Annette Kwok

Secretary

Contact Candidate by Email

Candidate Statement

I am honored to submit my candidacy for NAPABA Secretary for the upcoming year. After serving two terms as NAPABA Treasurer from 2022-2024 and previously as Southeast Regional Governor from 2015-2017, I am seeking your support to continue my service to NAPABA in this vital governance role.

During my tenure as Treasurer, I worked diligently with NAPABA staff to streamline operations, develop efficient processes for payments and reimbursements, and maintain meticulous financial records while ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements. Through careful stewardship and strategic planning, we achieved remarkable financial stability, positioning NAPABA in its strongest financial position since its founding. This experience has honed my attention to detail, process improvement skills, and deep understanding of organizational operations, all essential qualities for effective board governance and record-keeping.

My experience extends well beyond financial management. As President of APABA-DC from 2013-2014, I managed comprehensive organizational documentation and led board meetings with precision. As Chair of The IP Law Foundation’s (formerly The Foundation for Advancement of Diversity in IP Law) Scholar Application Review Committee and having previously chaired NAPABA's CLE Committee, I regularly conducted meetings, coordinated communications between committee members and staff, and ensured proper documentation of all proceedings. These roles have equipped me with extensive experience in drafting, reviewing, and deliberating board resolutions, skills directly applicable to the Secretary position.

Throughout my 20 years as a NAPABA member, I have witnessed our organization navigate complex challenges while staying true to our core mission. Having participated in numerous Lobby Days and advocacy efforts, I understand the critical issues facing our community, from defending birthright citizenship to promoting fair immigration policies and combating hate and political violence. As Secretary, I would leverage this institutional knowledge to support effective board governance during these challenging times, ensuring accurate documentation of our decisions and maintaining the organizational records that preserve our advocacy legacy.

NAPABA's four pillars of strategic frameworks align perfectly with my personal values and experiences. Our organization represents members from all political parties, yet we remain united in our vision to achieve optimal representation and influence of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander attorneys at every level of the legal profession and beyond. Our values of equality, community, advocacy, relationships, diversity, equity, inclusion, open-mindedness, and the health and wellbeing of our members and the broader AANHPI community must guide every decision we make.

As a leader, I believe in maintaining an open mind, listening to our members, and understanding issues thoroughly before taking action. We must take a long-term view of our advocacy while remaining responsive to immediate challenges. The Secretary role is fundamental to this approach, as it requires meticulous documentation of our deliberations, ensuring proper notice of meetings, and maintaining the records that support our organizational integrity and transparency.

My diverse board experience across national and local organizations, including NAPABA, the American Bar Association, the D.C. Bar, APABA-DC, and the IP Law Foundation, has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of nonprofit governance, administrative operations, and the importance of maintaining high standards of integrity and professional courtesy. This experience, combined with my continued service as a mentor in Patent Pathways and my ongoing commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession, demonstrates my dedication to serving our community.

I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as NAPABA Secretary and kindly ask for your support in the upcoming election. Together, we can ensure that NAPABA's governance remains transparent, efficient, and true to our values as we continue advancing the interests of our diverse AANHPI legal community.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to your continued support.

Candidate Bio

Annette Kwok is Senior IP Counsel at Owens Corning ("OC"), a publicly traded Fortune 500 leading building product company in Toledo, Ohio. Annette manages all aspects of the international intellectual property portfolio for OC's Global Doors and Lumber divisions and provides actionable, business-driven advice to the stakeholders.

Prior to OC, Annette was Senior Corporate Counsel at Beyond Meat, a global, innovative, plant-based meat company in El Segundo, CA in 2023. At Beyond Meat, she managed the company's IP portfolio, counseled the marketing team on advertising and food labeling compliance, negotiated brand ambassador and influencer agreements, and supported the Consumer Care team regarding consumer inquiries and reports. Prior to Beyond Meat, she served as VP, Legal at JAKKS Pacific Inc., a publicly traded multi-brand global consumer product company in Santa Monica, California from 2021 to 2023. At JAKKS, she managed all aspects of the company's international intellectual property portfolio, including brand protection and anti-counterfeiting; supported licensing, marketing and regulatory compliance teams; and served as Privacy Officer managing data breach issues. Before JAKKS, she was Head of Intellectual Property at Cronos Group in Toronto, Canada from 2019 to 2021, where she managed a team of IP professionals in the area of cannabis research, vaporizer device development, and cannabinoid cosmetic evaluations.

Annette was a synthetic organic chemist and an inventor before receiving her law degree from the University of New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce School of Law. She is a registered patent attorney and practiced at AmLaw 100 firms in Washington, D.C. for 14 years.

Beyond her corporate roles, Annette has nearly twenty years of demonstrated leadership within the legal community and is a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She serves as a Trustee of The IP Law Foundation (formerly The Foundation for Advancement of Diversity in IP Law) and previously served on its Executive Committee and chaired its Scholarship Application Review Committee. In D.C., she served on the Board of Governors of the D.C. Bar, the largest unified bar in the U.S. with over 120,000 members internationally, and the Board of Directors of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. She spearheaded the implementation of a Diversity and Inclusion Policy to ensure at least 30% of all candidates interviewed are self-identified as women, LGBTQ, minority, or members of another recognized protected class. She also served as the Treasurer (2022-2024) and Southeast Regional Governor (2015-2017) of NAPABA, a Past President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of D.C. (APABA-DC), and an appointed committee member of the Interests on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) Committee of the ABA and the D.C. Bar Foundation.

Annette is committed to pro bono services and access to justice for the underserved. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog and two cats and training them to do tricks.

Endorsements 

• 2025 Endorsements are now closed. Thank you for supporting our candidates.

NAPABA Affiliate Endorsements

Individual Endorsements

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