---
title: "Ask The CEO: NAPABA’s Tina Matsuoka"
id: "17719"
type: "post"
slug: "ask-the-ceo-napabas-tina-matsuoka"
published_at: "2013-06-01T12:30:36+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-15T20:22:50+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/06/01/ask-the-ceo-napabas-tina-matsuoka/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/06/01/ask-the-ceo-napabas-tina-matsuoka.md"
excerpt: "Tina Matsuoka, executive director, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, answers questions from NAPABA member Michael Yim."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Career Development"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "Career Development"
  - "Established CEO"
  - "Leadership"
  - "Legal"
  - "mentorship"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Executive Leadership"
---

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 » Ask The CEO: NAPABA’s Tina Matsuoka

**Why did you decide that you were more interested in nonprofit leadership than law practice?**

> I went to law school because I wanted to be a civil rights and community advocate.

When I was a young civil rights lawyer, I moved to a state where I didn’t know anyone, and I joined NAPABA’s local affiliate, where I found colleagues who were willing to share their wealth of knowledge and made friendships that have lasted to this day. I enjoyed working within an association framework as a volunteer to help lawyers advance their careers and to promote diversity and inclusion in the profession. I began to think about ways that I could pursue this work on a full-time basis, and when I had the opportunity to become executive director of NAPABA, I knew it was the perfect job for me.

**Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in your job?**

During one of NAPABA’s Annual Conventions, I had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Pearl Tang, the wife of the late Judge Thomas Tang, the first Chinese American to ever serve as a U.S. federal judge. He was a champion of individual rights, an advocate for lawyers of color, and an ardent supporter of NAPABA. I had not realized that Dr. Tang was a trailblazer in her own right as the first Asian Pacific American (APA) female doctor in Arizona and a tireless community advocate.

**In law school, what did you imagine you would be doing in your career?**

I went to law school because I wanted to be a civil rights and community advocate. In many ways, my position allows me to pursue those same passions. I work on policy issues that affect the APA community, and I have the privilege of helping young lawyers and law students navigate their paths through the legal profession.

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Tags: [#Career Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/career-development/)
 [#Established CEO](https://associationsnow.com/tag/established-ceo/)
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 [#mentorship](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mentorship/)

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