About - California Youth Civic Leadership

OUR FOUNDER

Xiaoguang (Don) Sun

CAYCLI was founded in 2016 by the late Mr. Don Xiaoguang Sun, a distinguished political strategist and Chief Fundraising Manager for 2020 Presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

Mr. Don Sun, a passionate advocate for Asian American civil rights and representation, was instrumental in advancing key causes such as leading advocacy efforts that securing a formal apology from the U.S. House of Representatives for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. He played a pivotal role in elevating Andrew Yang's national profile as Chief Fundraising Manager for Yang's presidential and mayoral campaigns.

The institute continues Mr. Sun's legacy by offering series of comprehensive programs that include Youth Leadership Training Summer Camp, Youth Civic Fellowship and Summit, Change-maker Empowerment Series workshops, and etc. Designed to equip aspiring young leaders with essential skills for success in higher education and future career, participants benefit from hands-on experiences and valuable career resources, gaining behind-the-scenes insights directly from members of Congress, esteemed elected officials, and expert leaders of various industries.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Dr. Hsing Kung

Dr. Hsing Kung, an entrepreneur and civic leader born in Taiwan, earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from National Cheng Kung University, an M.S. from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. His career includes leadership roles in the optical communications industry, co-founding SDL Inc. and Luxnet Corp, among other ventures. His civic activism began with voter outreach in the Chinese American community and grew to bridge Asian Americans with mainstream Americans through cross-cultural awareness. Dr. Kung has served on multiple boards, including the California State University Board of Trustees, and has received numerous awards, including the Monte Jade West Lifetime Achievement Award and the John W. Gardner Award for exemplary leadership.

Keliang (Clay) Zhu

Mr. Keliang "Clay" Zhu's practice specialties include cross-border litigation, international merger & acquisition, and corporate compliance including export control in the U.S. He earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree and has practiced law in the U.S. for more than twenty years. He is one of the very few Chinese American lawyers who is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. He used to serve as a senior legal counsel to the World Bank and the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization on their projects in China. He was the organizer and one of the lead counsel in a historic lawsuit that sued President Trump and successfully stopped his WeChat ban in 2020. He currently is the Managing Partner of the Silicon Valley Office.

Sandy Chau

Mr. Chau has started numerous successful technology companies. He is a long time venture capitalist and real estate investor and was a founder of the Acorn Campus, a technology incubator that provides early round seed funding. He has more than 40 years of business experience in the United States, Taiwan, China, and elsewhere in the Pacific Rim.

Mr. Chau is a philanthropist and focuses on social justice issues. In addition to the Civic Leadership USA, he was the board chair of Vision New America and executive board member of Shin Shin Education Foundation.

EXECUTIVE OPERATORS

Christopher Sun, President

Chris is the Chair of Asian American Forward PAC. Chris grew up observing his father and the late AAF founder, Sun XiaoGuang, with his political work, which gave him a unique perspective on the inner workings of advocacy and community organizing. Chris’s first experience with elections came from participating in many small local elections as he grew up. He later went on to play a role in Ro Khanna's congressional race, and most recently served on the staff of Margaret Abe Koga's campaign for Supervisor. These experiences have instilled in him a passion for understanding how political processes impact people’s lives and sharpened his determination to further enhance different communities by supporting the right candidates through AAF.

Yiyan Xu, Executive Director

Yiyan is a Columbia and Harvard graduate with majors in Political Science, Applied Mathematics, and Public Policy. She started her career in polling analysis and opposition research in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, and has worked in the lobbying arm of Squire Patton Boggs. She also served as a poll watcher for the 2017 NYC Primary Election and 2017 New York General Election.

She is an investment strategist and policy analyst in Esoterica Capital/ Jirong Investment, specializing in analyzing US-China relations, assessing the impact of policies and geopolitical tensions on global markets and developing investment and trading strategies.