Angela Lim 

 Director

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Candidate Statement 

1. Why did you become involved with NAPABA and what has your involvement looked like over time?

In 2018, I initially got  involved with NAPABA because of the  camaraderie I experienced at my first NAPABA convention in Chicago. It was the first time that I had ever attended a conference where someone like me, an LGBTQ, Chinese-American attorney with a “subtle” Texas accent had so much in common with other attendees. Being surrounded by so many AAPI attorneys was such a new and overwhelming sensation. It occurred to me then that each and every attendee, like me, had a poignant and heart-felt story, one that could spill out by asking one simple question: “How did your family come to this country?” The stories I heard in response to this question were amazing, beautiful, and powerful and somehow created a bond and understanding I wasn’t expecting from a national convention. I knew immediately I had to be part of this organization.

Also in 2018, I became a co-chair of NAPABA’s LGBTQ Network because I wanted to give back to the AAPI LGBTQ attorneys. In 2019, at the NAPABA Convention in Austin, I assembled and moderated a plenary session entitled, “Beyond Marriage Equality –The Next Stage of Inclusion.” At the 2020 virtual NAPABA Convention, I moderated the panel entitled, “Earning Allyship; Meaningful Support of LGBTQ Attorneys”. Later that year, I was selected to be an At-Large Member of the NAPABA Board and have served on its Finance, Governance, and Trailblazer Selection Committees. Through my two years as an At-Large Member, I acted as Board liaison to the Adoptee Network, In-House Committee, and the LGBTQ Network.


2. What skills, community connections, resources, and expertise do you have to offer and are willing to use on behalf of NAPABA?

In my current tenure on the Board, I am the only LGBTQ member. As such, I was able to bring a unique perspective to relevant current issues, most notably the adoption of the WLN Resolution regarding Reproductive Rights. Not only did I voice concerns on how the change in the law could impact women, but how the change could lead to the fall of marriage equality and broader privacy implications. Marriage equality is an issue that is personal to me, particularly in my role as a member of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Board of Directors. My role with Lambda allows me to share perspectives and act as a liaison between the two organizations to jointly pursue this shared issue.

3. The NAPABA Board determines the mission and purpose of NAPABA. How do you envision the Board furthering NAPABA’s mission to promote justice, equity, and opportunity for Asian Pacific Americans and to foster professional development, legal scholarship, advocacy, and community involvement?
 
The best way to further NAPABA’s mission is to effectively execute on the Strategic Plan. Forging ahead for NAPABA can be done only with a clear year-over-year roadmap versus reinventing the wheel each year with new initiatives with no sustainable traction. If we continue to execute on the Strategic Plan, NAPABA can effectively act as a beacon to combat AAPI hate while continuing to mentor young AAPI attorneys and promote resolutions and laws that foster inclusiveness and equality.

4. Given NAPABA’s Strategic Plan, how and to what extent do NAPABA’s current mission, purpose, programs, and services align with your suggested focus areas?

Among the four pillars of NAPABA’s Strategic Plan (member engagement, community, advocacy, and organizational excellence), the community and advocacy pillars would be my focus. Because of the sense of belonging and community I felt when I attended my first NAPABA Convention, I want to make sure that others experience this sense through their NAPABA membership. With respect to the advocacy pillar, NAPABA did an excellent job taking on the administration of the AAPI Crime Victims & Education Fund, having a presence at the historic swearing-in of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and selecting notable awardees for our prestigious awards.

5. How would you describe your leadership style and how would you apply it to serving NAPABA?

I always try to actively listen, ask questions, decide, and swiftly execute. I find this leadership approach effective and genuine. I believe in a diversity of opinions and inclusion of all voices because we reach the best possible outcomes by considering multiple viewpoints. Using this approach would allow NAPABA to continue to be effective and streamlined in its execution of the Strategic Plan.

Candidate Bio

Angela G. Lim, is a native Houstonian licensed to practice law in both Texas and California and serves as V.P. of Legal and Deputy General Counsel at Viz.ai, Inc.   She started her legal career clerking for a Bankruptcy Judge in the Northern District of Texas in Dallas. Ms. Lim is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and of the University of Houston Law Center. For the past ten years, she has been involved in venture-backed companies focusing on digital health in the Bay Area.  She’s held leadership positions in the legal departments at VeriSign, Inc., PeopleSoft, Inc., Successfactors, Inc., Castlight Health, Inc., and Grand Rounds, Inc.  While at Castlight, she founded the LGBTQ Employee Resource Group (“ERG”) “The Family.”  At Grand Rounds, Ms.  Lim founded the LGBTQ ERG “E-Quality” and “Women’s ERG” as well as the company’s Mentorship Program. In 2021, GV (Google Ventures) recognized Ms. Lim as a Champion of Change.
 
Ms. Lim is on the Board of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization which advocates for the Civil Rights of the LGBTQ community and is an At-Large Board Member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (“NAPABA”) which represents over 50,000 law professionals in the United States and Canada.  Ms. Lim has spoken on many panels for the American Corporate Counsel Association, NAPABA, the Alameda County Bar Association, the Lavender Law Conference, Hunter College, and several Silicon Valley organizations on topics such as Privacy, HIPAA, SaaS, Commercial Contracting, Diversity and Inclusion, and Asian-American Pacific Islander issues.
 
Ms. Lim resides in Berkeley, California with her wife, Amy, and their four cats.  She is also certified as a Level 1 sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers and is an avid crossfitter and golfer.

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NAPABA Affiliate Endorsements

• National Filipino American Lawyers Association
• Asian American Bar Association of Houston
• Asian American Bar Association of New York 

Individual Endorsements

*All work or organizational affiliations disclosed are for identification and disclosures purposes only, and do not constitute endorsements by those institutions.