Who We Are
Board of Directors
President: Roland Hwang
Roland Hwang is the President and a co-founder of American Citizens for Justice. By education, he is an attorney. He served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan. He has also served as a hearing referee for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and chaired the Michigan Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights.
Vice President: James Beni Wilson
James Beni Wilson has served on the board of American Citizens for Justice for 10 years. He is a documentary filmmaker born in Cebu, Philippines. James earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Arizona State University and is an active community organizer. He has served on the boards of several other AAPI organizations, including the Filipino American Community Council of Michigan, the Philippine American Community Center of Michigan, the Michigan Chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society, and American Citizens for Justice. He dedicates his role in these non-profits to intergenerational dialogue, engaging and empowering upcoming generations.
Chief Financial Officer: Gloria Q. Zhao
Gloria Zhao serves as the chief financial officer of American Citizens for Justice. She received her bachelor’s and master’s in accounting from Eastern Michigan University. She is currently a principal accountant and certified fraud examiner for the firm George Johnson & Company, where she has worked for the last 21 years. Her other community work includes acting as the treasurer of the Association of Chinese Americans.
Secretary: Olivia Moses
Olivia 艷芳 Moses (she/her) is the secretary of American Citizens for Justice, graduating from Michigan State University’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) in 2021 with minors in Asian Pacific American Studies and Peace and Justice Studies. She has spent the majority of her time in the arts & culture and nonprofit industries, gaining experiences in areas from graphic design to event planning to advocacy in epilepsy awareness and, of course, advocacy for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander equity.
Officers not pictured:
- Treasurer: Mary Kamidoi
Board Members
James W. Shimoura
Mi Dong
Mi Dong serves as on the board of American Citizens for Justice. She has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. She was a co-founder of Career Development Committee, and the founder of Pfizer’s Asian Network in her company. She is the past-president (2007-2008) of the Council of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA). Currently, she volunteers at the Korean American Community Center of Michigan as the executive director and as an advisory board member of the CAPA.
Anna Lin
Anna Lin is currently on leave as a board member of American Citizens for Justice. She graduated from Michigan State University James Madison College in May 2020. With the start of Fall 2023, Anna has returned to MSU to pursue a dual degree in the MBA and JD program. Anna is excited to start her legal studies and further explore social justice for the APIDA/Asian community when it comes to the legal system.
Outside of academia and working, Anna spends her time supporting her family’s small business and volunteering on the Alpha Phi Gamma National Sorority’s National Board.
Jayesh Patel
Jayesh Patel serves as a board member for American Citizens for Justice. His other responsibilities include leading Street Democracy’s Functional Sentencing Project, acting as defense counsel in Street Outreach Court Detroit, serving on the lawyers committee of the ACLU of Michigan, and directing 482Forward, a Detroit parent-student advocacy organization. Jayesh was previously Chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Homelessness & Poverty and a clinical professor at Michigan State University’s College of Law. Jayesh is the son of immigrants, a parent of two salty teenagers, and the husband of a better person.
Steve Thao
Executive Director of Center for Hmong Arts and Talent, Minneapolis, MN. Steve works on creating art, supporting artists, and developing youth.
Anoosha Vemulapati
Anoosha graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts double majoring in Political Science and Global Studies, with an additional co-major in Peace and Conflict Studies. I have 2+ years of experience in government relations and grassroots organizing.
Additional Board Members not pictured:
- Emma Chen
- Ayesha Ghazi Edwin
Attorney Committee Members
Christina Mui Amata
Christina Mui Amata is the ACJ Executive Director and Attorney Committee member. She is excited for this career transition working in AAPI civil rights advocacy and other causes she is passionate about. Christina also works with medical students in the Standardized Patient Program at the University of Michigan Medical School. During her legal career, Christina was an international tax attorney for American Express Company and Bosch Corporation; and served as President of Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association and Treasurer of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. In her spare time, she is a cardio and Zumba class junkie.
Julianna Lee
Julianna Lee is a member of the attorney committee for American Citizens for Justice. She is a clinical assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School. She previously was a supervising attorney of the Supporting Families Workgroup at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), where she managed two court-based domestic violence clinics and led the foundation’s family law and domestic violence practice
Ramis J. Wadood
Ramis J. Wadood is a staff attorney at the ACLU of Michigan, where he works on issues related to abusive immigration enforcement practices and discriminatory policing. He is also the Co-Chair of the Michigan Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (MCIRR) and a board member of a community health clinic in Hamtramck. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Law School, and is a proud Detroit resident.