2026 Gala

Friday, October 2, 2026

For details, please email gala@asianinc.org or call (415) 928-5910 x168.

Event Details

WHEN

Friday, October 2, 2026

4:30PM

Cocktail Reception & Business Showcase

6:30 PM

Dinner Program and Awards

9:00 PM

Dion Lim book signing

WHERE

The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco

600 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

ATTIRE

Gala Wear in Emerald Green | Business Wear

PROGRAM

2026 Menu

STARTER

Spring Pea Salad

ENTREE: a choice of

Beef Tenderloin and Lobster (surf and turf)

Miso Black Cod

Roasted Artichoke (vegetarian)

DESSERT

Garden Panna Cotta

2025 Highlights

2026 Master of Ceremonies

Dion Lim

Founder, Dion Lim Media

Spokesperson & Chief Strategist, Asian American Voices

Dion Lim is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, author, keynote speaker and founder of Dion Lim Media, known for uncovering overlooked human stories and bringing them into the spotlight. After two decades in journalism, she now uses storytelling to elevate communities and drive meaningful conversations and action. As spokesperson and chief strategist for Asian American Voices, she helps advance initiatives that expand visibility, influence and opportunity for Asian American communities.

2026 Honorees

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

Speaker Emerita
Harold T. Yee Lifetime Achievement Award

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has been a longtime champion for the AAPI community, she spearheaded critical legislation including the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

Pelosi has served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, making history in 2007 as the first woman elected to the post. First elected to Congress representing San Francisco in 1987, Speaker Pelosi led House Democrats for two decades, championing landmark legislation including the Affordable Care Act. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.

Ashley Abenoja-Bocek

Citi, VP, Community Relations Market Manager
Community Reinvestment Champion of the Year

Ashley Bocek is Community Relations Market Manager at Citi. A dedicated community leader, Ashley serves on the boards of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation and State Center Community College Foundation, chairs the local advisory board for Junior Achievement of Northern California, and supports small business development and cultural nonprofits through volunteer leadership.

Outside of work, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband Nathan, their two children and two dogs, and loves traveling, sports, food, and dance.

Norman Lau

LionDanceME
Entrepreneurial Champion of the Year

Norman Lau, founder of LionDanceME and this year’s Entrepreneurial Champion of the Year, has redefined cultural preservation through innovation. Since founding the organization in 2013, he has grown it from a small student group into a thriving movement spanning seven SFUSD high schools and more than 700 performances annually. Through resilience, vision, and an unwavering commitment to empowering the next generation, Norman continues to honor tradition while building a powerful legacy of culture and community.

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

Jimmy Hua, Founder of Asian Leaders Alliance

Tricia Gregory, Member of African American Construction Collective and Member of LBE Advisory Committee

Wylie Liu, UCSF Assistant Vice Chancellor of Center for Community Engagement + Anchor Institution Mission

2026 Entertainment

LionDanceME

Lion & Dragon Dance

LionDanceME is a premier San Francisco-based lion and dragon dance organization dedicated to modernizing traditional Chinese cultural arts.

GROOBEU by In the Groove Studios

Kpop Dance Cover

GROOBEU is a California Bay Area–based K-POP cover dance group formed by In the Groove Studios. Its name combines “groove” with its Korean spelling, reflecting the group’s roots at the studio and appreciation for K-POP, Korean language, and culture. In the Groove Studios is a welcoming dance community offering classes for all experience levels, with experienced instructors teaching styles including K-POP, hip hop, house, Chicago footwork, jazz funk, and vogue.

2026 Business Showcase and Cocktail Reception

Business Showcase

Vendors

Anita B Spa (Beauty)

Ki-Electrolytes (Health Supplement)

Miracle Scans (Wellness)

OASIIS (Wellness)

Olivia’s Tanghulu (Dessert)

Yi Yan Society

Painting & Calligraphy

Founded in 2010 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Yi Yan Society is a nonprofit cultural and arts community dedicated to the appreciation of Chinese art and culture. Through exhibitions, lectures, scholarly discussions, and community gatherings, the Society fosters cultural exchange, shares knowledge, and promotes the preservation of Chinese artistic and cultural heritage for future generations.

Artist Hong Bo (Yi Yan Society)

Painting & Calligraphy

Hong Bo is a Chinese-American artist who blends traditional Chinese painting techniques with contemporary innovation. Known for his signature “Accumulated Color Method,” he creates expressive works that explore American landscapes through the language of Chinese painting.

Artist Tony Ho (Yi Yan Society)

Painting & Calligraphy

Tony Ho began studying Chinese painting at age eight and trained in the traditions of Chinese ink painting in Guangzhou. Now based in San Francisco, his expressive freehand landscapes and bird-and-flower paintings blend disciplined brushwork with the spirit of Chinese literati art, continuing his lifelong commitment to preserving and promoting Chinese painting and calligraphy.

Collector Stephen Sin (Yi Yan Society)

Jade Collector

Stephen Sin is a longtime collector of Chinese jade and antiques, whose passion for Chinese art began during his business travels to Beijing in the 1980s. His collection spans jade, paintings and calligraphy, scholar’s objects, and fine huanghuali and zitan furniture, and he continues to share his appreciation for Chinese art and cultural heritage in San Francisco.