The Chinese Heritage Foundation Advisory Committee consists of five to seven founding donors elected by current members of the Committee. Members serve staggered two-year terms and are eligible for repeat terms as long as they remain donors.  When a vacancy occurs the Committee will undertake a vigorous search among CHF donors to look for individuals who will meet the high standards of CHF’s policy for volunteers and gauge his/her ability to work collaboratively with the members already on the Committee.  The winning candidate will then begin immediately to serve a staggered two-year term, similar to the rest of the Committee.

One of the  primary responsibilities of the Advisory Committee is to review and vote on the grant applications that CHF receives.  There are two rounds of applications every year, the deadlines of which are on March 15 and September 15 (details on applying can be found here: https://chfmn.org/grants/application-guidelines.html.

Members of the Advisory Committee

Gail Chang Bohr (2026-2028)

Judge Gail Chang Bohr was the first elected Asian American judge in Ramsey County and currently serves as a Senior Judge for the State of Minnesota. Prior to her judicial career she had received numerous distinguished service awards and national recognition for her path-breaking leadership roles in child advocacy work, advancing human rights, and contributions to race relations.  Among her awards are the William Mitchell Law Review Excellence in Leadership Award and the American Bar Association’s Child Advocacy Award.

In addition to writing extensively on representation of children, Judge Bohr is nationally known for her commitment to mentoring future leaders by designing and teaching training programs for judges and lawyers on children’s rights.  She has served in leadership roles in the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, PBS Undertold Stories, and the Coalition of Asian American Leaders.   View full biography 

Pearl Lam Bergad (2026-2028)

A retired research molecular biologist from the University of Minnesota, Pearl Lam Bergad has been an active volunteer in the Asian community of the Twin Cities, particularly in the arts and Chinese senior affairs. In 1995 she initiated efforts to commission new chamber music works to commemorate World War II in Asia. The resulting world premiere of Hún Qiáo [Bridge of Souls], A Concert of Remembrance and Reconciliation, was presented by the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota and featured cellist Yo-Yo Ma. In 2002 she was honored by President George W. Bush for her many volunteer activities, and subsequently received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota and a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans. In 2022 she received a Distinguished Achievement Award from Carleton College, and the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota named its eighth undergraduate Guild in her honor. From its founding in 2004 to 2025, she served as the volunteer Executive Director of the Chinese Heritage Foundation.  Since then she has remained the grants administrator of the Foundation.

Yvonne Cheung Ho (2025 – 2027)

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Yvonne has decades of leadership and community-building experience. As co-founder of the former Cantonese Cultural Center, and past president & CEO of MEDA – a non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs of color in growing their businesses—she has deep expertise in nonprofit management, cultural programming, and cross-cultural engagement. Now retired, Yvonne applies this background to strengthen the promotion and understanding of Chinese culture in Minnesota, bridging heritage and community impact through strategic guidance and hands-on support.

Ida Lano (2025 – 2027)

Ida Lano has been a member and volunteer of the Chinese Heritage Foundation for many years.  Her parents, Robert Wen-Hua (deceased), and Jean (deceased) Chang were dear friends of CHF founder, Ming Tchou and her husband Dr. M. F. Tchou.   Growing up in Minnesota, Ida had felt that there was a lack of information on Chinese culture.  She joined CHF because she subscribed to its mission of bringing meaningful cultural interactions and activities to all Minnesotans   A Passage to China, a signature outreach event of CHF for many years, was a clear example of bringing Chinese culture to a mainstream audience.

Ida recently retired from Microsoft in Data & AI solutions.  Prior to that, she spent 30 years with IBM, primarily in sales and technical roles.

Ida has a sister, Ivy Chang, and two sons, Alexander and Theodore Lano.

Yin Simpson (2025 – 2027)
Yin Simpson began her fashion design career at the former Dayton’s Department Store and went on to establish her own couture design shop that has served many prominent women in Minnesota. In addition to designing ball gowns and wedding gowns, Yin often serves as a wardrobe consultant and a special events producer. Many of her designs, some on Chinese painted silks, have been shown at fashion shows and art exhibits throughout the Twin Cities.

Yin’s passion for beauty extends beyond fashion to include food, flowers, and friendships; and it has led to her dedication in volunteerism. She has devoted much time and effort to women’s organizations, children’s issues, mental health awareness, and Chinese cultural affairs. Often assuming the role of a development officer or event organizer, she has been involved with the Minnesota Mental Health Society, the American Lung Association, the Chinese Senior Citizens Society and many other Chinese organizations. She also has continued at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts as a collection and focus guide.

Margaret M. Wong ( 2026-2028)
Margaret Wong was born in China and, while still a child, fled China with her family in 1949, eventually settling in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Subsequently she came to the United States for college and majored in foreign languages. She taught French and Spanish for several years before embarking on her career of teaching Chinese language and culture, first in the Minneapolis Public Schools and later at Breck School.

Over the years she has created Chinese language programs for both the Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools, and later the Concordia Language Chinese Village. Every summer she has led her students and their parents on study tours to China.

Her contribution to the understanding of Chinese culture in Minnesota has been recognized by numerous awards. They include the Minnesota Chamber Excellence in Teaching Award, Dodge Foundation Award for Teaching of Chinese, U.S. Defense Education Award, Asian Pacific Education Award, and the Twin Cities International Citizen Award. She was a founding member of the National Association of Chinese High School Language Teachers, and has served on the boards of many organizations, including the U.S. China People’s Friendship Association-MN, Organization of Chinese Americans-MN, and the China Center of the University of Minnesota.

Margaret frist served on this Committee from 2004 to 2020, and, in 2026, was persuaded to return.