NEW YORK (October 7, 2022) --The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families is delighted to announce that entrepreneur and community advocate Dave Lu and distinguished professor and writer Dr. Kevin Nadal are the recipients of the 2022 Catalyst for Change Awards, our annual honor given to leaders in the community who exemplify our organization’s commitment to building an equitable and inclusive AAPI movement. The awards will be presented at CACF’s annual Catalyst for Change Awards Gala on November 14, 2022, at Edison Ballroom at 6pm.

Dave Lu is a veteran in the technology industry, having worked for over two decades at big tech companies including Yahoo!, Apple, Cisco and eBay and founding two startups. He most recently started a movement with his letter condemning hate crimes against Asians that was later signed by over 8,000 prominent business leaders and influencers including the CEOs of Google, LinkedIn, DoorDash, President George W. Bush, Andre Iguodala, and JJ Abrams. The letter was published as a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal and has led to the launch of Stand with Asian Americans, a non-profit organization committed to fighting discrimination against Asian Americans. He also executive produced the HBO documentary short ‘38 at the Garden’ on Jeremy Lin’s legendary Linsanity run with the New York Knicks in 2012.

Lu also sits on the board of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center with a mission to build an APA museum on the National Mall. He received his bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Kevin Nadal is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at both John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Graduate Center at the City University of New York. He received his doctorate in counseling psychology from Columbia University in New York City and is one of the leading researchers in understanding the impacts of microaggressions, or subtle forms of discrimination, on the mental and physical health of people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people; and other marginalized groups.

He has published over 100 works on multicultural issues in the fields of psychology and education and is the author of ten books including Filipino American Psychology; That's So Gay: Microaggressions and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community; Microaggressions and Traumatic Stress; and Queering Law and Order. He has delivered hundreds of lectures across the United States, including the White House and the U.S. Capitol. He has won numerous awards, including the American Psychological Association 2017 Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest; the 2019 Richard Tewksbury Award from the Western Society of Criminology, and the Thought Leadership Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“CACF is thrilled to present Dave Lu and Dr. Kevin Nadal with this year’s Catalyst for Change Awards. Both are community leaders who embody our organization’s commitment to ensuring that AAPI voices are heard in the classroom, in the boardroom, and by our elected officials,” said CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “Dave’s work with Stand With Asian Americans and his commitment to ending violence in and against our communities is an example of how coalition-building and bringing different voices together is key to the creation of lasting change. As a New York City-based organization, we’ve worked alongside Professor Nadal for years, particularly when it comes to our work addressing anti-Asian hate and in our push for clear, disaggregated data on the city and state’s AAPI communities. We see this year’s awards gala as a renewed commitment to working with both our honorees in the months and years ahead.”

"I am truly humbled and honored to be receiving the Catalyst for Change Award from CACF. It means the world to me to be acknowledged not for my professional achievements or accolades, but for my concerted efforts to change the world for the better,” said Dave Lu. “The past couple of years have been extremely hard on AAPIs across the country. The scapegoating and hate crimes have demoralized so many communities with a sense of hopelessness. But it has also activated many people like myself to speak up and advocate for the voiceless in our community, the same way that CACF has done for over 30 years. CACF is raising up future leaders and activists who will lead the change that we so desperately need in New York and beyond. I only wish I had a program like CACF growing up, that would have equipped me with the tools to drive real change."

“It is truly an honor to be selected for CACF’s Catalyst for Change Award. As someone who has been part of New York City’s Asian American community for over twenty years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the amount of advocacy work that CACF has done over the years, and I’m truly humbled for my own work to be recognized in this way,” said Dr. Kevin Nadal. “My advocacy work has always aligned with CACF’s mission - to ensure that Asian American families and communities (as well as other historically marginalized groups) can live free from discrimination and have access to equitable opportunities as everyone else. Through my scholarship and activism, I hope to continue to work with CACF to address issues like microaggressions, violence, mental health, critically responsive education, and data disaggregation.”

The Catalyst for Change Awards Gala will also feature a performance by Broadway star Shoba Narayan, who currently stars as Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and is wrapping up her run as main character Simran in Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical,  which recently premiered at the Old Globe in San Diego.  The evening will include a cocktail hour, dinner and a live auction led by auctioneer Christine DeCastro, one of the only AAPI auctioneers working today. Both say working with CACF closely aligns with their personal missions to ensure AAPI representation in their fields.

"I am so excited to perform for CACF. It means a great deal to me to be able to support the AAPI children and families in New York City,” said actress Shoba Narayan. “I hope that this event helps CACF continue their incredible work in fostering an environment that is safe, healthy and supportive of AAPI families reaching their full potential in life.”

"As a first generation Filipina American and first generation Benefit Auctioneer, I am honored to be a part of CACF’s movement for authentic representation not only in my industry, but the world,” said auctioneer Christine DeCastro. “The Auction Industry has historically consisted of Caucasian men — with less than 5% of Auctioneers identifying as AAPI. I’m excited to bring awareness that not all auctioneers are fast talking, cowboy-hat-wearing men — sometimes we are women of color in sequins!"

For more information, please contact Lakshmi Gandhi, CACF’s Communications and Outreach Coordinator at lgandhi@cacf.org. For ticketing and sponsorship information, please head here.