Jong Limb

I am the President and founder of Newport Partners which develops, builds, and manages affordable housing primarily in California. Newport has built over 3000 units of housing to house those with lower incomes through the use of tax credits and subsidies available to finance the construction of these projects. Throughout my career, I have been involved with well over $2 billion in development of affordable housing. Prior to founding Newport Partners, I was the President of Edison Capital (subsidiary of Edison International) with responsibilities for investing in tax advantaged projects. I have a BS in Accounting from NYU and an MBA from USO.

As for my public service experience, I am currently a Planning Commissioner for the city of Irvine, reviewing and evaluating developments in Irvine. I am also a Board member of the Irvine Community Land Trust (ICLT), a non-profit created by the city of Irvine to sustainably develop affordable housing in Irvine. In addition, I am a Board member for a large social service provider in Los Angeles (KYCC) with an annual budget of over $20 million and over 200 staff members serving the community in the areas of education, health, and housing. Last but not least, I have also previously served as a Board member of SCCCA. During my term, I helped finance and develop the solar carports and rooftop solar to help reduce the electricity costs to SCCCA now and for a long time. In addition, I also provided guidance to SCCCA to get approval for a CUP to operate an immersion school at the Center.

As many people may know, my wife (Karen Kuo-Limb} was construction chair to build the Center with a minor assist from me in the background. Besides having spent a significant amount of time on the construction of the Center, we also contributed a significant amount of funds for the building and various other causes over the years. In addition, our two sons graduated from ICS and now our grandchildren are attending the school as well so our attachment and commitment to SCCCA is strong. It is my intention to make sure we continue to go in the right direction and I think my experience, both private and public, would be an invaluable asset to SCCCA.

My vision for SCCCA should be what is reflected in the name of the organization, South Coast Chinese Cultural Association, especially what is highlighted in bold letters. The organization was created to provide Chinese Culture to a diaspora living here in the United States to maintain ties to their origins and to educate and enlighten those of non-Chinese origins of the many wonderful traditions of Chinese culture. Chinese Culture encompasses many elements and some of the more important elements are (1) Language and Writing, (2) Confucianism and Taoism, (3) Cuisine, (4) Calligraphy and Art, and (5) Festivals. So, the vision of SCCCA should be to become the pre-eminent organization to provide the best educational platform for Chinese Culture in the community at large. The focus should be on all elements of culture for all ages and nationalities on a balanced basis.

A board member’s responsibilities include providing strategic direction, ensuring accountability and transparency and supporting the organization’s mission and impact in the community. Towards that end, I would like to ensure that the mission and vision of the organization is effectively pursued. Make sure that the organization is being prudent in their financial management and is operating in a sustainable manner. Provide executive oversight including setting in place a succession plan not only for the ED but also for other key personnel. Set up a policy of a minimum amount of financial contribution from all board members in addition to their contribution of time. More frequent engagement with SCCCA’s trustees to update and inform of recent developments and accomplishments. Provide for greater engagement with the community at large with programs for all age levels to maximize the utilization of the facilities. Expand fundraising activities to broaden the contributors from just a few to enhance participation. The Board should lead by example by having 100% participation in contributions to SCCCA.