- Breaking Barriers Building Bridges -
The Executive Team
Robert Ha
Co-founder & Executive Director
A multi-lingual, born entrepreneur and community leader, Robert has established a travel and notary business in Edmonds to serve the Asian community in the Washington State. Prior to that, he worked as a bilingual instructor and counselor for 6 years at the Seattle Bilingual Program. Robert has also served as a member of the Seattle-Kaoshuing Sister City Association and the Chairman of the International District Historical Preservation Board. Robert brings with him a strong suite of programs, strategy, and external relations as Executive Director of Asian Service Center.
Watching his parents being the community leaders at the Chinese Refugee Organizations, young Robert has gained a passion for serving the community as they are part of the family. As a Christian, Robert believes we shall love our neighbors as ourselves.
Crystal Xiao
Co-founder & Executive Development Officer
Crystal has worked in strategy, development and management roles at Fortune 500 companies for nearly two decades. To the co-founder and Executive Development Officer role, she brings extensive experience in managing multicultural relationships, strategic planning and operations, special events and volunteer management. She was selected to be the Most Dedicated Employee of the Year at Wal-Mart; Regional Winner for Shared Success Program at Nielsen. Outside of work, Crystal is passionate and volunteers at local schools and community churches.
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As an immigrant herself, Crystal deeply understands the needs of new immigrants and their families, and the challenges they face. As a devoted Christian, she believes: "Love in action. Be devoted to one another in love." She is motivated to influence the new immigrant community, and empower them to succeed in every aspect of life.
Annette Lee
Executive Director Assistant & Social Media Marketing
Annette has participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, a government-sponsored initiative that aims to promote internationalization and cultural exchange. Then, she worked directly at Japanese schools for 10+ years. She contributed to making a difference in students' lives and supported their confidence in learning English. Through her teaching experience, she realized the need for more effective and engaging resources for classroom team-teaching. It led her to create Eigo Ganbare, a website that provides lesson worksheets, digital learning games, and more.
In addition to teaching, she has interned for several U.S. EdTech startups, where she helped develop innovative solutions for online education. She also has an ambition to provide neurodiverse individuals with hope in believing in their inner strengths.
She is thrilled to be part of the Asian Service Center team, where she can contribute to breaking barriers and building bridges for Asians in Snohomish County. As a Christian who has a lived experience in different countries and being neurodiverse, she understands the challenges and opportunities that come with those.