The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) proudly congratulates Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa on being announced as an award recipient today the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). NAPABA is the nation’s largest Asian Pacific American membership organization representing the interests of about 80,000 attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. This competitive and prestigious award recognizes rising stars who have achieved prominence and distinction in their fields and demonstrated a strong commitment to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) civic or community affairs.

Kusakawa will be honored at the 2025 NAPABA Convention, taking place from November 6 to 8 in Denver, with an anticipated 3,000+ attendees. Award presentations will be highlighted throughout the event to celebrate the honorees and their achievements. Kusakawa is honored alongside ten other recipients, including Tansy Woan, Litigation Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Anjali Srinivasan, Partner at Keker, Van Nest & Peters; Qiaojing Ella Zheng, Managing Partner of San Francisco and Palo Offices of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP; and more.

Kusakawa is a leader within the legal and nonprofit fields, having served on the boards for numerous nonprofits and bar associations, including the Asian Pacific American Bar Association Education Fund, which provides scholarships for the next generation of legal professionals; the National Filipino American Lawyers Association; and as a Founding member & President of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of D.C. She has been a trailblazer within the legal field on the intersection of criminal law, civil rights, and national and research security. For her expertise in these fields, she was invited by Secretary Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. Secretary of State, to serve on the advisory board of SECURE Analytics, the data analysis and reporting hub for the National Science Foundation’s SECURE program, a $67 million investment authorized by Congress. She spearheaded new infrastructure in the civil rights space and built next-generation pipelines within the legal profession for these new frontiers, such as by founding the first Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights, & National Security department at Asian Americans Advancing Justice I AAJC, one of the largest and leading national Asian American civil rights organizations in the country; and co-founding a joint program with the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at NYU School of Law that allows law fellows to engage in legal research and advocacy at the intersection of foreign relations, national security, science and technology, and civil rights.

Before entering the legal field, Kusakawa served her country through AmeriCorps, where she addressed the educational, social, and financial needs of low-income residents of Ohio. She also has extensive international experience, including through her work as a Rotary Scholar and then educator in Japan, and by promoting economic development in rural villages in the Philippines. In every role, Kusakawa has demonstrated a deep commitment to humanity, justice, and community empowerment.