Kellogg Certificate in Financial Economics. In addition to volunteering with the Middle School Mentoring Program, Margaret enjoys cycling, swimming, and making homemade ice cream.
Sherry Kuo
Sherry currently is on the Direct Lending Investor Relations team at Ares Capital. She is currently the site leader for Elementary Education at P.S. 124 and has been a volunteer with Apex for over five years. Sherry graduated from NYU Stern with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting. Sherry is an avid foodie and is always on the hunt for NYC’s best sushi and cocktail bars.
Cornerstone Council
The Cornerstone Council aims to build the Apex community by cultivating the next generation of major Apex donors. Council members have frequent touchpoints and input to the organization as well as special access to Apex events, helping out when needed.
Anthony Liu
Anthony is an aspiring teacher and enjoys learning and mentoring others. He has been on the AB for the past four years, serving as the AB’s Treasurer for one year. He joined the Apex community six years ago, starting out as an Elementary Test Prep tutor for PS 001. Professionally, he leads acquisitions for the Hines New York office. Prior to his current role at Hines, he worked on One Vanderbilt, the ground-up project next to Grand Central. He began his career in real estate investments at Jamestown Properties. Anthony is a CFA Charterholder and graduated from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon. He loves reading, skiing and running. He resides in Queens with his fiancé and their mini goldendoodle.
Ben Zhou
Ben is an investment analyst at Capital Group. Prior to Capital, he worked in private equity, management consulting, and retail strategy. Ben graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Economics, and from the Wharton School with an MBA. He grew up in Shanghai, Queens NY, and New Jersey. At each of his later stops (Boston, SF, LA), he’s been involved in local organizations to mentor and serve underprivileged immigrant communities. In his spare time, Ben enjoys traveling, basketball, exercising, and reading.
Chia Pan
Chia Pan works at Neuberger Berman’s Principal Strategies Group (PSG), an event-driven hedge fund, where he focuses on private and public equity investments in the Technology and Healthcare sectors. Prior to joining PSG, Chia worked at Neuberger Berman’s private equity group and at Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s TMT investment banking group. He graduated from Babson College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Chia has been involved with Apex since 2016 and was formerly a middle school mentor. In his spare time, Chia enjoys playing volleyball, biking, singing karaoke, and traveling in Asia and Europe. He is a co-owner of Japanese ramen and sushi restaurants in New York, including TabeTomo, TomoTomo, and TomoKase.
Emily Tung
Emily is a High School Mentor who was first introduced to her mentee six years ago as a mentor in the Middle School Mentoring Program. Professionally, Emily is Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic. Prior to joining GA, she was an Investment Banking Analyst within the Technology, Media and Telecom group at Guggenheim Partners. Emily graduated from NYU Stern with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting. In her free time, she loves traveling to surf, playing tennis/pickleball and finding the best eats in New York City.
Stephanie Sit
Stephanie Sit is a Vice President in Debt Capital Markets at TD Securities where she specializes in the origination and execution of Securitized Products. Since joining TD in 2014, she was a recipient of the Pinnacle Award and a Legendary Award for her work on the substantial growth and expansion of the Securitized Products business. She is also a member of the Women in Leadership Committee and the AAPI team within Minorities in Leadership. Prior to TD, she worked as a CPA at Deloitte.
Stephanie graduated with honors and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Boston University. In her spare time, she loves to travel, ski, read, and hang out with her golden doodle, Ruby. Additionally, she is an active mentor to high performing talent and encourages young professionals to continue exploring the diverse careers in the financial industry.
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