BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Preeti has over two decades of experience scaling mission-driven organizations through growth, transition, and institutional maturation. An executive and civic leader, his work sits at the intersection of hospitality, design, and community impact.

Most recently, Preeti served as Chief Executive Officer of Kent Hospitality Group, a multi-Michelin-starred platform founded by the late Chef Jamal James Kent, where he led an ambitious phase of expansion through new concepts and acquisitions while advancing a long-term vision for the future of hospitality. In parallel, he is a founding partner of the architecture and design practice Modellus Novus, recognized for shaping some of New York City’s most celebrated cultural and dining destinations. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Asian American Policy Review at Harvard Kennedy School and is a co-founder of Central Queens Academy Charter School, the highest-performing public middle school in Queens. Preeti began his career in Paris working for Pritzker Prize–winning architect Jean Nouvel and holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Columbia University, and Harvard University. He has been honored with an Official Commendation from the City of New York for his leadership in the Asian American community.

Eric T. Lee is currently a Portfolio Manager at Soros Fund Management, an investment firm based in New York. Previously, Mr. Lee was Co-Chief Investment Officer and a Managing Partner of Blockhouse Capital Management, a hedge fund focused on credit and equity investments with a macro overlay. Before Blockhouse, Mr. Lee was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at PointState Capital Management where he was primarily responsible for high yield and distressed credit investments. Mr. Lee has also been a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager with Duquesne Capital Management, as well as a Director at Deutsche Bank in the High Yield Research Group. Mr. Lee graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in May 1998 with a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School and a minor in Asian American Studies.

Kathy is Head of Export Aggregation at Chase Digital, leading the Third Party Channel for Chase. She owns the strategy and product roadmap to consumer data sharing and partnerships with third parties and FinTechs. Prior to Chase Digital, she held various leadership roles at JPMorganChase. Before her time at the JPMC, she was a Principal Consultant at IBM Business Consulting Services and PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting in the Financial Services industry.

Kathy holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Management Systems with a minor in Economics from Columbia University. She joined Apex in 1999 as a High School Mentor and SAT Prep volunteer. She maintained her relationship with her mentee until she graduated high school while continuing to run the SAT Prep program until 2004. Interestingly, her former mentee was key in bringing Kathy back to Apex to join the board; they are still in touch today. Kathy is born and raised in New York City and is a proud product of the NYC Public School System.

Blaise is a partner at the law firm Kennedys. He concentrates his practice in commercial litigation and analyzing professional liability insurance policies. In these contexts, his practice also includes negotiation of settlements in mediation arising from business and employment disputes that span from individual entrepreneurs to mid-size and larger corporations. Blaise also defends directors and officers against lawsuits including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and civil fraud. He was admitted to practice to the New York State Bar in April 2001, and received his bachelor’s degree from University of Rochester in 1997 and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2000.

Ray Chan is a Senior Managing Director at Blue Owl and member of the Alternative Credit Investment Team. In his role as co-head of the Asset Based Finance team within Alternative Credit, he is jointly responsible for the team’s efforts in non-corporate, private credit investments which are backed by financial or hard assets.

Before joining Blue Owl, Ray was a Partner at Atalaya Capital Management, the predecessor firm to Blue Owl’s Alternative Credit team, where he co-founded the ABF/Financial Assets Team and co-led the firm’s efforts in the space. Ray also sat on the firm’s Executive Committee, Risk Committee, DEI Steering Committee and the Investment Committees for multiple funds.  Prior to joining Atalaya, Ray was a Partner and Co-Founder of TTM Capital, LLC, an investment firm focused on acquiring and lending against portfolios of financial and other assets. Previously, he was a Managing Director and co-head of the Assets Group at Highbridge/Zwirn Capital Management. Earlier in his career, Ray was a member of the Principal Transactions and Principal Finance teams at Lehman Brothers and the Asset-Backed Securities Group at Salomon Brothers. He began his career as a consultant at Price Waterhouse, followed by internal consulting and operations roles at Lehman Brothers.

Ray is a member of the Board of Directors for Apex for Youth, a nonprofit providing mentoring, education, and after-school services to underserved Asian and immigrant youth.

Ray received a BA in Economics and Political Science from Columbia University.

Jeff Chen is a Private Equity Investment Professional and a founding member of Enhanced Healthcare Partners. Prior to joining Enhanced, Jeff was an Associate in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he focused on M&A as well as equity and debt financing transactions for consumer retail and healthcare clients. Prior to his role in Investment Banking, Jeff worked in the Client Strategy Group within the Executive Office at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he focused on performing global client targeting analysis for senior executives of the firm. Jeff graduated with distinction from the Ivey School of Business with an Honors in Business Administration. Jeff was a previous Apex basketball coach, mentor, volunteer, and Chair of the Apex Associate Board.

David Jar is a Managing Director at Blue Owl and member of the Technology Investment Team. In his role, he focuses on credit, equity, and structured capital investments in technology businesses, and leads Blue Owl’s efforts in cybersecurity and infrastructure software. He currently serves as a Board Observer for Arctic Wolf.

