Manjusha P. Kulkarni
Manjusha P. Kulkarni (Manju) is Executive Director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning
Council (A3PCON), a coalition of over forty community-based organizations that serves
and represents the 1.5 million Asian Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County. Manju
also serves as a Lecturer in the Asian American Studies Department of UCLA, teaching
“Ethnic, Cultural and Gender Issues in America’s Health Care Systems” and “South
Asian American Communities.” Prior to joining A3PCON, Manju was Executive Director
of the South Asian Network (SAN), which advances the civil rights, violence prevention
and health and health care access of South Asians in Southern California. Between
1999 and 2010, Manju served as Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program
(NHeLP) in Los Angeles, California. There, she worked to improve access to quality
health care for low-income individuals through administrative and legislative policy
advocacy and litigation. Manju’s work has been featured in numerous publications,
including the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and PRI’s The World and she has
been a regular contributor to Huffington Post. Manju began her career working at the
Southern Poverty Law Center in her hometown of Montgomery, Alabama.
Manju received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Certificate in
Women’s Studies from Duke University and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston
University School of Law. In April 2014, Manju received the White House Champions of
Change award for her dedication to improving health care access for South Asian
Americans.
Ruthann M. Chou
Ruthann M. Chou is Program Manager at Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council
(A3PCON), a coalition of over forty community-based organizations that serves and
represents the 1.5 million Asian Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County. Prior to
joining A3PCON, Ruthann was a Senior Legal Due Diligence Specialist at Panda
Restaurant Group, the world leader in Asian dining experiences and parent company of
Panda Inn, Panda Express and Hibachi-San. With over 2,200 locations, Panda Express
is the largest Asian segment restaurant chain in the United States. Between 2009 and
2010, Ruthann served as a Volunteer at Center for Asian Americans United for Self
Empowerment, where she managed PR outreach efforts. Ruthann also worked for the
Office of Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in Sacramento, where she
monitored bills of interest to the Mayor.
Ruthann received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from UC Berkeley and a Juris
Doctor degree from UC Davis School of law. While at UC Berkeley, she spent a year
studying abroad at the University of York in England. While at UC Davis, she earned a
certificate from the King Hall Public Service Law Program. She was born and raised in
the San Gabriel Valley/Pasadena area.