Esther Wong's appointment as the new executive director of the Chinese American Service League was announced on March 25. Wong's appointment comes at a crucial time in CASL's expansion period, which began two years ago with a $9.15 million Capital Campaign, and the promotion last year of Bernarda Wong. Esther Wong is one of the original ten people who founded CASL in 1978 to serve the Chinese community. In the 23 years since then, she has served as a board vice president, been active in many board posts and chairs the committee that oversees CASL's programs. She has been a Chicago resident for more than 30 years and has been a professional social worker, both in Hong Kong and in Chicago for 15 years. Professionally, she has also successfully headed her own businesses. In 1987, Mayor Harold Washington awarded her the Mayor's Commission on Women's Affairs' Woman of the Year Award. Last year, Wong sold her business to serve CASL in the role of staff consultant. In addition to her work with the Chinese American Service League, Esther Wong has also lent her time to the Saltpond Redevelopment Institute.
Ms. Wong is the second person to serve in this position, succeeding Bernarda Wong, who was promoted last year to serve as the agency's president. She holds a B.A. from the University of Hong Kong and a M.A. from the University of Chicago's Social Service Administration. In 1978, She
Bernarda Wong, ACSW, president of the Chinese American Service League (CASL), holds a B.A. from Briar Cliff College and a M.S.W. from Washington University (St. Louis). For over thirty-three years Bernarda Wong has worked in the social service arena. Wong was among the founders of CASL in 1978, leading the agency as its only executive director. In April 2001 she took on the newly-created position of CASL President. Wong is universally lauded as a leader in the Asian community both in Chicago and nationwide: she chaired the Chicago Mayor's Advisory Council on Asian Affairs both under Mayor Harold Washington and the current Mayor Richard M. Daley; was the first Asian appointed to the Boards of United Way of Chicago and the Chicago Public Library; serves on numerous boards and committees throughout Chicago; and networks with other social service agencies both in the area and around the country. Recognizing the agency's achievements under Bernarda Wong, the United Way/Crusade of Mercy has bestowed upon CASL two major awards, the Executive of the Year Award and the Triennial Evaluation Excellence Award making CASL (Source: Irene Cualoping, JD, ENERI/Rieny)