Board of Directors

 

Pin Chen | President, Founder

Pin Chen began studying the violin with her father at the age of six and went on to earn her Bachelor of Music degree in music education with Department Honors from Northwestern University. She graduated at the top of her class with a Master of Music degree in Music/Music Education with a Conducting Specialization from Colorado State University, Fort Collins. Her extensive experience with teaching music in public schools, both in affluent communities and in the inner cities, led her to found CYMG as a way to use music to bring together students from any and all backgrounds. Pin Chen is currently Orchestra Director at Arcadia High School, which boasts one of the largest and most prestigious school orchestra programs in the state. Chen has also been teaching private violin and viola lessons since she was 14 years old and is the conductor of the PYSO String Orchestra. She is a sought-after conductor and clinician as a well-seasoned and respected music educator.

 

Akhani CacaoAkhani Cacao | Vice President

Akhani Cacao is the Band Director of Los Angeles High School.  He had been a percussion instructor for 20 years and has judged for the American Drum Line Association as well as instructed many percussion ensembles since he began teaching at age 18. He had helped restart the Marshall High School drumline program as well as worked with CYMG musicians to provide entertainment and community participation in local parades and events. Akhani graduated with an English Literature degree from CSULA and has a Masters degree from Bard College. 

Ann Lee | Treasurer

David Diaz, Jr.David Diaz, Jr. | Secretary

David Diaz is a music educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) as well as a freelance clarinetist. Born in Los Angeles, he was educated at Hamilton Academy of Music and at the University of California, Los Angeles where he studied clarinet performance and chamber music with the acclaimed studio musician and centaur recording artist Gary Gray. His musical mentor and confidant was the late Kalman Bloch, the legendary retired principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. To his credit, David Diaz has performed in major concert halls in the US such as: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Carnegie Hall, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Royce Hall (Los Angeles), Hollywood Bowl, and many others. In addition to being a music educator and recitalist, he enjoys giving master-classes in the inner-city schools as a way to promote the arts in the communities.

 

SaraHackney Rosawan Rusmeepongskul | Board Member

Rosawan Rusmeepongskul is the Business Manager for Anser Capital Group, LLC, a consulting firm that provides consulting services to healthcare companies regarding mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy. Her Bachelor of Arts is from City University of New York’s Center for Worker Education, and she has over 25 years of experience providing administrative support in the investment banking industry. Having grown up as a child of immigrants, not knowing much English when she came the U.S., she volunteers for CYMG because she believes that anyone who works hard should always have open doors.

 

ClaudiaBiezonskyClaudia Biezonsky | Parent Representative

Claudia is career development professional that currently works for INROADS, Inc. as a manager and mentor to under-represented college students who intern in corporate internships. She has been in the field for almost 20 years. Claudia graduated from USC with her BA in Communications and is a proud Trojan. She has always loved the arts and is a strong supporter of exposing children to both visual arts and music. She joined the CYMG Board to help make music education accessible to more young people. She keeps busy with her 5 loves – her husband Serafin, Victor 7 (CYMG student), Rebecca 6, Zarah 3, and Aaron 1.

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Honorary Board

 

Bobby HellerRobert Heller

Entrepreneur Bobby Heller has always had an affinity for strong, innovative, and passionate artists. Founding Opus Photo in 2005, Heller created a leading management and production companies with one of the most diverse rosters of talent, recognized for its progressive fashion, editorial, music, celebrity, and advertising clients. Heller originally studied economics and mathematics at Babson College and finished his Bachelor of Arts & Communications Sciences at Emerson College.

 

John Ottman

John Ottman is a respected film editor, composer and director. He is best known for his collaborations with film director Bryan Singer, acting as film editor and composing the scores for such films Superman Returns, X-2, Valkyrie, Fantastic Four andThe Usual Suspects, for which he won a BAFTA award for his editing. From an early age in San Jose, California, Ottman began writing and recording radio plays on cassette tapes. He’d perform many characters with his voice (and some sound effects), and called upon his neighborhood friends as extra cast members. By the fourth grade, Ottman was playing the clarinet and continued doing so throughout high school. But his real concentration turned from audio productions to making films. He turned his parents’ garage into a movie studio, where multiple sets were interchangeable to accommodate productions – invariably some sort of science fiction film. By high school, his films evolved to hour-long productions complete with large sets and lavish scores edited together from his favorite soundtracks. Ottman graduated from the School of Cinematic Arts of the University of Southern California.

