Joseph Yao

President-Elect

Contact Candidate by Email

Candidate Statement

NAPABA has been a cornerstone of my life for the last 25 years. My journey with NAPABA began at the 1999 convention in Los Angeles where Al Gore was the keynote speaker. I attended without expectations, but the convention sparked lifelong friendships and a strong professional network within the AANHPI legal community. If we haven’t had a chance to meet, let me tell you about myself and why I am seeking your support as your next President-Elect.

I am an in-house business lawyer who calls Texas home but has also spent significant parts of my life in Florida, California, Michigan, DC, and Virginia. I’m a son of immigrants: my Chinese father worked in restaurants and my Filipino mother was a college-educated nurse. Family means everything to me—I am the oldest of six supportive brothers, I have raised six amazing children, and I am blessed with seven adorable grandkids.

I am running for President-Elect to give back to NAPABA. I want to create opportunities for current and future NAPABA members, enhance their professional and personal growth, build strong relationships with other minority bar associations, and use our collective skills to support and advance the needs and interests of the AANHPI legal profession and the broader AANHPI community.

NAPABA is an organization that I love and with a mission in which I strongly believe. NAPABA has helped me grow into someone who understands the need for continued advocacy, the desire to broaden professional opportunities for AANHPI attorneys, and the importance of being an impactful voice for our issues.

NAPABA Involvement

When I wanted to attend my first NAPABA convention, my company lacked the budget to cover the costs. A friend’s generosity made it possible by offering me a complimentary registration and a shared hotel room. I used my vacation time to start my NAPABA odyssey, and it quickly became much more than a professional networking opportunity!

I found “siblings” I didn’t even know I had and received large doses of great career advice, directly from panel sessions and indirectly from social interactions. Some of these connections evolved into life-long mentors who challenge and inspire me, and mentees whose successes continue to excite me.

Some 20 years ago, I began serving on NAPABA’s Best Under 40 (BU40) awards selection committee. There, I found my calling: my love of working with and nurturing younger lawyers and the future leaders of NAPABA! The caliber and accomplishments of the BU40 honorees are so impressive that I am humbled by and proud of the legal community that we’re building.

Skills and Expertise

I love engaging with people and learning about their journeys through life and work. This is why I look forward to the annual convention—to reconnect with old friends while meeting new ones. Besides my NAPABA leadership and service, I have led other minority bars and legal associations.

Recently, I served as President of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Houston chapter, leading a board of 20 lawyers and serving 1,200 in-house attorneys. I have also served as a co-chair of the Texas Minority Council Program and have been an early supporter of NFALA. These leadership positions have given me practical experience to lead NAPABA effectively. I will leverage these experiences, networks, and communities to further the mission of NAPABA.

Furthering NAPABA’s Mission

NAPABA is the national voice of the AANHPI profession. Fostering professional development, legal scholarship, and community involvement are among NAPABA’s core missions. Having served on the BU40 awards selection committee and being a father to a rising 3L at Catholic University, I am deeply committed to the success and growth of our next generation of young lawyers. I am cognizant that my child’s favorable financial situation and wide-ranging legal network are not available to many, such as myself when I was a young lawyer. I want to create opportunities for those young lawyers, and as President-Elect, I will continue to build a NAPABA that offers an ever- stronger platform for AANHPI young attorneys to launch, seize, and advance greater professional opportunities. I will also collaborate with the NAPABA Law Foundation board to ensure that fellowships, scholarships, and support are available to the next generation of AANHPI lawyers.

Strategic Plans – Areas of Focus

I am proud to witness the remarkable growth of NAPABA over the last 25 years and to participate in Lobby Day to advocate for issues impacting the AANHPI communities. NAPABA’s Lobby Day is the signature event, outside of the annual convention, that brings together the four pillars of NAPABA’s strategic plan—member engagement, community, advocacy, and organizational excellence! It is always empowering to join other NAPABA members from all over the country on Lobby Day. NAPABA and its affiliates must be visible on Capitol Hill, at the White House, and before the courts. In today’s political climate, it is crucial that we advocate on issues that severely impact the AANHPI communities across federal, state, and local levels. Let’s create greater awareness and empower more NAPABA members with education, training, and resources to develop a better, stronger, and more articulate voice to advocate for our community.

Leadership Style

I have a FUNdamental leadership style: NAPABA’s work relies on the engagement, involvement, and leadership of volunteers with busy, demanding day jobs and family responsibilities. Participation in NAPABA should be meaningful with some FUN sprinkled in. I believe in collaboration, am always willing to listen AND hear (and allow others to hear) contrary opinions or criticism, and I welcome new ideas. I insist upon civility and mutual respect among our community. Leadership in NAPABA is a chance to apply my abilities to better NAPABA. I approach leadership from a place of inclusiveness and thoughtfulness—I am committed to seeing actual accomplishments and achievements for the good of all NAPABA members.

Serving as President-Elect, and eventually as President, of NAPABA is an honor that brings with it tremendous responsibilities. I recognize those responsibilities and am prepared to meet them.

I humbly ask for your vote—thank you!

Candidate Bio

I’m the eldest son of Asian immigrants: my Chinese father worked in restaurants and my Filipino mother was a registered ENT nurse. Family is very important to me; from when I was a child growing up with and helping to raise my five brothers, to when I had and supported six of my own kids, to being blessed with seven grandkids and two grand-dogs (Ajax and Hailey).  My partner in crime, Glenna, has helped me through life’s journey for three decades of marriage! 

I worked to pay my way through school and received a Mechanical Engineering degree in college and earned my law degree from Michigan State. After graduation, I joined a boutique law firm in Detroit, Michigan that authored the American Casebook Series on Patent Law and apprenticed under the partners for several years. Then, I moved to Dallas as an in-house patent attorney and eventually joined Exxon Mobil Corporation in Houston. I recently retired with over 35 years of working in the oil & energy industry. 

Throughout my career, I have striven to be a community leader and currently serve as Immediate Past-President of the Association of Corporate Counsel's Houston chapter. I have been actively involved with NAPABA for over 25 years, serving in various formal and informal leadership capacities, such as serving as a member of the NAPABA Best Under 40 Awards selection committee for two decades. 

I have always been a champion of the minority bar and have been active in building organizations such as the Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas and the National Filipino American Lawyers Association, of which I am a lifetime member. I have also co-chaired the Texas Minority Counsel Program and served on the board of directors for the Asian American Bar Association of Houston.

I am running for President-Elect to give back to NAPABA. I want to create opportunities for current and future NAPABA members, enhance their professional and personal growth, build strong relationships with other minority bar associations, and use our collective skills to support and advance the needs and interests of the AANHPI legal profession and the broader AANHPI community. 

NAPABA is an organization that I love and with a mission in which I strongly believe. NAPABA has helped me grow into someone who understands the need for continued advocacy, the desire to broaden professional opportunities for AANHPI attorneys, and the importance of being an impactful voice for our issues.

Endorsements 

• 2024 Endorsements are now closed. Thank you for supporting our candidates.

NAPABA Affiliate Endorsements

Japanese American Bar Association

Asian American Bar Association of Houston

National Filipino American Lawyers Association

Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago

Individual Endorsements

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