Lifetime Achievement: Wesley Fong

Wes is an attorney and an adjunct professor teaching law and ethics at the University of Hawaii, Shidler School of Business, Travel Industry Management. He was a staff counsel for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and a former Hawaii state supervising deputy attorney general in charge of the tort litigation division and a Honolulu city senior deputy corporation counsel and the head of the trials division. He is a court appointed arbitrator. He also holds a real estate broker’s license.

He graduated from Punahou School, the University of Hawaii with a B.A. degree in political science and the University of Illinois School of Law with a JD degree. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General School, Command & General Staff College and U.S. Army War College.

A Vietnam veteran, he retired as a colonel, U.S. Army. He served as a captain in the Medical Service Corps in Vietnam and later served as the staff judge advocate, U.S. Army Pacific Reserves; deputy commander, Pacific Liaison Command; and the staff judge advocate, U.S. Army/ Japan. He was awarded the legion of merit, two bronze stars, two meritorious service medals, the Vietnamese cross of gallantry awarded by the Republic of Vietnam and combat medic badge.

Recently appointed by the governor as a commissioner on the Hawaii Sister State and International Partnership Commission, he is also the chair of Neighborhood Board 14. He has served as the chair of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission and vice chair of the Honolulu Liquor Commission.  His past community service includes president the Chinese Chamber of Commerce; Hawaii Arthritis Foundation; Military Officers Association of America; Hawaii; Maryknoll School Advisory Board; Palolo Chinese Home; West Honolulu Rotary Club; Hawaii Chinese Civic Association; Mun Lun Chinese School; Chinatown Community Center Association; and See Dai Doo Society. He was also the vice chair of the Hawaii/Pacific Export Council, Department of Commerce and a director of Catholic Charities Hawaii.

Among his honors, he is the recipient of the national Jefferson Award for Public Service; the Distinguished University of Hawaii Alumni Award; the Organization of Chinese American Award for community service; the Hawaii Chinese Civic Association Mandarin Award for community service and personal achievement; the Jaycees International Old Timers Award for community service; and the Veterans of Foreign Wars 50^th Vietnam Anniversary Commemoration Medal (only 50 awarded in Hawaii) for military and community service.



           In regards to the Chamber, besides being a past president and engaged in many Chamber activities, from 2008 – 2018, on behalf of the Chamber, he coordinated and led the Hawaii Veterans Good will Delegations comprised of retired military generals and admirals, at the invitation of the China Association for International Friendly Contact, to foster a better friendship and understanding between China and the U.S. He also established the Chamber’s Chinatown Outreach Task Force that assisted the Chinatown merchants during the power outage in Chinatown and which has made significant major improvements in Chinatown to make it more safe and secure for our residents and tourists.

Outstanding Business Person: Gordon Au

Gordon Au is a seasoned insurance professional with Finance Insurance and a dedicated Board Director of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. With decades of experience, he remains highly active in the property and casualty market, handling both commercial and personal lines, and is widely regarded as one of the most active senior Asian agents in Hawaii in generating new business.

Beyond his professional work, Gordon is deeply committed to community service. He volunteers monthly to support Mun Lun School and assists with landscaping work and also the same at Lobster King Restaurant. He is also a founding member of the Palolo Chinese Home's Annual Dynasty Golf Tournament, contributing to its long-standing success.

In addition to his insurance career, Gordon has maintained a strong interest in the stock market for over 20 years and was the winner of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin Stock Contest in 2002. 

Young Professional Award: Ian Rhee

Ian C. Rhee, CFA, CFP®, is a Financial Advisor with UBS Financial Services Inc.. A graduate of Punahou School in Honolulu, he earned degrees in Economics and Japanese from Middlebury College.

Ian began his career in Los Angeles trading fixed income before moving to London, where he led a European credit trading desk and managed global fixed income portfolios. His professional experience includes trading and developing investment strategies across high-yield bonds, investment grade bonds, and credit default swaps.

Having lived in cities such as Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo, Ian is conversational in Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean. He was inspired to become a financial advisor by his parents, both finance professors, after seeing them struggle with the complexities of personal financial planning. Today, he focuses on providing tailored financial planning and comprehensive wealth management.

Outstanding Chamber Volunteer: Sheldon Konno

Sheldon Konno is a graduate of Pacific Buddhist Academy and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he earned a B.Ed in Elementary Education, an M.Ed in Educational Psychology, and an M.Ed in Educational Administration. A dedicated educator, Sheldon currently serves as a principal in the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, applying his passion for leadership and community building daily.

Rooted in the principle of giving back, Sheldon began his involvement with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii alongside his wife, Deanna Choy Konno. Since then, he has been a mainstay at the Narcissus Queen Pageant, the Narcissus Festival Coronation Ball, and various Court public appearances. His commitment to the Chamber’s mission is further evidenced by his work with the Annual CCF Golf Tournament, serving on the tournament committee, and the donation, volunteer, and scholarship & grant sub-committees.

Beyond his work with the CCCH, Sheldon’s spirit of service extends to various non-profit and governmental organizations, reflecting a lifelong dedication to strengthening the community and support systems of Hawaiʻi.

Outstanding Narcissus Festival Volunteer: Jamie Chang

Jamie Chang was instilled with Chinese traditions as a young child but never fully understood why. The Narcissus Pageant opened the door to the beginnings of her cultural involvement as a young adult. Since then, she has been constantly learning about her Chinese heritage.

Jamie joined Oo Syak Gee Lu Society, a society that helped identify her genealogy back to her ancestral village roots in Zhongshan, China. This led her to many roles within the society, from sitting on every committee throughout the years, to serving as Board of Director and most officer positions. Her most recent term as President in 2023-24 allowed Jamie to realign OSGL and reunify its members after the pandemic.

Noting the values of the Narcissus Pageant cultural classes exclusively for contestants, Jamie encouraged OSGL members to participate in the 75^th anniversary of the Narcissus Festival cultural classes that were open to the public for the very first time. This also allowed Jamie to become involved with the pageant nearly 25 years after she was a contestant herself.

Jamie is thankful for the opportunity Michele Choy has given her this past year to work alongside her and the most incredible, knowledgeable people within the Chamber and community. She enjoys seeing the growth of the young adult contestants and young members of OSGL, as it reminds herself of her naiveite at that young age.  She hopes she can serve as a mentor to them, and encourage cultural enrichment and values in their lives.