The Friends of the Chinese American Museum (FCAM) is pleased to name Dr. Pauline Wong as the new Interim Executive Director to lead the Museum into the next phase of its development. Having successfully served as the Executive Director for the Chinese American Museum (CAM) since 2001, Suellen Cheng will continue to remain on board, assuming her new status as Executive Director Emeritus. This key change in leadership marks a dynamic new direction in the growth and development of the organization’s size, scope and structure.

Dr. Wong is a native of Guam, where she lived for 18 years before coming to the U.S. to pursue her B.A. degree in English and Sociology at Texas A&M University. After graduation in 1995, she worked in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as Co-Producer of the English Language Program at the Faculty of Business. Her interest in museums began when she became a volunteer docent giving guided tours in English at Cambodia’s National Museum of Phnom Penh. She began her graduate work at the University of California, Los Angeles where she earned her M.A. in Social Sciences and Comparative Education in 2000. Her research explored the arena of nonformal education and the role of museums in providing alternative spaces for learning. She recently earned her Ph.D. in Education from UCLA in 2006.

Prior to this new appointment, Dr. Wong served two years as the Museum Educator at CAM and since 2004, has been instrumental in creating the CAM Docent Training Program, the Family History Scrapbook Program, and the overall expansion of the organization’s educational outreach. She was appointed by the CAM Board of Directors (FCAM) as the Interim Executive Director in January 2006.

As the new Interim Executive Director for CAM, Dr. Wong will be responsible for overseeing the organization’s day-to-day operations and cultivating fundraising efforts and strategies to propel CAM into its expansion phase. She will also be working closely with FCAM Board and staff in forging new relationships and creating new opportunities within the community to enhance public awareness of CAM as well as to continue to champion the museum’s mission in promoting understanding and appreciation of the 150 year-plus history of Chinese American experiences and contributions in America.

The Friends of the Chinese American Museum is a 501(c)(3) charitable, non-profit corporation serving as the support group, advisor and community link for the Museum. CAM’s mission is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of America’s diverse heritage by researching, preserving, and sharing the history, rich cultural legacy, and continuing contributions of Chinese Americans. CAM is located in downtown Los Angeles at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, the birthplace of Los Angeles as well as the site of the city’s original Chinatown.

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