Before joining Blue Owl in 2019, David led the software/technology vertical at SLR Capital Partners, a credit-focused asset manager based in New York. Prior to that, he was a Principal at KKR in the Capital Solutions Group, and a Vice President at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the Natural Resources Financing Group. David began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Lehman Brothers.

David is a member of the Board of Directors for Apex for Youth, a nonprofit providing mentoring, education, and mental health services to underserved, low income Asian American and immigrant youth. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a bipartisan research and policy institution focused on national security matters.

David received a BS in Finance and International Business from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Aya Kanai is the VP of Enterprise Content at American Express. Previous roles include Head of Editorial and Creative for Shopping at Google, Head of Content and Creator Partnerships at Pinterest and Editor In Chief at Marie Claire. Aya also spent nearly twenty years as a Fashion Director at publications including Cosmopolitan, NYLON, Women’s Health and Teen Vogue. She was also a judge on Project Runway Junior on Lifetime. A native New Yorker, Aya lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

Roy is a design leader and strategist who has advised real estate developers across the US, helping to shape and form luxury residential and hospitality projects in New York, Miami and LA.

He has held leadership roles across Extell Development Company, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran Sunshine. Currently, he advises on new projects for Extell, ensuring that they achieve sales and marketing goals. As Chief Creative Officer at Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, he advised the nation’s most accomplished developers on matters related to design, development, construction and marketing.

Roy’s foundation in strategic design thinking began at the University of British Columbia, where he earned an M.Arch. It was honed at Eight, Inc., while working for clients like Apple and Nokia and where he was Principal of the NY office. 

Some of Roy’s projects include One57, the building that created Billionaire’s Row, as well as Deer Valley East Village in Park City, One Manhattan Square, Carlton House, The Park Hyatt New York, Central Park Tower, the Gem Tower, 432 Park, The Residences at the West Hollywood Edition, 87 Park, 152 Elizabeth Street, and 100 East 53 Street, to name a few.

He splits his time between New York City and upstate NY with his husband, Clayton Crawley, and their dog, Georgia.

Melody Lee is Chief Marketing Officer, Mercedes-Benz USA. In this role, she oversees brand
positioning and marketing strategy and execution with an aim to ensure long-term growth and
profitability for the Mercedes-Benz brand in the United States.

Previously, Melody was Senior Vice President, Global Brand & Product Marketing for the
Herman Miller and Knoll brands at MillerKnoll. In that role, she was responsible for ensuring a
cohesive brand-led strategy across the two marquee design brands’ products, channels,
messages and audiences.

Prior to joining MillerKnoll, Melody was Global COO and Principal, Americas for Camron, a
global design communications agency, where she led the agency’s New York and Los Angeles
offices.

She was, previous to Camron, the vice president for brand development at Shiseido, a 140-year
old global prestige beauty company. In that position, she led critical strategic initiatives across a
comprehensive remit of brand strategy, product development, marketing and retail planning for
one of Shiseido’s multinational prestige brands.

Prior to Shiseido, Melody spent six years with Cadillac. There, as head of brand marketing for
the iconic luxury car brand, Melody oversaw brand strategy, global planning, partnerships and
experiences and marketing innovation. She also led BOOK by Cadillac, the brand’s vehicle
subscription business, as a discrete business unit, with commercial responsibility for operations
and logistics, financial management, product development, branding and marketing, PR and
business development and corporate sales.

Before joining Cadillac, Melody was executive vice president at global PR agency Hill+Knowlton
Strategies from 2006 to 2012, where she led high-stakes communications campaigns for
Fortune 500 corporations.

Melody lives with her husband and two boys in Atlanta. She attended Georgia Institute of
Technology, receiving her B.S. and M.S. in International Affairs.

Gil is a partner of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, where he serves as the head of the securitization and structured finance practice group. Gil specializes in complex esoteric securitization and structured finance transactions. These include the first securitization of solar assets by SolarCity Corporation, the first securitization of government energy efficiency contracts and various securitization of intellectual property including the songwriter royalties of the Motown Records songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, domestic and international syndication rights of dozens of hit television situation comedies and trademark and/or franchise licensing revenues related to many famous brands including The Athlete’s Foot, Joe Boxer, Guess? and Max Azria. He is a past winner of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Best Under 40 Award. He was a recipient of the 2014 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award.

Gil currently serves on the board of directors of Homerun Projects, a nonprofit organization supporting youth-based programs in New York City. For over 12 years, he served on the board of directors of Harlem RBI, a nonprofit organization providing social, academic and athletic services to over 1,200 boys and girls in East Harlem, New York. He has also been a member of the board of directors of Volunteers of Legal Service. He is involved in pro bono matters and other charitable projects for Harlem RBI, the DREAM Charter School, the CAIPA Foundation, the Chinese American Medical Society, the American Cancer Society – Asian Initiatives, The Lowline, Broadway Barks, Infinite Variety Productions and Seido Juku Benefit Foundation. Gil received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the NYU School of Law.