 

Yu Tsai

Yu Tsai | Primary Initial Investor

Yu Tsai was made in Taiwan but assembled in the USA and raised on good ole’ mid-western American corn.  He attended UC Riverside and majored in Biology, then attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and studied graphic design. It was during this time that he discovered his true passion for the arts along with directing and photography as a means of telling a visual story. Tsai’s inspirations are a compilation of his studies and his extensive travels to Africa, Europe, Asia and the Mid East. Drawing from his expertise and talents in design his journey lead Yu Tsai to his present focus of fashion and advertising photography which has bridged so seamlessly into the world of celebrity. Yu Tsai’s resume of the industries most beautiful and provocative musicians and celebrities includes Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Anne Hathaway, P Diddy, Leona Lewis, Sienna Miller, Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Evan Rachel Wood, Rihanna and more. Yu Tsai also creates some top imagery for international brands such as Emporio Armani, Guess, Clairol, Neiman Marcus, Bebe, BCBG & Apple. He has been creating covers/stories for top magazines like Vanity Fair, Harpers Bazaar UK, and Muse. Yu Tsai made his mark in television as a regular photographer, judge, and mentor on America’s Next Top Model.  Mr. Tsai generously provided the majority of CYMG’s funding in its first year.

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Advisory Board

 

Becky TsaiBecky Tsai, Ph.D. | Founding Chair

Becky Tsai received her Doctorate and Masters in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. She has had a long-standing interest in advocating for educational experiences and is the founder of Science in Action, which provides science workshops in elementary schools.  Tsai mentored teens as a youth group leader for the Hsi Lai Temple. She was instrumental in securing funding for CYMG from the first year and is one of the greatest and most consistent contributors of her time and networking resources for CYMG.  Dr. Tsai is currently working as a genomics curation scientist.

 

Jennifer Moss | Inaugural Member, Board of Directors jennifermoss

Jennifer Moss was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois and received her Bachelor of Music in theory/composition from Northwestern University.   Moss is the Founder/CEO of one of the internet’s first parenting websites, BabyNames.com. Moss has always enjoyed a variety of creative outlets: song writing, web design, photography and writing. Moss is a published author: her first book, The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book, was published in 2008, and her debut novel, Town Red was published in 2012. Moss was a board member of the Northwestern University Club of Los Angeles for many  years.  She also founded and organized the LA Female Business Owners (LAFBO), a networking group for female entrepreneurs in the greater LA area. Moss currently serves on the executive board of  The Bully Police Squad, an organization founded by police officers to help schools define and enforce their bully prevention strategies.

Kenton ChenKenton Chen | Inaugural Member, Board of Directors

Kenton Chen is the music director and founding member of The Backbeats, 3rd place winners on Season 2 of NBC’s The Sing-Off.  Kenton grew up taking violin lessons from his father and singing in church and school choirs. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Vocal Jazz. In recent years, Kenton helped launch LA’s first Asian American Music Festival and shared the stage with many artists, including Katy Perry, Ben Folds, Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Stevie Wonder, and the late Natalie Cole. An avid songwriter, Kenton combines his jazz, classical, and pop influences to a music that is playful, thoughtful, and full of heart. Currently, Kenton is performing regularly around LA and with Rozzi Crane, the first artist to sign with Adam Levine’s record label.  Kenton is following his debut album, Something About Love, and new EP, Fierce Tears, by working on new material for his upcoming album, Speakeasy.

SaraHackney

Sara Hackney

Sara Hackney is an attorney and actress. During the height of the Cold War, Sara’s family sought political refuge in the United States where she was raised and educated. During her formative years, her love for performance – in theater, dance, and music grew, and she was trained in violin, piano, drama, ballet and traditional Armenian dance. Hackney is a corporate generalist attorney who concentrates on entertainment, intellectual property, and negotiation, specializing in contract drafting; technology/IP licensing; regulatory compliance; government contracts.

 

Ashley Loh | Public Relations Intern

Sala Yu had first picked up the viola at the age of 12 and fell in love with it instantly. Throughout her school years, she has developed a strong passion for all of the arts, both performing and visual. The music community has provided her with a new expressive outlet and is always her go-to in times of stress, which in turn has improved her performance in many tasks in her everyday world. Music has become an entirely new feeling of joy and always will be for the rest of her life. As the public relations intern, Sala wishes to bring more light toward the CYMG organization and all its programs and to create more happy memories in the years to come.