GALA CO-EMCEES

Vivian Lee

Vivian Lee (she/her) is an Emmy-winning TV journalist, producer, public speaker, and moderator in New York. Since April 2022, she has been a correspondent with “Asian American Life”, a production of CUNY-TV. She is also a co-host of the podcast “The 5 Of Us.” 

From 2008 to 2020, she was the weekend news anchor and breaking news reporter for NY1. Her reporting and anchoring include extensive coverage of the pandemic in New York, the Black Lives Matter protests, and President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. 

As an anchor and reporter, Vivian has covered numerous stories of national and international importance, including the election campaign and win of Donald Trump, Hurricane Sandy’s devastation of NYC's coastal communities, and Pope Francis’ stunning election at Vatican City.  Vivian was the first reporter from New York City to break news of the Cardinals’ decision while reporting live in St. Peter’s Square. She also anchored coverage of the pope's historic visit to Cuba and the US. 

Vivian was also host of Spotlight New York, a weekly showcase of the arts and culture scene across all five boroughs. Her work was recognized in 2020 with an Emmy Award for her story on the history of Manhattan’s famed Joe’s Pub. 

Vivian’s career in New York started at WNBC in 2002, where she was a general assignment reporter throughout the tri-state area. She moved to NYC after a stint as CityTV Toronto's parliamentary correspondent and federal affairs reporter in Ottawa, Canada.

She was born and raised near Toronto, Canada, and began reporting while completing her journalism degree at Carleton University in Ottawa, first as an intern, then as a weekend reporter at CJOH-TV Ottawa and ATV-ASN News in Halifax. After graduation, she became co-anchor at "A Channel" Calgary of the award-winning weeknight evening news show. 

Vivian has received numerous awards recognizing her industry and community contributions, including the New York Women’s Foundation’s 2021 “Pillars of Courage” award, shared with four of her former NY1 colleagues. She also received KAFSC’s 2019 Lifetime Engagement Award. She currently serves as co-chair of KoreanAmericanStory.org and lives in New York with her husband and two daughters.

Thomas Roh co-heads the Debt Capital Advisory team within BTIG’s Investment Banking Group focused on consumer and commercial asset finance. He began his professional career in fixed-income investment banking roles at Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan Securities, then transitioned to roles focused on credit portfolio acquisition and commercial loan origination. Mr. Roh returned to investment banking in 2020 to leadership positions within debt capital markets. 

He lives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife Kathy and son Connor. He enjoys playing golf and skiing. tennis and travel. He holds a BA from Brown University.