2024 Honoree:

President Hilda Heine

President Hilda Cathy Heine is the first woman to serve as president of the country and the first woman to serve as head of state in any of the five Micronesian countries of the North Pacific, serving as the eight and tenth President of the Marshall Islands. Prior to becoming President, Dr. Heine was the nation’s Minister of Education, and she is currently a senator representing Aur Atoll. Dr. Heine was the first person in the Marshall Islands to earn a doctorate degree. In 1987, she co-founded the women's rights group Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI). She attended college in the United States where she earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon. She earned a master's degree at the University of Hawai‘i, and an educational doctorate at the University of Southern California.

Distinguished Panelists:

Dr. Yanghee Lee, Professor Emeritus, Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Child Psychology and Education
Mona Pasquil Rogers, Director of California Government Engagement, Meta, Inc.
Kristen Udui, Graduate Degree Fellow, East-West Center
Jean Lee, Adjunct Fellow, East-West Center; Co-Host, The Lazarus Heist (Moderator)

Panelist Bios:

Dr. Yanghee Lee

Dr. Yanghee Lee is a South Korean developmental psychologist and professor at Sungkyunkwan University. She is most noted for her work in international human rights organisations. Lee is highly recognized nationally and internationally for her expertise in human rights. She has published numerous articles and books on human rights and children’s rights. Lee currently serves on the advisory committee of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. She is the founding President of the International Child Rights Center, a non-profit organization based in Seoul. In 2009, she received the Order of Civil Merit, the highest recognition given to a civilian in Korea, for her work in human rights. Lee served as chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child under the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2007 to 2011. She also served as chairperson of the Meeting of Chairpersons of Human Rights Treaty Bodies from 2010 to 2011. Lee was appointed special rapporteur of the UN on the situation of human rights in Myanmar which was established in 1992 under the Commission on Human Rights Resolution 58 and extended annually. The Open Society Foundation funded Lee's work through several grants to the Sungkyunkwan University to support her research.

Ms. Mona Pasquil Rogers

Mona Pasquil Rogers serves as Director of California Public Policy for Meta, where she is responsible for managing relationships with policymakers throughout the state. Prior to that, Pasquil Rogers served as Appointments Secretary in the Office of Governors Gavin Newsom and Edmund G. Brown Jr. where she was responsible for helping the Governor build his administration by recruiting top candidates to serve the state. In 2009, Pasquil Rogers served as Chief of Staff to California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi and Acting Lieutenant Governor, after Garamendi was elected to Congress. This marked the first time a woman, Asian Pacific Islander or Filipino-American served in this role. Pasquil Rogers is a veteran political advisor and strategist having directed presidential, gubernatorial, and local campaigns across the nation. Her work includes serving as political director for twice-elected California Governor Gray Davis. She served as deputy CEO for the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California political director for the Gore-Lieberman campaign, and western political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs under President Bill Clinton. Mona was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 2003-2009 and worked as a strategic consultant for IBM's national, state, and local government sales team. Mona has served on the California American Water Board since May 2020; on the James Irvine Leadership Awards Selection Committee, and the JBay Board of Directors. Her awards include a Presidential Citation to commemorate her service as the first Filipino American lieutenant governor of California from former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Mona is most proud of her work mentoring California's youth to become more active in their communities. This work includes founding the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project of California, an organization dedicated to boosting Asian and Pacific Islander youth involvement in California policy. Mona continues her commitment to mentorship and serves as the immediate past president of California Women Lead and the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Institute.

Ms. Kristen Udui

Born and raised in Palau, Ms. Kristen Turang Udui attended Palau Mission Academy before moving to Taiwan for university. She graduated in 2020 with her Bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communication. Kristen worked for two years in Palau as the communications coordinator for the Friends of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, where she worked alongside the Palau Pledge co-founders. She also volunteered her time outside of office hours to help with local fishery and agriculture events in the community. Kristen now lives in Honolulu and is currently working as an administrative assistant at Seal Pros Hawaii.

Ms. Jean Lee

Jean H. Lee is a journalist and foreign policy analyst renowned for her expertise in covering North Korea and Northeast Asian affairs. She is co-host of the award-winning Lazarus Heist podcast for the BBC World Service and a former Pyongyang bureau chief for the Associated Press news agency. Jean began reporting on the ground in North Korea in 2008. In 2011, she became the first American journalist to join the Pyongyang foreign press corps in North Korea. In 2012, she opened AP’s Pyongyang bureau, the first and only US news bureau in North Korea. Her work in North Korea from 2008 to 2017 included nearly three years working alongside North Korean staff and colleagues in Pyongyang on assignments that took her across the closed nation to visit farms, factories, schools, military academies, and homes in the course of her exclusive coverage. Jean has shared her North Korea experience and analysis as a featured speaker at the Aspen Security Forum, SXSW, the Milken Institute Global Conference and the Jeju Forum, and at universities and think tanks around the world. She also has served as a CNN contributor, and has appeared as a guest on CBS’ Face the Nation, PBS Newshour, NBC and BBC Television, among other outlets. She publishes commentary in The New York Times and elsewhere, and can be seen in the National Geographic documentary series “Inside North Korea” as well the “Dictator’s Playbook” on PBS, “How to Become a Tyrant” on Netflix, and in the Oscar-nominated 2023 documentary “Beyond Utopia.” Jean is co-host of the acclaimed Lazarus Heist podcast series about North Korea for the BBC World Service. Season 1 of the Lazarus Heist was nominated for the Peabody Award in 2022. Season 2 was released in 2023.

Women of Impact