Honorary Chairs

Honorary Chairs 2009-2010

Congressman Joseph Cao, R-Louisiana, 2nd District

Assembly Van Thai Van, R-California State Assembly, 68th District

Representative Hubert Vo, D-Texas House of Representatives, 149th District

Congressman Joseph Cao

Anh "Joseph" Cao was born in Saigon, Vietnam. His father, an officer with the South Vietnamese Army, was imprisoned by the Communists.

At the age of eight, Joseph escaped to America with two of his siblings. He learned English, thrived in school, and earned a physics degree from Baylor University before he began studying for the priesthood.

Joseph first arrived in New Orleans in 1992. He left to earn a Master's degree in philosophy from New York's Fordham University, returning to Loyola University to teach philosophy and ethics. As he prepared for priesthood, his faith was strong.

However, his confidence in government's ability to care for those in need weakened by the day. Before long, Joseph ended his quest for priesthood in a personal crusade for social justice.

In Washington, DC, he became an advocate for refugees, future Americans who embody a can-do spirit and strong work ethic. In pursuit of justice for all, he attained a law degree from Loyola Law School. He became the in-house legal counsel for Boat People S.O.S, Inc., an organization helping poor Vietnamese and other minorities. In 2002, he was chosen by Archbishop Alfred Hughes to become a member of the National Advisory Council of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, addressing women's rights in the Catholic Church, social justice, child abuse, and the Catholic response to Hurricane Katrina.

Joseph Cao lost both his home and law office to Katrina. With his wife and two daughters, he moved temporarily to Westwego and began rebuilding. Like so many others, Joseph battled insurance companies and government bureaucracy to restore his home and business.

He helped residents of New Orleans East stop plans for a landfill that would have devastated their community. He helped lead the fight to get electricity and telecommunications restored for returning residents.

In 2007, Governor Jindal appointed Joseph Cao to help ensure fair voting as a member of the Board of Elections for Orleans Parish. He was also elected to lead the Louisiana Republican Party both on the parish and state levels. And earlier this year Joseph Cao was elected delegate to the Republican National Convention.

Joseph Cao has lived through war and disaster, never surrendering his determination to make things better. A teacher of ethics, held in the highest regard for his dogged pursuit of truth and justice, he now serves as Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Representative.

Assemblyman Van Thai Tran

Assemblyman Van Tran was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2004. He represents the 68th Assembly District in Orange County, including the cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Newport Beach, Stanton, and Westminster.

Van serves as the vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee. He also serves on the Banking and Finance and Governmental Organization Committees. Because Assemblyman Tran knows that International trade means good jobs in technology, computers, high tech and the other important industries of today and tomorrow, he is proud to serve as the Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on International Trade. Additionally, he is a member of the Select Committee on Community Colleges and co-Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Joint Caucus. He currently serves as an Assistant Republican Leader in the Assembly.

Since his election to the Assembly, Van has made quick work to advance common-sense solutions to some of the biggest problems facing California. His efforts include Assembly Bill 199, an act to expand the number of Enterprise Zones in California and help create new jobs, and Assembly Bill 38, cutting the excessive salary for members of part-time boards and commissions, saving California over $5 million per year. Van's agenda includes balancing the budget deficit through spending restraint, eliminating waste in the bureaucracy, and improving our infrastructure, particularly roads and highways.

Van's family first came to America in 1975, evacuated by the U.S. Army a week before the fall of Saigon. Originally settling in Michigan, the family moved to Orange County while Van was in high school. Politically active during his university days, Assemblyman Tran started as an intern for Congressman Robert Dornan and for then State Senator (now Congressman) Ed Royce.

Leading up to his historic election as the first Vietnamese-American in any state legislature, Van was the focus of broad media and public coverage. He was featured in the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar alongside Colin Powell and Abraham Lincoln. Van's biographical profile has been published in the Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register, Sacramento Bee, Grand Rapids Press (MI), and by the Associated Press.

Prior to serving in the Assembly, Van was managing partner of his own law practice, served on the Garden Grove Planning Commission, and served as Vice-Mayor of Garden Grove, having garnered the highest number of votes in the history of a city's council election. His community involvement has been extensive, including as Vice Chairman of the Orange County based 'El Capitan' District of the Boy Scouts of America. He is also a lifetime member of the prestigious American Council of Young Political Leaders, and a 2002 Delegate to the Young Leaders Conference, organized by the American-Swiss Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2004, OC Metro Magazine recognized Van as one of the 'Hottest 25 People in Orange County'. The Orange County Register recognized him in 2001 as a 'person to watch'.

Van completed his Bachelors Degree in Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, and went on to earn both a Master's Degree in Public Administration and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Van and his wife Cyndi have two children, Alex and Sophie.

Representative Hubert Vo

After winning a broad mandate in his re-election campaign in 2006, Hubert Vo has become an effective champion for public education, small business, lower property taxes and economic security for families of District 149 and Texas.

Hubert has earned a reputation for representing the mainstream values of his district. He sponsored or supported bills to lower property taxes, establish appraisal caps, raise teacher salaries to at least the national average, lower homeowner’s insurance rates, protect small businesses and improve the air quality in southwest Houston. His ability to work in a bipartisan manner has enabled him to be an effective voice for his district.

Hubert has been responsive when people in District 149 needed help. He led a three year battle against TXDOT’s efforts to build two very unpopular overpasses in the district. When developers attempted to bring more state funded multi-family housing projects to the Highway 6 area he was able to protect the already over-crowded schools and over extended infrastructure in those areas by stopping the new construction. He went to bat for homeowners along the West Park Tollroad for much needed sound walls and he has fought against developers wanting to build houses on a closed landfill in the district. Time and time again he has fought and won for the district.

In the Texas legislature, he serves on the Insurance and Law Enforcement committees.

A successful small businessman, Hubert earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston by day while working as a machinist at Hughes Tool Company in the evenings. He has been a leader in the Alief community for three decades, serving on the board of the Alief YMCA and as a council member of the Alief Super Neighborhood.

Hubert is fluent in four languages (English, Vietnamese, French, and Spanish). He and his wife Kathy have three children and are active in a wide variety of community projects.