Debra Wong Yang

Debra Wong Yang is a 4th generation Californian and native Angeleno. She is currently a partner at Gibson Dunn, serving on the Executive Committee and is the co-chair of the Crisis Management practice group. Previously, she was the first Asian-American woman appointed as a US Attorney in the Central District of California. She served as a state court Judge from 1997-2002, and during that time was a Supervising Judge in Hollywood. She has been recognized for numerous years by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles, and has been similarly recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the 100 lawyers in California. On the national level, she has been identified as one of the top 500 attorneys by Law Dragon. In 2002, Mayor Villaraigosa appointed her to be a Police Commissioner for LAPD. Coming from one of founding families of Chinatown, she was instilled with a sense of community activism and support. She currently sits on the Board of the LA Phil, River LA, Civicas, Committee of 100 and joined the Otis College Board of Trustees in June 2020. She formerly sat on Boards for educational institutions from collegiate to elementary school. She has been active and a founding member of Asian and women’s law groups. She was previously the President of the Chinese American Museum.