Chiling Tong

Chief Executive Officer & President
National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship

Chiling Tong has extensive domestic and international experience in economic and business development, focusing on enhancing the growth of minority-owned small businesses. Her career spans the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. She is the President and CEO of the National Asian & Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE), representing the interests of 2.91 million Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) small business owners and all entrepreneurs across the country. National ACE collaborates with over 130 affiliate AAPI chambers and partner organizations nationwide to advocate for AAPI and all small businesses, enhance capacity building, and foster the next generation of entrepreneurs and executives.

Tong is also the Founding President of the International Leadership Foundation (ILF), a nonprofit organization that has promoted civic awareness and public service among AAPI college students since 2000. She served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the International Trade Administration and later as Chief of Staff for the Minority Business Development Agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce. She was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by both President Donald Trump and President George W. Bush. Additionally, she was named to the commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture.

Tong was an Ash Center Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, she worked to promote California's economic development, trade, and employment services. She served as Director of California's Office of Trade and Investment in Taipei, Taiwan, and as Assistant Secretary for International Trade in the California Trade and Commerce Agency. She also worked for the California State Senate Minority Leader’s Office as the Chief Asian American Affairs Advisor.

Tong was awarded a Coro Public Affairs Fellowship and served as the Los Angeles County Community Action Board Chairperson. She was also a television anchor and reporter for China TV, a Los Angeles-based international television station. In 2017, she was named Advocate of the Year by the Minority Business Development Agency and recognized at the White House for her significant contributions to small business development. Her husband, Joel Szabat, is currently the Vice Chair of the Amtrak Board of Directors.