Asian Americans for McCain - Steering Committee

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Shandon Phan: Born in Saigon, Vietnam, and grew up in Louisiana and Texas, Shandon is proud to be an American. He loves this country dearly and treasures the freedom and the boundless opportunity that America has given him and his family. An active participant in the civic process and a student of the law, he is particularly interested in national security/foreign policy issues, i.e. protecting universal human rights, developing the rule of law, and promoting freedom and democracy around the world. He previously served in the FreedomCorps as an AmeriCorps*VISTA after college and has worked on presidential, gubernatorial, and congressional campaigns in Texas, Virginia, and Maryland. An early supporter of Sen. McCain’s candidacy, he founded Asian Americans for McCain in September 2007 to rally the APA community support for Senator McCain. In February 2008, he was elected as a Maryland delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention. You can contact him at shandonphan@gmail.com.

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Sue: Sue was born in North Carolina to immigrant parents and grew up in Japan, Hawaii and Germany where her Marine Corps father was stationed. This unique experience has provided her exposure to various cultures and developed her
internationalist world view. Her brother is also a Marine Corps veteran who served in Bosnia and Iraq and is now a big-city police officer. She believes America is the greatest country in the world, and she would like to see it continue to be a symbol of hope and a force of goodness. A registered Democrat who voted against Bush in both elections, she now strongly supports Senator McCain. She can be reached at Sue.AsianAmericansforMcCain@gmail.com.

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Jessica Vu: A native of San Jose and a first-generation Vietnamese-American, Jessica has been a vocal fighter for the conservative movement since her time at UC Berkeley. Now in her second year at Harvard Law School, Jessica is active in the Federalist Society, the Abigail Adams Society, the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, the National Security and Law Association, and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. Jessica is a firm believer in judicial restraint and she is convinced that Senator John McCain will fight to preserve our court system from activist judges attempting to legislate from the bench. She has complete faith in John McCain’s resolve as president to appoint only the best-qualified judges who respect our constitutional order. In her free time, she enjoys throwing parties and other fun social gatherings for other like-minded conservatives and libertarians. She can be reached at jvu@jd10.law.harvard.edu.

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Andrea Stults Ardelean: Andrea was adopted by an American missionary family in Korea as a baby and became a U.S. citizen at the age of five. She lived in the Philippines, Germany, Switzerland and spent a great deal of time traveling. Her views are libertarian leaning, supporting individual freedom and liberty but supports John McCain. Andrea says, “With such a diaphonous state, we need an emphatic leader. On a global scale, I can’t begin to describe, in these viable times, how much we need his experience to guide us.” She recently married and is living in Mt. Vernon. Previously, she worked at The Washington Times, before that a government relations firm. You can contact her at AndreaGOP@gmail.com.

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Fred Tsai: Based in Washington, Fred is a recent graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Prior to SAIS, Fred worked in the private sector, focusing on emerging markets. Deeply passionate for common sense foreign and economic policy, he has volunteered on political campaigns since he was 15 years old. You can contact him at fhtsai@gmail.com.

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Jansen Balisi: Jansen was born in Georgia shortly before her father retired from the U.S. Navy. Her parents, born and raised in the Philippines, met and came to America for a better life and greater opportunities. Jansen currently attends Valdosta State University in Valdosta, GA where she is majoring in political science and is actively involved with her community and school organizations. She supports John McCain because he puts his country first. He knows what needs to be done and how, even if it is not always “what the people want to hear.” Jansen is interested in human rights (globally), likes to volunteer during her free time, and help those who are less fortunate. She is involved in various student organizations (Valdosta State University’s Relay for Life Committee, Events Coordinator; Blazin’ Brigade Marching Band; Dance/Colorguard Performer; Blazers for McCain; College Republicans; Alpha Lambda Delta Honors society). She is also volunteering with Senator McCain’s presidential campaign in both states of Georgia and Florida. In her free time, she enjoys shopping, reading books, going to the beach, meeting and talking to new people, and going to college football games. She can be contacted at jpbalisi@valdosta.edu.

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Song Park: Song is a Financial Advisor and Retirement Plan Specialist with Citigroup/Smith Barney. Before coming to Smith Barney, Song held various management positions in healthcare, software development, telecommunication, and textile manufacturing industries. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. He is actively involved in his community, volunteering his time to several other Asian-American organizations in New York, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. Currently Song is serving as the 12th President of the Korean-American Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the Founder of a professional networking group called “Six Degrees.” He lives in Virginia with his wife Hee Eun and his lovely fifteen-month-old daughter, Emma “Ye-Seul” Park. Song and his wife are also expecting to add a son to their family in November. Originally supporting Giuliani, Song is now supporting Senator McCain because he believes that America needs a leader with proven experience and leadership to make the most dificult decisions for the best interests of our country, even when such decisions do not reflect popular opinions. He can be reached at sparktrek@gmail.com.

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Trinh Le: Being a daughter of a former POW, Trinh Le grew up with a profound respect for our service men and women. Along with her parents, she came to the United States with her three sisters and one brother, leaving two sisters behind. In the summer of 2007 she interned for Senator Brownback’s presidential campaign during the Republican primary, working on Youth, Catholic, and Vietnamese outreach initiatives. When Senator Brownback withdrew his bid to become our next president and endorsed Sen. McCain, Trinh did not hesitate to do the same because she believes that Senator McCain is a courageous warrior, a dignified American, and a principled national leader. She has the upmost respect for the Senator and is working hard to get him elected this fall. She will be starting as a freshman at Central College in Pella, Iowa, pursuing a degree in Political Science and Communications. She currently works at the Commission on the Status of Iowans of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage in its Department of Human Rights. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis and being with her friends and family. She can be contacted at TrinhLe08@yahoo.com.

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Irene Kim Asbury: Irene is an attorney in Jersey City, New Jersey. Like John McCain, Irene passionately believes in “Country First” and serving her community. In addition to her solo law practice, she serves on the Membership Committee of the Asian-Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey, the Hudson County Bar Association, and volunteers as a court-appointed mediator. She worked as an exit poll worker for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund during the New Jersey 2006 Senate elections, one of the most comprehensive studies performed on Asian-American voting patterns and issues. Irene has also worked as a pro bono attorney with the Mississippi Center for Justice and the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers’ Project on the Gulf Coast, representing low-income Hurricane Katrina victims who could not obtain housing, disaster assistance, financial counseling, or health care. She is a member of the Hudson County Republican Committee and a former member of the Federalist Society. She most recently represented the 13th Congressional District of New Jersey at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul as a delegate for the State of New Jersey.

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Andrew Quinio:  Andrew defended conservative values at UC Berkeley, where he studied political science and public policy. He was editor-in-chief of the California Patriot, Berkeley’s only conservative magazine and daily blog. As news editor for the Calfornia Patriot, Andrew’s reporting appeared on Fox News’ The Factor with Bill O’Reilly and several conservative blogs. Named Rookie of the Year of the Berkeley College Republicans, Andrew led Islamofascism Awareness Week and many other events that promoted pro-American values. He has had op-eds published in the Orange County Register, San Francisco Chronicle, and FrontPage Magazine. Andrew has appeared on CNN and the Frank Pastore Radio Show advancing conservative principles. His inspirations include Edmund Burke, John Adams, Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, and his parents, who were immigrants from the Philippines that achieved the American Dream by relying on their faith and freedom.

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