John is a first generation Chinese American. He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota but grew up on the east coast in the Greater Boston area (among other cities). He has a BA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a JD from Indiana University McKinney School of Law. He is currently the Senior Manager of Financial Regulatory Programs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and is the Community Chair for the Asian-American Business Resource Group. He also has the pleasure of serving as the Executive Director for the Milwaukee Debate League.

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John is passionate about issues of inclusivity, equity, and social justice and has been involved with non-profit and public interest work all his life. As a child, his family started a non-profit focused on providing Chinese senior citizens knowledge to obtain US citizenship and also taught adopted Chinese children and their families Chinese culture and language. He became active in pan-Asian activism as a high school intern with the Chinese Progressive Association of Boston working on land reclamation and zoning rights. In law school he focused on immigrant rights, working with victims of crimes; criminal justice through the Innocence Project; and holistic health

access through a Medical-Legal Partnership. He has volunteered with or served on the board for: the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago; Howard Brown Health; Center on Halsted; Lakeside Pride; Proud to Run; Chinatown Legal Clinic; Chicago Volunteer Legal Services; and CiviWiki.