Board Members

Junann is President of the NAAAP-KC. She has worked at Hallmark Cards for 19 years, and is currently a Senior Credit Representative. She is the Vice Chair of the Asian American Resource Community at Hallmark, (AARCH). Through Hallmark’s volunteer program she has contributed to the community in a variety of organizations. She was lead for the Finance Division United Way Campaign, Special Olympics committee member, organized the first Disc Golf Fundraiser for Heartland MS Society, and judges debate and forensics tournaments for Basehor Linwood High School. Junann also volunteers for the Japanese Festival, Harvesters, Salvation Army, Headquarters Counseling Center, Friends of the Zoo, Christmas in October, Karios, Guadalupe Center and multiple church gatherings.

Junann has two children, Nicole a University of Kansas graduate working at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Lawrence, Kansas, and Nick a Marine currently stationed at Ft Lee, Virginia for training. She crochets, reads and loves traveling to new places.

Shivani recently transitioned into the role of Business Development with Smart Info Technologies, a local technology solutions company, where she focuses on selling SmartSCM, their logistics product offerings.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and completed her MBA from University of Kansas City Missouri in 2019. 

Though born in India and raised in the UK, Shivani has called Kansas City her home for the past 20 years and currently resides in the Crossroads area with her husband. She is passionate about elevating the voices of women and minorities and is actively involved with the Junior League of Kansas City Missouri, UnitedWE and The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). In her spare time, she enjoys being active, reading and managing her travel blog, The Beyond Borders Collective.

Ashok Meka is from South India and came to the USA to pursue higher education. Ashok earned a Masters degree from the Northeastern University (2005) and an MBA from the University of Kansas in 2017. Ashok is currently working for UMB Bank as a Vice President, Business Data Analytics. Ashok is a steering committee member of the UMB Bank's Asian American BRG.

There are very few Asian woman bankers in senior leadership roles. I am the first Asian female appointed to the Community Bank Advisory Council with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I hope that my accomplishments inspire young Asian women. I’m also an Ambassador for United WE, I serve on the Board for Downtown Shareholders of Kansas City Kansas and the Financial Review Board for the Empower Minority Loan Fund with the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council, Advisory Board for the Academy of Finance with Bishop Ward High School along with this board position. 

David is the Senior Director of Programs for NAAAP, The National Association of Asian American Professionals. He is also a Production Designer at Hallmark Cards and has been with the company for 22 years, where he has held various positions at the Kansas City-based greeting card company, including Production Artist, Process Artist, and Multimedia Designer. David is involved with several Employee Resource Groups at Hallmark and was the 2015 and 2018 Chair of AARCH, Asian American Resource Community at Hallmark. David is also a member of Hallmark's Cultural Sensitivity Consultants, a team brought together to thoroughly consider diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across the business and build a culture of inclusion for employees and consumers. Before Hallmark, he was Operations Manager for Vanguard Airlines Reservations Center and served in the U.S. Army during Desert Storm. In addition to his duties at NAAAP National, David serves as Director of Marketing and Communications for NAAAP Kansas City and was the Program Director for the 2019 Leadership Convention in Kansas City, MO. David is also a founding member and past National Director of NAAAP Pride, a national program for the Asian American LGBTQ community, and is co-host of the Pride Talk podcast. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he has lived in various countries, including Spain and Germany. David loves to travel and is obsessed with live theatre. He recently returned to school to study his first passion for fashion design and presented his debut collection at Kansas City Fashion Week's 2022 Spring/Summer Runway Show.

As a public health professional, I use data-driven evidence to inform actionable programs that improve the health of people and communities. I am committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in my career and communities, working as an advocate and ally for racial and gender equity and LGBTQIA issues.  I’m a science nerd and social butterfly who enjoys connecting people and projects that align with one another. 

Amy recently transitioned into a leadership role within the Federal Reserve Financial Services division at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. She has supported DE&I and community-focused strategies, which included building and developing relationships with community partners, planning and hosting DE&I programs, advising employee-led groups, and piloting a program to connect employees to community leadership opportunities. She has previous experience in talent acquisition and employee engagement. She currently serves as an Executive Committee Member for the DE&I Consortium and is a founding member of an upcoming AAPI employee-led group. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a French minor from Chapman University and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Baker University. She is of Vietnamese descent.

Shah is a senior software engineer at Hallmark Cards.   He is a Java/Android developer and web/app server administrator. Shah interned with Sprint and Missouri Lottery and joined Hallmark out of college in 1998.

Shah received undergraduate degrees in CIS and Accounting and M.S.I.T. degree in Software Engineering from the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and briefly taught programming at UCM.

Shah is one of the founding members of the Asian American ERG called AARCH at Hallmark and is the chair of the group for 2020.  He is also involved with the Hallmark IT diversity and inclusion council and serves as its communications lead. 

Shah is a founding member of the Bangladesh Association of Greater Kansas City (BAGKC) and performed various roles in its board over the years. He is also involved with various non-profit organizations in the greater KC area.

Shah was an undergraduate honors student for English Literature in Bangladesh and was involved in the pro-democratic movement of the late 80s. He had studied many literary figures of the major languages of the world.

Shah lives with his wife (also an English major!) and daughter in Liberty, Missouri. His daughter is an undergraduate at MU, studying Chemical and Nuclear Engineering.  His family is split in 3 countries in 3 different continents: Bangladesh, England, and the USA.

