PERSONAL STATEMENT OF
EMILY T. KUO
FOR NAPABA VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS & OPERATIONS

I am pleased and honored to submit my candidacy for 2009-2010 NAPABA Vice-President for Programs and Operations.

I am currently Associate General Counsel of M. D. Anderson Services Corporation, a nonprofit supporting organization to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, the number one ranked cancer center in the United States. My practice focuses on health and corporate law. I also have prior in-house experience with a large oilfield services company and experience as a litigator with Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. I graduated with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Law School; and following law school, I clerked for federal Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas.

For the past two years, I have greatly enjoyed serving NAPABA as Vice-President for Membership; and in this capacity, I have proven myself to be a strong and effective leader. During my tenure so far, a record number (11) of new local and regional affiliates have joined NAPABA, due in significant part to my diligent recruiting efforts and to the dramatic reduction in annual affiliate dues – a 75% to over 90% reduction in some cases – that I spearheaded within my first four months in office. Many of our new affiliates have joined from segments of the APA legal community that have traditionally been underrepresented. Presently, I am also assisting efforts to establish a number of new APA bar associations around the country, from Oregon to Washington, D.C. As VP-Membership, I have also streamlined online direct membership renewal processes; worked with the newly-formed Mentoring Committee to help launch the NAPABA-wide mentoring program; assisted the NAPABA Database Committee to create greater functionality and access for our members and affiliates with respect to the NAPABA membership database; and supported various other worthwhile NAPABA initiatives, such as providing subsidized D&O liability insurance to our member affiliates. I look forward to continuing my endeavors in these areas for the remainder of my term and, if re-elected to the NAPABA Board, beyond.

In 2008, I also developed, designed, and successfully implemented a membership-wide online survey so that NAPABA can determine how better to serve its members. I believe that the next logical step in my service to NAPABA is to analyze the considerable amount of information gathered through the survey responses and use the information to facilitate NAPABA’s ongoing efforts to enlarge member programs and services at all levels. NAPABA has thus far been blessed with incredible growth and success; and now is the time to build upon this progress to expand our influence and voice on the national stage (such as in our efforts to advance APAs in the federal judiciary and administration) and enhance the value of both affiliate and individual membership in NAPABA. In addition to improving and refining existing programs, I also intend, among other things, to assist NAPABA next year with a possible redesign of the NAPABA website, so that it will be more informative and user-friendly to NAPABA members and to the public.

Besides NAPABA, I also have extensive experience at the local level, culminating in my 2007 term as President of the Asian American Bar Association (AABA) of Houston. During my time as AABA President, I oversaw complete revamps of the AABA’s organizational bylaws and website; increased corporate fundraising to an all-time high; the AABA’s membership grew overall by 61%; and the AABA was chosen as NAPABA’s inaugural Affiliate of the Year. I am also currently a Trustee of the Asian American Bar Foundation, the AABA’s 501(c)(3) charitable affiliate, and serve on the Council of the State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section. I have been named a Texas Super Lawyer–Rising Star by Texas Monthly magazine every year from 2007-2009; and in 2007, I was selected as one of NAPABA’s Best Lawyers Under 40. Within the Houston community, I also serve on the boards of directors for the Society for the Performing Arts and Houston Early Music, and am active with Christ the King Presbyterian Church.

If you have any questions regarding my candidacy, I would be more than happy to discuss them with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me at emilykuo@post.harvard.edu.  Thank you very much for your time and consideration!