Civic Education Alliance

Frank Poon

President, Founder

Frank Poon,

An experienced advocate with a dedicated commitment to serving the Chinese elderly in the south shore area. With over 30 years of experience, he has been actively involved in providing community assistance and service planning. For the past 20 years, Frank has served as the Asian Outreach and Information Specialist at South Shore Elder Services.

Frank's dedication to his community is further demonstrated through his involvement on various boards. He has served on the Board of Quincy Asian Resources Inc for 11 years, the Board of Quincy Community Action Program for 4 years, and the Quincy Human Rights Commission for 4 years. Through these positions, Frank has been instrumental in promoting diversity, equality, and access to resources for the Chinese community.

Since 2022, Frank has served as the Strategic Planning and Operation Director at Civic Education Alliance Inc, with a focus on addressing the pressing issues of problem gambling and mental health challenges within the Chinese community in the south shore area. By actively advocating for awareness and support, he aims to improve the well-being and quality of life for individuals facing these difficulties.

Gary Yu

Vice President, Co-Founder

Gary Yu is Founder and Chairman of Boston International Media Consulting and Boston Chinese Radio and TV. He currently serves as a Vice Chair of Commissioner of Asian American & Pacific Islanders Commission of Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Director of Asian Community Liaison at the Massachusetts State Auditor's Office, and a member of the Community Engagement & Community Reinvestment Grants Committee Member of the Suffolk County Attorney's Office.

 In addition to his work, he is passionate about community service and has served as President of APAPA-Boston Chapter, President of NECAA, President of the Boston-Hangzhou Sister City Association, and President of the UCA-MA Chapter. He has been awarded many times by the federal, state and City governments with certificates of honor in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

Recognizing the need for Asian Community to be more active in politics, he joined Michelle Wu's campaign for Boston Mayor in 2020 as the Chief Asian Community Liaison Director, helping Michelle Wu to be elected Mayor of Boston. Gary Yu has served on the campaign teams of several Massachusetts officials.

On February 15, 2023, Gary Yu along with his colleagues proposed to the Boston City Council that the Lunar New Year be made an official holiday, and the proposal was passed.

On May 17, 2023, he proposed to the Massachusetts State Government that May be designated as Asian Pacific Heritage Month in Massachusetts, which was passed, and on May 20, he hosted the first-ever AAPI Festival.

On February 10, 2024, Gary was commissioned by the City of Boston to organize the city's first Lunar New Year Festival.

On May 1, 2024, he made history as an Asian representative by throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants, at the invitation of the Red Sox.

In 2024, with support from the City of Boston, he established the Boston Urban Forum, a monthly event held at Boston City Hall. The forum invites officials and professionals from political, academic, and business sectors to discuss municipal policies and livelihood issues.

Connie C. Dai

Ex-President, Board Member

Since being raised in Shanghai, Attorney Dai has lived in Calgary, Toronto and Boston. Her rare blend of legal and business experience both nationally and internationally has given her unique capability to bridge deeply rooted gaps in ideology, cultural and thought process between native Chinese and Americans.

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Attorney Dai advises emerging to well-established companies on corporate, investment, business transactions, trademark, trade secrets and employment matters. Her practice covers company structuring, formation, draft and negotiation of a variety of commercial agreements. She has formed multiple private equity funds with investment in real estate, AI, healthcare, biotechnology, robotics and IOT. She has represented both portfolio companies and investors in angel round and subsequent series of investment transactions. 

Attorney Dai offers advice on employment matters, such as, offer letter, employment agreement, wage & hour, classification of employment, severance, non-solicitation and non-competition. She has formed and represented multiple tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. Her clients include biotechnology, CRO, private equity, education consulting, business incubator, real estate developer and broker, recruiting and staffing, export and import, online distributor for electronic products.

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In addition, Attorney Dai represents clients in the State and Federal courts as well as before private arbitration and mediations. She has handled cases involving misappropriate of trade secrets, breach of contract, breach of Computer Fraud & Abuse Act (CFAA), fraud in investment transactions, disputes arising out of real estate development and acquisition, breach of fiduciary duty, partnership dispute, non-compete, wage & overtime violation, and employment discrimination. She has represented clients in response to investigation from and settlement negotiation with government agencies: Securities and Exchange Commission, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Department of Labor.

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Prior to joining Lion’s Law, Attorney Dai worked with Cutler & Wilensky, LLP for eight years. She interned in the Massachusetts Appeals Court for the Honorable Fernande R.V. Duffly, who was subsequently appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

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Before practicing law, Attorney Dai advised and counseled business and start-ups on marketing and growth strategies, financing options and operation optimization, and has negotiated business engagements on behalf of client companies with revenues ranging from $1M to $15M. Earlier in her career, she oversaw the enforcement of anti-trademark infringement efforts by Coca-Cola China, as well as participated in joint venture negotiations that led to the establishment of several Coca-Cola bottling companies in China.

Attorney Dai has been a leader and active participant in civic engagement, community services and professional associations. She is the President and board of directors of Civic Education Alliance, a board of directors of New England Chinese American Alliance, and a board of directors of New England Chinese Information and Networking Association.

Yaran Pan

Board Member

Attorney Yaran Pan graduated from the Law School of Peking University with both a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Law. Early in her career, she provided legal consulting and guidance in the legal affairs departments of corporate groups in Beijing, followed by her practice as a specialized attorney in the field of economic law at a dedicated law firm. Prior to coming to the United States, Attorney Pan had accumulated seven years of legal experience, serving as a long-term legal counsel for several major corporate groups and international companies in China.

In 1998, Attorney Pan graduated from Indiana University School of Law and subsequently passed the New York State Bar Exam in February 1999, becoming a licensed attorney in New York State the same year. She now has nearly 20 years of successful experience as a dedicated U.S. immigration attorney. Attorney Pan is also a member of the American Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

Based in the Boston area, Attorney Pan focuses exclusively on immigration law. Since immigration law is federal, her law firm serves clients from all over the United States. With a specialized focus, Attorney Pan is highly skilled in handling a wide range of immigration cases, including non-immigrant work visas, family-based immigration, EB-5 investment immigration, and employment-based immigration. Over more than a decade of practice, her firm has achieved a success rate of over 99% across various types of cases.

Attorney Pan is passionate about community service and frequently delivers immigration seminars at institutions such as Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Bentley University, the Chinese Youth Association, Northeastern University, and the Peking University Alumni Association, as well as other organizations. She is held in high regard within the Chinese community.



Known for her meticulous and diligent approach, Attorney Pan regularly provides professional legal advice to clients with complex immigration issues. Her exceptional service quality and professional ethics have ensured the success of her clients' immigration applications, laying a solid foundation for their career and personal development in the United States. Attorney Pan’s rigorous and thorough work style has earned her an outstanding reputation and widespread trust among her clients.

Huimin Guo

Board Member

Assistant Vice President at Boston Partners Financial Group. Business Counselor in SBA/SCORE Boston Chapter and Vice President of Massachusetts Asian Restaurant Association.