Hogene Choi 

 Candidate for Treasurer

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Candidate Statement

Since I first attended a NAPABA Convention in 2011, I have developed many meaningful connections through NAPABA, participated in numerous programs, conferences, and conventions, and reaped the benefits of involvement in NAPABA’s committees and networks. It is deeply rewarding to be able to give back to NAPABA by helping to build and empower our community of Asian Pacific American lawyers. After serving on the NAPABA Board as the Regional Governor of the Northern California Region from 2018-2020, I was elected as Treasurer for the 2020-2021 term, and I now seek to serve NAPABA in this role again.

Prior to serving on the NAPABA Board, I developed highly relevant skills and expertise in my career prior to law school, when I worked at a number of high-tech startup companies. I learned to identify opportunities to create value and demand, to drive growth through innovation in both revenue generation and strategic investment of resources, and to ensure the health and stability of the organization through developing its culture, policies, and best practices. I then honed these skills while serving as the 2016-2017 President of APABA Silicon Valley—my primary goal was to provide value to our stakeholders by identifying important stakeholders, diversifying our board, increasing revenue, overhauling our infrastructure, refreshing our branding, raising our profile, and developing and deploying governance policies and best practices for the board and for our committees.

During my time on the NAPABA board, I have drawn upon this experience to help NAPABA overcome challenges, renew its strategic plan, and fulfill its mission. NAPABA faced a number of challenges during the pandemic and has deftly adapted to the economic turmoil of this past year and a half, due in no small part to the efforts of our Executive Director and our excellent staff. The position of Treasurer has afforded an intimate view of the mettle of this team, NAPABA’s operational integrity, and its ability to pivot in light of unforeseen circumstances. The role of Treasurer also provides numerous opportunities to help guide the organization to not only meet, but exceed its goals, both in times of crisis and in times of prosperity. Through the joint efforts of NAPABA’s Board, Executive Director, and staff, we have made meaningful progress on a number of the key initiatives in our Strategic Plan, and NAPABA is well positioned to thrive and evolve to greater heights as we emerge from these challenging times. Thank you for reading my statement, and I appreciate your support.

Candidate Bio

Hogene L. Choi is a Partner in the Palo Alto office of Morrison & Foerster LLP. She works with clients at the forefront of the life sciences, healthcare, and technology industries on a range of intellectual property matters, focusing on patent prosecution, transactions, and counseling. She works closely with her clients to understand their business objectives and develop strategies to build valuable portfolios and protect and defend their intellectual property throughout the product life cycle. Prior to her legal career, she worked for eight years as a software engineer and in management at various high‐tech companies, including several startups.

Hogene currently serves as NAPABA’s Treasurer, and she also served on the Board of Governors as the 2018-2020 Northern California Regional Governor. She was the President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley (APABA Silicon Valley) in 2016 and 2017 and has served on the board since 2013. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABANC) for a number of years, and she is a member of the Council of Korean Americans. She is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area and earned two degrees from the University of California: a J.D. from U. C. Hastings College of Law and a bachelor's degree in computer science from U. C. Berkeley.

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