The Board of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area (APABA-DC) cordially invites you to the 2025 APABA-DC Awards & Installation Gala Park Hyatt at Georgetown Dress code: Black-tie optional *** *** Join us for a spectacular evening of reflection, recognition and celebration. This year's gala will be emceed by MJ Lee, Senior National Enterprise Correspondent at CNN and feature a fireside chat with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois). We will recognize the recipients of the APABA-DC Pioneer, Community Appreciation, Member Appreciation and Rising Star Awards. Judge Danny Nguyen on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia will swear in the members of the incoming 2025-2026 Board of Directors. |
MJ Lee, Senior National Enterprise Correspondent at CNN Gala Emcee | Senator Tammy Duckworth Fireside Chat Speaker |
Join us in recognizing and honoring the following individuals as this year's recipients of APABA-DC's Annual Awards.
Recipients of the 2025 APABA-DC Annual Awards
Pioneer Award Chan Park, Open AI | Community Appreciation Award Judge Kelly A. Higashi, Superior Court of the District of Columbia | Member Appreciation Award Lt. William Xu, U.S. Navy | Rising Star Award Justin Lam, Brennan Center for Justice |
Founded in 1981, APABA-DC is the oldest and largest association of Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) attorneys, judges, law professors, and other members of the legal profession in the nation’s capital region. Our mission is to encourage and promote the professional growth and advancement of AAPI legal professionals, raise awareness of the critical issues facing the AAPI community, and facilitate our members’ involvement in the community-at-large. In 2021, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (“NAPABA”) recognized APABA-DC as the Affiliate of the Year, honoring our efforts to respond to our community’s unique challenges during the pandemic, including the anti-Asian hate and violence. And our work continues.