Heritage Gala
May 1, 2026 | The Biltmore Los Angeles
Benefiting Scholarships
Women In Tech, Entertainment, Science & Sports Program
Woman of the Year
Every year on May 1st, Asian Hall of Fame hosts an invitation-only Heritage Gala black-tie benefit for women’s scholarships. This year’s sold-out gala welcomed 150 guests honoring Chairwoman Melinda Rogers as Woman of the Year.
Melinda Rogers
WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2026Born and raised in San Marino, Board of Governors Chairwoman Melinda Rogers and her distinguished family are respected for their commitment to community development. In the early 1900s, the Rogers family established the Union Rock Company which at one time was the largest sand, rock, and gravel enterprise in the world. Later, as Pacific Rock and Gravel Company, their infrastructure contributions included projects that became The Grapevine, Pasadena Freeway, The Wedge at Newport Beach, among others. Chairwoman Rogers upholds her family’s fourth generation tradition of service in California through humility and cross-cultural friendship. She actively participates in Women Investing In Nonprofits, Luminaires Guild of the Doheny Eye Institute, Foundation Board of USC Keck Arcadia Hospital, San Marino Motor Classic Sponsor, The Lincoln Club, and others, reflecting her continued dedication to community service and lasting impact.
Lynn Valbuena
WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2025Lynn Valbuena is the Chairwoman of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, currently serving her sixth term. With nearly 50 years of leadership experience, she has held numerous roles within the Tribe and broader organizations, including TASIN and the National Indian Gaming Association. Lynn has received many accolades, such as the NIGA Chairman’s Leadership Award and induction into the American Gaming Association Hall of Fame. She remains committed to tribal sovereignty and cultural preservation.
Distinguished Author Keynote
This year’s dynamic fireside chat was hosted by philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis (Inductee 2007).
Loida Nicholas Lewis
DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR 2026 | INDUCTEE 2007Mrs. Lewis is Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLC, a family investment firm. A lawyer by profession, and admitted to practice in the Philippines and New York, Mrs. Lewis was the first Asian woman to pass the New York bar without attending law school in the United States.
After she won her discrimination case against the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), she worked as General Attorney in the New York Federal office from 1978 to 1988. She co-authored “How To Get A Green Card” which is now in its 14th edition and is a bestseller in its genre.
Mrs. Lewis served as Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice International, a $2.2 billion multinational food company with operations across Europe from 1994-2007. She assumed its leadership after the sudden death of her husband, Wall Street financier and the first Black billion-dollar dealmaker, Reginald F. Lewis. Presently, she is also the Chair of The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation which has given over $37 million in grants since its founding in 1987.
Nancy Kwan
DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR 2025 | LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT INDUCTEE 2021At just 18, Nancy Kwan was studying dance with England's Royal Ballet School, when she was spotted by producer Ray Stark, who tested her and gave her the starring role of a free-spirited Hong Kong prostitute who captivates artist William Holden in The World of Suzie Wong (1960). She followed it the next year with the hit musical Flower Drum Song (1961), and became one of Hollywood's most visible Asian actresses. Born in China to a Chinese father and British mother, Kwan spent the 1960s commuting between film roles in America and Europe (including the pilot for Hawaii Five-O (1968)).
As managing director of her own production company in Hong Kong, she produced and directed dozens of commercials for the Southeast Asia market. She also acted in a spate of films made for Southeast Asian audiences, including Fear (1977) (aka Night Creature (1978)).
In the US, Kwan appeared in numerous TV series, the NBC miniseries, Noble House (1988), and the CBS made-for-TV movie, Miracle Landing (1990). She's politically active as the spokeswoman for the Asian-American Voters Coalition. Kwan was at the ceremonies in Los Angeles at Hollywood Park, where the Asian community gathered to watch the handover of Hong Kong to the government of China. In 2021, Kwan was inducted into Asian Hall of Fame with the Lifetime Achievement Award alongside Bruce Lee’s son Brandon Lee, opera legend Sumi Jo, and other luminaries.
Heritage Costume Show
Presented by pageant holders including a Rose Pageant Princess, Miss Asia USA, Miss Teen Latina Global, Hi-Teen USA, Miss International U.S. Virgin Islands, Miss Taiwanese American, and Mrs. Asia Glamour.
