Executive Board

We are currently looking to expand our community and welcome new Board Members onto our team! Please contact us for more information on how you can become involved.

ACMA Executive Officers

Cathlyn Choi

Founder, Executive Director & Board Chair

Dubbed "Korean Food Ambassador" by the media, Cathlyn is a multi award winning TV show host and producer of the first Korean TV cooking show in English on PBS called “Cathlyn’s Korean Kitchen" and Asian Voices, a cultural and educational television program featuring Asian and Pacific Islanders, community, art, culture and events in Southern California.

Cathlyn is the co-owner of CNA Digital Media Marketing Services, specializing in digital media marketing and TV/Film production. In addition to being the founder and board chair of Asian Culture and Media Alliance, Cathlyn serves on the board of Taylion High Desert Academy and is the President of Korean Women’s International Network, San Diego Chapter. In addition to 20 years of international business development and new media marketing background, Cathlyn has over 18 years of experience as a reporter, TV show host and MC in Korea, Brunei and US.

Dennis-Michael Broussard

Vice Chair

Dennis Michael is the recipient of numerous awards, commendations, and recognition for his community involvement and outreach efforts. For the past decade, he has hosted and produced many cultural events and festivals in San Diego namely the Asian Cultural Festival of San Diego, the San Diego Ramen Festival, the AMP Music Festival and many other large community events.

Additionally, Dennis-Michael is known for his humanitarian efforts around the globe. He volunteered at an orphanage in Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand, helping to build a classroom; volunteered at an educational center in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, teaching English; distributed water filters where there is limited to no access to clean drinking water in slums and villages in Senegal, Kenya, and Tanzania as well as teaching supplies and school equipment in Nepal.

Ellen Keaton

Treasurer

Born in Richmond, Kentucky to a Japanese mother and Cherokee Indian and Irish father, Ellen studied art at eastern Kentucky University, where she also worked as a library technician. In addition to 6 years of experience working as an advertising and graphic designer

Ellen has over 13 years of background as a commissions specialist and currently works for the Producers Group, an insurance brokerage in La Jolla. In her spare time, Ellen enjoys playing golf and volunteering at non-profit organizations in San Diego, organizing and distributing toys to families and children such as Toys for Tots and is an active member of Ladies on Course.

Janice Doan

Secretary

Dr. Janice Doan has 2 offices in San Diego and she practices general and cosmetic dentistry. Along with her sister Dr. Justene, Dr. Janice was named a “Top 40 Under 40” dentist by Incisal Edge magazine. This honor is given to outstanding dental professionals who are setting new benchmarks in their industry.

Dr. Janice places a high value on giving back to the community and provides pro bono dentistry through numerous volunteer programs, including the USC Dental Clinic at Union Rescue Mission, the San Diego Give Kids a Smile Day program and the USC Mobile Clinic, which delivers services and education to underserved communities in Southern California. Dr. Janice received her Doctor of Dental Science degree from the University of Southern California.

ACMA Board of Directors

Hyosoon Park

Events & Community Outreach

A community activist with a passion for promoting Korean culture, Hyosoon co-founded a non profit organization called San Diego Pungmul Institute with her husband in 2009 to create awareness of Korean folk music in the United States while fostering and mentoring second generation Korean Americans teaching then about the importance of cultural roots and tradition.

Since then, she has been performing with her group at dozens of cultural events and festivals annually throughout Southern California. Hyosoon currently works as a full time high school’s math teacher at SDUHS and volunteers her time at various non profit organizations in the Korean community.

Jancie Trinidad

Events & Community Outreah

Janice has 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, bringing a depth of hospitality experience from her position with Starwood/Marriott.

Janice holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management and a certificate in meeting planning and prides herself in continuous learning. She has a broad experience in planning corporate meetings, social events and generating revenue in sales.

Janice’s work philosophy is based on her favorite quote by Maya, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” ~ Maya. When she is not working, Janice loves to travel and satisfy her curiosity of different cultures.

Khoa D Truong

Marketing & Social Media Director

Dr Khoa D Truong OD is a local San Diego native who is passionate about life, fitness, and eyes. He graduated from UCSD in 1998 majoring in Biology and Psychology with Magna Cum Laude honors and Phi Beta Kappa distinction. In 2002, he received his doctor of optometry degree from the UC Berkeley School of Optometry and earned high honors at most of his externships. After graduating from optometry school, he worked with an ophthalmologist to gain more knowledge on the treatment of ocular diseases and soon after became a mananging doctor for Eyexam of CA/Lenscrafters for seven years.

Dr. Truong has been a member of the American Optometric Association, California Optometric Association, and San Diego Optometric Society for over fifteen years. He was a member of the President’s Lions Club and used his expertise to conduct free vision screenings and health fairs for the community of San Diego. He also has his own wellness talk show on Vietnamese Television (VNTV) that helps address different aspects of health and life with co-host Dana Vo.

Linda Schwartz

Marketing & Social Media

Linda is a Lao American Writer, Stand-Up Comedian, and Podcast Host/Producer of She Shed Comedy – a podcast dedicated to educating and empowering women pursuing a career in comedy.

She’s written for publications such as Huffington Post, elephant journal, and Positively Positive. Her podcast can be downloaded on all major podcast platforms such as iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

Linda and her husband, Lee, own a real estate company in San Diego that focuses on sales, development, and investing. They have been helping San Diego with Real Estate investments since 1990 and their mission is to nurture relationships and educate clients every step of the way. She enjoys doing yoga, taking long morning walks on the beach with her son Huxley, and is a huge fan of True Crime shows. She’s obsessed with stand-up comedy.

Wendy Kim

Marketing & Social Media

Wendy is a #1 International Best-Selling Author of the book, Beyond Blending In: An Immigrant Daughter’s Guide to Overcoming Cultural Bonds For A Life of Authenticity and Abundance. She is committed to empowering Asian-American women to step from behind the shadows to fully own their power and leadership to go beyond blending in to make a difference in the world.

Some of the topics that Wendy speaks on include: The impact of assimilation on 2nd-generation immigrants, Family drama within the Asian-American community, Cultural Bonds of Fear and Anxiety within Asian-American Community, Being an Empowered Asian-American woman, while owning your heritage, and Powerful communication v. Avoidant Communication. For more information on Wendy Kim, visit www.Yourdreamrealized.com.

Elliott H. Jung

Youth Internship & Legal

Elliott H. Jung grew up in Los Angeles where he watched his immigrant parents trying to survive in a completely different culture. He found his life’s calling when he attended law school at Southwestern Law School in downtown Los Angeles, and is currently a partner with Hepburn, Hernandez, & Jung.

He was first accepted to work at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office Appellate Unit and was then chosen to work for the Honorable Mark E. Windham handling a variety of criminal matters that were assigned to him by the Judge. He has since then worked with the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew, Senior United States District Court Judge for the Central District of California and the Federal Public Defender’s Office. He was invited to teach as an adjunct professor at California Western Law School teaching the school’s main trial skills program and guided law students into becoming an effective advocate for their clients. Elliott also coached law students to compete in local and national trial competitions against other prestigious law schools.

Kat Mai

Marketing & Social Media

Kat Mai has over a decade of design experience, specializing in Brand Identity Design. Kat made the switch to focus on branding because she realized that a logo design is just not enough. Small Business Owners need more than a pretty logo to compete against big corporate budgets and shortening attention spans.

Kat's created brands for businesses involving beauty products, health and wellness, retail and food products, consultants, social media influencers, and more. Some of Kat's work can be seen in Postal Annex, Maritime Museum of San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, Costco, Sam's Club, Gelson's, Barons Market, etc.