Our Board of Directors
We are composed of determined and compassionate individuals working effortlessly to improve the livelihoods of the people around us.
Debbie Chun
Board Chair
Debbie has served as Board Chair at Catalyst since 2009, and enjoys the opportunity to be a “catalyst” between the church and the community they serve. It’s been a pleasure to see how Catalyst has been at the forefront intersecting the faith community with school gardens, helping families in need and building healthy relationships. Debbie grew up in Southern California and attended USC, where she graduated with a Business Degree. She has worked as a Marketing Analyst for many years before pivoting to the nonprofit sector, where she worked at Alhambra True Light Presbyterian Church and more recently at Asian Pacific Community Fund.
Carolyn Yep
Board Treasurer
Carolyn currently serves as the CSGV Secretary, recording the minutes of our Board meetings. She also serves as the Bookkeeper for CSGV and provides financial guidance for the organization. Carolyn Yep joined the Board of Catalyst at its inception in 2017 after retiring as a Finance Manager from the aerospace industry with Raytheon Technologies. Carolyn holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Loyola Marymount University. During her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking and staying active by playing volleyball.
Winnie Sam Kwan
Board Secretary
Winnie is a member of Catalyst’s Board of Directors. Her main responsibilities include supporting the rest of the CSGV Board and Staff in various projects and goals. She
graduated from Cal State L.A with a degree in sociology. She is currently working for the City of Alhambra.
Bill Mao
Board Member
Bill Mao is the recently retired Chief Information Officer at the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). He started his career there as its Manager of Financial Planning and Budgeting (FP&B). He later became head of the agency’s information technology department. There, he restructured the department into a customer oriented, technology-embracing organization whose goal is to bring relevant value-added technology to OCTA’s diverse business units. His corporate career includes key management positions in finance and information technology with the Walt Disney Company, Digital Equipment Corporation and Xerox. Mr. Mao received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He is tri-lingual, being fluent in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and English.
Julie Wong Tanaka
Board Member
Julie Tanaka has been the Senior Nutrition Technical Advisor for Samaritan’s Purse since 2011 where she helps field offices with nutrition surveys and trainings, program design, proposal review, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and emergency relief. As part of her job, Julie has conducted field visits to work with Nutrition Program Managers in Honduras, Bolivia, Colombia, Haiti, Niger, Liberia, S. Sudan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Kenya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines, Nepal, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Previously, Julie worked for Samaritan’s Purse in Haiti, for World Vision International in their international headquarters office, and in China for a semiconductor manufacturing corporation and for a start-up business. Julie graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Development Studies and received a Master’s in Public Health with a Global Health emphasis, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Loma Linda University. She also received her BS in Nursing from Western Governor’s University.
Jose Sanchez
Board Member
Jose Sanchez represents a distinguished legacy of educational commitment and community engagement that is deeply rooted in the rich immigrant experience of his Mexican-American family. Mr. Sanchez has been an active educator and community member with over twenty years of dedicated service as a civics teacher. He has profoundly impacted over 5,000 students and their families in the San Gabriel Valley. Both Jose and his wife Natalie are local educators and have chosen to raise their three daughters—Mia, Dolly, and Bella—in the Monterey Park community. Mr. Sanchez embodies the transformative power of education, leveraging his multicultural background and comprehensive academic training to inspire and empower the next generation of engaged citizens.
Jonathan Zong
Board Member
Jonathan Zong joins the Board as a banker from the Commercial Lending world. He has been working at various financial institutions in the SoCal region such as Citizen’s Business Bank and currently, Mission Valley Bank, using his experiences and relationship-focus skills to help professional and local businesses with their banking needs. Jonathan grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, where he went to Arcadia High School and later graduated from University of California, Riverside with a degree in business and psychology. He was volunteering and teaching financial literacy workshops for Catalyst SGV prior to serving on the board. In his free time, you can catch him lifting weights at the gym or enjoying local events and food spots.