Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association

MNAPABA Executive Board Meetings - All Are Welcome!

  • The board typically meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month. See the event list for information about the next board meeting. If you would like to view a copy of the minutes from a given meeting, please contact our Secretary.

Executive Board

Yida (Oliver) Li

President


Oliver is an IP counsel for Leica Biosystems. Oliver was previously an associate attorney at Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C., where he practiced general intellectual property law. Particularly, his practice focuses in handling patent applications across multiple jurisdictions. Prior to law school, he was an engineer in the medical device field. Oliver graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Minnesota and a J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Valerie Narcy

President-Elect


Valerie Narcy is an attorney at Larson • King, where she specializes in product liability, medical malpractice, and professional liability, with a growing focus on the areas of data privacy, technology, and AI. Before joining Larson King, she gained invaluable experience as a judicial law clerk at Ramsey County District Court, an Assistant County Attorney with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and a personal injury attorney at Hall Law, P.A. Valerie also holds a master’s degree in educational administration and higher education from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, where she lived for four years. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, exploring new cuisines, learning languages, and staying ahead of developments in technology and gaming.

Nicole Dailo Jison

Immediate Past President


Nicole is Senior Corporate Counsel at Life Time, where she advises business leaders and human resources partners on employment issues. Nicole previously worked as an employment associate at Nilan Johnson Lewis and as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Julia W. Brand in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. In the Twin Cities legal community, Nicole has served as a pro bono asylum attorney with the Advocates for Human Rights and a mentor for the University of St. Thomas School of Law Mentor Externship Program. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2011 and earned her J.D. from the USC Gould School of Law in 2014.

Navin Ramalingam

Treasurer


Navin is an Associate Attorney in the Intellectual Property and Technology Litigation Group at Robins Kaplan LLP. He helps inventors, entrepreneurs, businesses, and IP owners protect and monetize their intellectual property. Navin was born and raised in the Great State of Tamil Nadu in southern India. During his free time, Navin likes to explore the Minnesota outdoors with his wife and two pups; read magical realism or historical fiction books; brush up his Deutsch; and ride his 2021 Royal Enfield Meteor 350.


Karl Johnson

Secretary


Karl Johnson is an attorney with Sapentia Law Group. Karl has represented debtors and secured and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy cases under chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13. He has also represented trustees in bankruptcy cases under chapters 7 and 13.

His clients include individuals, small and large businesses, and institutional creditors. Karl also has experience drafting loan documents, litigating creditor-debtor and inter-creditor disputes, debt collection, and defending FDCPA actions.

Raoul Shah

VP of Communications


Raoul is an Associate Attorney in the Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice group at Robins Kaplan LLP. He seeks justice and compensation for those who have been injured through no fault of their own, drawing on his the trial and litigation experience he gained in his prior career as a prosecutor. During his free time, Raoul enjoys outdoor activities, playing trumpet in a local brass band (B+ Brass), and spending time with his family.


Mingli Wu

VP of Membership



Nick Rauch
VP of Outreach



Sheila Niaz

VP of Programming



Sheila Niaz is a patent attorney and litigation associate at Norton Rose Fulbright, where she focuses on intellectual property and product liability disputes. With a background as a software engineer, Sheila works on cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning, IoT devices, and blockchain. She previously clerked for the Honorable Wilhelmina M. Wright and the Honorable Patrick J. Schiltz, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for Minnesota. Sheila serves on the boards of several organizations, where she is committed to promoting diversity and advancing opportunities for underrepresented groups. In addition to her board service, she provides pro bono legal services to underserved communities and entrepreneurs.


Elvis Kim

VP of Programming


Seung Sub “Elvis” Kim is an associate at Carlson Caspers, focusing on patent litigation and intellectual property counseling for national and international clients across industries including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and telecommunications. Elvis has extensive experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in patent disputes before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, United States District Courts, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. His expertise also extends to patent prosecution, particularly in pharmaceuticals and cannabinoid-related formulations. Outside the office, Elvis is a dedicated athlete who enjoys pickleball and tennis, and has a developing passion for collecting vinyl records.



MNAPABA PAST PRESIDENTS


Nicole Dailo Jison, 2023-2024

Christopher Jison, 2022-2023

Mayura Noordyke, 2021-2022

Sukanya Momsen, 2020-2021

Vincent L. Pham, 2019-2020

Alex Dyste-Demet, 2018-2019

Melitta Drechsler, 2017-2018

Ben Kwan, 2016-2017

Greg Schwartz, 2015-2016

Irene Kao, 2014-2015

Veena Iyer, 2013-2014

Inchan Hwang, 2012-2013

Bryan Wong, 2011-2012

Rebecca Chaffee, 2010-2011

Judge Nicole J. Starr (formerly Kubista), 2009-2010

Alexander Kim, 2008-2009

Sumbal Mahmud, 2007 (Oct.-Dec.)

Steven Reeves, 2006-2007

Ngoc Nguyen, 2005-2006

Judge Susan Burke, 2004-2005

Dan Lew, 2003-2004

Ash Mishra, 2002-2003

Ruby Dasgupta, 2001-2002

Tami Schroeder, 2000-2001

Sach Darji, 1999-2000

Linda Chung, 1998-1999

Melissa Wright, 1997-1998

Judge Regina Chu, 1996-1997

Jeff Eng, 1995-1996

Terry Louie, 1994-1995

Jeff Eng, 1993-1994

Jennifer Park, 1992-1993

Marianne Remedios, 1991-1992

Terry Louie, 1990-1991

 

Mailing Address:
MNAPABA c/o Minnesota State Bar Association
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 380, Minneapolis, MN 55402
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