Staff
Helen Kim Ho is the Executive Director and Lead Attorney for AALAC. Helen has more than 13+ years of proven and successful experience as a lawyer, educator, and community organizer. She leads AALAC’s public policy, legal education, and community organizing work to further its goal of increasing the civic participation of Asian Americans in the South. Helen is a graduate of Rice University in Houston and an Honors graduate of Emory University School of Law, where she was awarded a full tuition scholarship. Helen began her legal career as a corporate securities attorney for one of the largest private law firms in the world, Shearman & Sterling LLC in New York City. She later moved to Houston to join the international law firm of Baker Botts, LLP, and represented a variety of Fortune 500 companies in complex corporate, commercial and employment matters. After six years of a successful private law career, Helen left Baker Botts in 2005 to commit herself full-time to serving the public and worked as a staff attorney for MALDEF among others before launching AALAC. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her leadership and work on behalf of AALAC including: Georgia Trend’s “40 Under 40″ Best & Brightest in 2010; Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians – Notables in 2011 and 2012; Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award for Innovation; 2011 Leadership Atlanta; Chairman’s Award from the Georgia Restaurant Association; Unsung Hero, Honorable Mention from Asian Pacific Americans for Progress; a Bill Sorro Community Activist Award from Asian Law Caucus; and one of Georgia’s 25 Most Influential Asian Americans by Georgia Asian Times.
Helen is married to Rodney Ho, Entertainment Columnist at the AJC, and is the mother of three adorable dogs, Moses Jose, Elizabeth and Spanky Ho.
Helen can be reached at helen@aalegal.org.
Alice Kim is AALAC’s 2012 Director for Civic Engagement and Voter Registration. Alice will lead AALAC’s Vote for our Future Campaign leading up to the 2012 Presidential Election. Alice has significant experience with civic engagement work and worked on Georgia’s 2010 Census Campaign with our Executive Director. Alice has served the Asian American community for over 5 years through her leadership roles as the Legal Counsel of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Atlanta Chapter, the National Secretary for NAAAP, and the Community Outreach Coordinator in the Department of Advocacy and Education for the Center for Pan-Asian Community Services, Inc. Alice received her Juris Doctorate from Western New England College School of Law. She received her B.A. from Emory University.
Alice can be reached at alice@aalegal.org.
Julia Shyu is AALAC’s Development and Communications Coordinator and Americorps VISTA Volunteer. She has had over ten years of experience serving the Atlanta local community under various organizations such as Chinese-American Leo Club of Atlanta and the Association of the Chinese School in the Southeastern United States (ACSSEUS). Inspired by the power of service at a young age, Julia was driven to further engage the Asian American community into public policy. In 2013, she received a Bachelor’s of Interdisciplinary Studies (Asian Studies) from Georgia State University. Julia has received numerous honors and awards, including the GSU International Education Fee Scholarship and national Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship that enabled her to study abroad at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, South Korea from 2011 to 2012. She is especially interested in civic engagement, and is truly passionate about AALAC’s vision of promoting the civil rights of Asian Americans in the Southeastern region.
Julia can be reached at julia@aalegal.org.
Interns
Dominica Lim is the Communications Fellow for AALAC. She is also a freelance writer and journalist covering topics relating to public policy and international affairs and is a Contributor to 2U, Columbia Political Review, and NK News. Dominica graduated from Georgia State University with a BA degree in Political Science, International Affairs. Locally, she has worked at two Georgia General Assembly sessions covering research and communications. She is also an active young professional, transcending her knowledge and skills abroad through public service in Trinidad and Tobago, teaching English in South Korea, and representing a non-profit organization at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Switzerland. She is passionate about human rights and has been involved with several organizations including People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE) and North Korean Human Rights Film Festival (NKHRFF). Her passion for Journalism is rooted in shedding light on personal experiences and stories. She believes effectual communication and understanding has the capacity to change the world.
Julia Wang is currently a rising senior double majoring in economics and interdisciplinary studies at Emory University. Her concentration is in financial economics whereas her focus in interdisciplinary studies looks at social justice issues in Russia and China. Her senior year research in interdisciplinary studies will center upon revolutionary ideology and the individual’s role in Russian and Chinese culture and literature. At Emory, she has served as a peer financial counselor in the financial aid office and a tour guide to prospective students. Her interests include traveling, classical music, running, reading, and logic puzzles. She hope to enter the work force upon finishing college before eventually pursuing graduate school.