In spare time, Shah reads classical literature, writes blog posts on socio-economic and literary topics, volunteers for non-profit organizations and runs long distances.

Hao Quach (He/Him) is the new Program Director for the NAAAP Pride KC. He advocates for advancing and amplifying the Asian American LGBTQ experience by promoting, supporting, and highlighting leaders in his community.

Hao is the Founder and Owner of Ginkgo Embroidery, where he uses his platform to celebrate artists and designers, especially minority voices. Outside of his ikigai, He serves on the Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (“JEDI”) advisory board for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City. Hao is a Big Brother to his Little Brother, Daniel.

Being a first-generation immigrant, Hao strongly believes that the cost of higher education should not prevent college-bound students from attending college. Hao has been fortunate to finance his college experience 100% through scholarships and grants, effectively getting paid to attend college. Furthermore, he believes his journey was not an exception and can be/has been replicated; Hao is a “Mentor” to high school and college students across the nation on UStrive.

Lastly, Hao is a Certified Fraud Examiner with professional experience in the insurance, retail, and food
industries.

Dr. Andrea Hendricks, as the Senior Executive Director of Diversity, Inclusion Strategy, leads Cerner’s global diversity and inclusion efforts in over 30 countries and the US. She is making an impact on Cerner’s culture by driving strategy and engagement initiatives that foster organizational learning and enhanced corporate diversity and inclusion vision for Cerner associates, leadership and community collaborative partners. Prior to joining Cerner, She was the AVP of HR and Deputy Director of Diversity at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and SVP of Diversity at UMB Financial Corporation. Hendricks is a graduate of Kansas State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development Psychology and Mass Communications and a Master of Science in Student Counseling Psychology and Personnel Services. She also earned a Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri -Columbia. She also has received a Certificate in Diversity Leadership. Recently, she became an author of a new diversity and inclusion book titled: The BIG Journey: Bold Inclusion for Greatness. As an active citizen in the Kansas City community, Hendricks participates in numerous professional and community organizations.

Hoang-Anh L. Tran is Chief of Staff for the Administrative Pillar at UMB Financial Corporation. She is responsible for project management supporting the successful integration of strategic organizational initiatives, processes, and communication strategies throughout UMB's Administrative pillar in partnership with Administrative leadership. Prior to her arrival at UMB in 2015, Hoang-Anh served as Assistant Chancellor and Chief of Staff at Syracuse University, providing critical, high-level support to the Chancellor and President in implementing the strategic goals and objectives set forth by the Board of Trustees, and established key institutional leadership networks to guide the planning, designing, and coordination of policies, programs, and projects that impact the structural & programmatic operations of University divisions and units.

Hoang-Anh has over 15 years of experience in administration and academia, from theological education to legal education as well as Division I higher education, and previously worked at Syracuse University, Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, and Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA. She has a bachelor's degree in arts and literature from Southern Methodist University, and masters of fine arts in creative writing from the University of North Carolina - Wilmington.

In addition to serving as an Advisor on the Board of NAAAP-KC, she currently serves on the Board of the Folly Theater, as well as the Education Committee of Kansas City Young Audiences, which oversees staff efforts to develop and deliver resources for unmet and emerging needs in arts curriculum & programming in school districts. She is also an advisory member of the KC Degrees Business Engagement Advisory Committee.

Sharon Chen joined KCTV5 News in April of 2022.

Sharon took the first steps of her broadcasting career in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where she was an anchor, reporter, photographer, and producer at KDUH-TV. From there, she moved to 10/11 News in Lincoln. After four years in the Cornhusker state, Sharon moved to Colorado Springs and was a reporter/anchor at KOAA TV.

After braving the cold of the Midwest and Rockies, Sharon left for the beautiful islands of Hawaii. At KHNL-TV, she was a reporter/anchor covering the latest news in both the bustling city of Honolulu and smaller island communities.

Sharon left island life to move to San Diego, California, where she has spent the last 12 years. She joined the team at Fox 6 News and then later at Fox 5 San Diego. As a reporter/anchor, she covered top headlines that included the massive May Wildfires of 2014 and the fallout of infamous Mayor Bob Filner.

Sharon was born in Chicago, but raised in the college-rich town of Claremont, California. She graduated from California State University – San Bernardino with a degree in Communications and Broadcast Journalism. She also attended the University of California – Los Angeles.

Previous to KCTV 5- Sharon was a part of the Anchor team at WOWT - the NBC affiliate in Omaha.

When Sharon isn’t in the newsroom, you might find her in the kitchen experimenting to find a new culinary creation. She also loves to spend time with her family. Her favorite moments are doing arts and crafts or just being silly with her young daughter.

Sharon is proud of her Chinese heritage and it's why she strongly believes it's important to celebrate all cultures.

Lisa is Past President of the National Association of Asian American Professionals of Kansas City (NAAAP-KC). Since 2012, she has worked for Argus Health Systems, which is a subsidiary of DST Systems, Inc., as a Senior Project Leader. She received her undergraduate degree from Friends University and started her career in the utility industry, then managed air navigational aid programs for the FAA and airports around the world — and if you live in Kansas City, you must at least work for Sprint, which she did in their marketing departments.

Lisa grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and moved to Kansas City in 1997 with her husband and two daughters and currently enjoys her three grandchildren. She also enjoys volunteering for non-profit organizations centered on the fight against children’s cancer. She is also passionate about creating different wonton recipes and offers party platters for anyone who wants to bring something unique to an event.