Patrick Lo is the Co-Chief Investment Officer at Saluda Grade. Mr. Lo has 20+ years of structured product experience as a portfolio manager, trader, and banker. Prior to joining Saluda Grade, he was a partner and Co-CIO of Waterfall Asset Management LLC, a specialty finance manager across asset backed, residential and commercial mortgage sectors. Prior to being named Co-CIO, he was Head of International and Private Asset Backed Finance team at Watefall. Prior to Waterfall, he worked in the Asset Backed Finance group at Citigroup Global Markets. Mr. Lo holds a BS in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Yukari is the board chair of kindness.org and brings experience across multiple industries and global companies including Toyota Motor Corporation, Google, Twitter, ngmoco and charity:water. Yukari focuses on operational efficiency, scaling products through technology and product innovation, and internationalizing platforms for many languages. In addition to building experiences in the for-profit and nonprofit sector, Yukari was the first female Asian American executive at Twitter and charity: water. Yukari received her BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Maxine Ng Dalio is the founder of Bodhi House Advisors, a development and philanthropic advisory organization that provides strategic planning, training, and implementation support for non-profit organizations and philanthropic entities across the United States, Singapore, and Southeast Asia. 

Maxine was previously Executive Director of Pioneer Works, an arts and science cultural center located in Red Hook, Brooklyn where she helped the organization through a phase of growth and stability, building out sustainable revenue models, development infrastructure, operating systems, and launching the organization’s first capital campaign. She has also held roles at the performing arts institution Park Avenue Armory in NYC, where she was most recently Director of Major Gifts.

Maxine is a member of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy and Co-Chair of Philanthropy Asia Alliance Next Gen Impact Collective.  Maxine splits her time between NYC and Singapore, where she resides with her husband Mark and their daughter and son.

Karen Wong is the cofounder and chief creative officer of GBA/Guilty By Association — a digital marketplace and inclusive community for artists, designers and consumers of all generations. She established her mark as an innovative leader during her 15-year tenure at the New Museum where she founded the genre-defying initiatives NEW INC, an incubator for art, design, and technology, and IdeasCity, a conference-festival format focused on creative placemaking. Through both programs, Karen mentored a wide range of artistic talents and fostered environments that led to the advent of NFTs and new VR/AR creative enterprises. An expert storyteller and producer, Karen has steered multimillion dollar partnerships with Apple, Audi, Google, Nokia Bell Labs and Onassis Foundation.

Patrick is a Partner and the Chief Business Officer at World Team Tennis. He was previously Chief Marketing Officer at Callisto Media and Daily Harvest. Prior to Daily Harvest, Patrick was CEO of Laird & Partners, the luxury brand and creative agency, working with clients like Tiffany, Tommy Hilfiger, Soulcycle and Swarovski. Patrick was an early partner and the Chief Marketing Officer at Refinery29, where he led growth, marketing and strategy for 9 years. After graduating New York University, he started his career as an investment banker at Wasserstein Perella and an equity research analyst at Soros Fund Management.

At 31, Wen Zhou founded her third company and became CEO of 3.1 Phillip Lim. With her friend, the designer
Phillip Lim, they pioneered a cool, easy, chic style that paved the way for an entirely new market and redefined
the modern luxury space in the fashion industry.

3.1 Phillip Lim’s prescient wardrobe essentials are synonymous with an understated elegance that speaks to
today’s global citizens on the go. Equally important to the brand is the company’s commitment to social
change and sustainability, reflected in special projects, campaigns, and collaborations.

As a co-founder and sole investor in the privately held 3.1 Phillip Lim, Wen took on the roles of President and
CEO from day one and scaled the business from a 5-person team to its current position: a company with an
international footprint, including online, offline, and experiential marketing. The brand offers womenswear,
menswear, footwear, and accessories with offices in New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and distribution centers
worldwide.

Wen has trailblazed — from embracing inclusivity on the runway as early as 2007 to cultivating meaningful
collaborations, including Maya Lin designing a sustainable fashion show; the Brooklyn Nets celebrating
Lunar New Year; a three-year “at leisure off-court dressing” with Fila; sustainable material innovation with
Volvo; and clean beauty with Aveda. These partnerships represent a model for building communities and
actively promoting culture. Most notably, Wen and Phillip leveraged their global audience during the
pandemic to raise awareness and money for AAPI nonprofits. Wen thrives on a double bottom line —
balancing her business acumen with her passion for sustainability and social causes.

Wen demonstrates her soft power by mentoring young female leaders and investing in BIPOC-owned
startups. Additionally, she has chaired the Apex for Youth Gala the last four years, raising more than $10M+
in total, and co- founded the Taste of Asia Festival (2021 $1.2M raised, 2022 $1.6M raised), an outdoor Asian
food community event welcoming 100+ chefs to Madison Square Park for a joyous celebration of culture in
the heart of NYC.

Born in Ningbo, China, Wen arrived in NYC at 12 and settled in Chinatown. In true entrepreneurial style, she
juggled jobs at a fast food restaurant and garment factory while attending high school. After two years at FIT,
at 21, Wen independently founded a high-end fabric import company Aegis Group and never looked back.
Her dynamic, witty, personable, visionary leadership style has drawn accolades, including BOF500, EY’s
Entrepreneur of the Year, and “Top 60 Most Influential Chinese-Americans” by Forbes China.