Lida Peterson: lida@cimpa.org

Lida Peterson, President of the Connected International Meeting Professionals Association (CIMPA) has over 15 years of event planning experience.

Her background includes work in the information technology field as an IT Manager of a Land Development company and as the Senior Network Administrator for the International Monetary Fund. After working at several joint Annual Meetings with the World Bank, her interest in event and meeting planning grew to include conferences, fundraisers, sporting events, and galas. Lida is known for her patience and calm presence when working on any event.

Her work includes planning conferences, meetings and special events such as concerts and sporting events including negotiating rates with hotels and vendors, managing logistical needs, creating and maintaining budgets and timelines, and staffing events from start to finish.

She has managed events consisting of 25 to 3,000 guests.

Lida holds a Bachelor of Science degree, and she’s a Certified Planner of Professional Meetings, a Certified Diversity Meeting Planner and a Certified Tourism Ambassador.  She has managed events in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Morocco, Greece and the U.S.

She also serves as a, member of the Board of Directors of Pan Pacific American Leaders & Mentors and member of the Executive Committee of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project.

Chief Operations Officer: Mohit Trehan: Mohit@Devotiontochildren.org

As Chief Operations Officer of Devotion To Children, Mohit Trehan leads the organization’s operations, technology, and data initiatives, building scalable systems that support high‑impact programs for young children and their families. Mohit first became involved with Devotion To Children in 2012 and, after several years working primarily in the private sector while continuing to volunteer, rejoined the organization in October 2024 as Office Manager. He was promoted to Director of Operations in March 2025 and to Chief Operations Officer in November 2025, reflecting his expanding leadership role in the organization.

Mohit has helped strengthen Devotion To Children’s infrastructure by improving internal processes, optimizing event and program workflows, and supporting the adoption of new tools and platforms. He contributes to the development of operational dashboards and data insights that help the team better understand activity and engagement. Mohit has also played a key role in website enhancements, digital communications, and volunteer coordination, helping staff, volunteers, and community partners work together more effectively.

He brings more than a decade of cross‑sector experience in software, logistics, and financial services. At Turvo, he worked in technical support and software integration roles, supporting customer implementations and rollout projects for a supply‑chain collaboration platform. His work included troubleshooting complex issues, assisting with configuration, and providing ongoing support and training to customers during and after deployment. Previously, as a Senior Analyst at SS&C Primatics, he implemented and supported enterprise‑level accounting and reporting systems for financial institutions, automating processes and helping build analytical solutions. Across these roles, he is known for combining strategic thinking with hands‑on execution and for bridging technology, data, and operations to drive results.

Mohit holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from George Mason University and an Associate of Science in Business Management from Northern Virginia Community College. He has completed Project Management training at the University of Virginia and holds both the Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO®) and AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner credentials. Based in Northern Virginia, Mohit is committed to advancing Devotion To Children’s vision that every child has the opportunity to grow into a mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy member of society.

Linh Ly: lly@pesner.com

Linh Ly is an experienced trial attorney at Nguyen & Nguyen, P.C. in Falls Church, Virginia where she practices civil litigation with an emphasis on family law. She is licensed in Virginia and enjoys assisting clients through difficult times whether it is a divorce, custody battle, business dispute, or other civil matter. Linh was selected as a 2019 Rising Star in Family Law by Super Lawyers and has a 10/10 rating and a 5-star client review average on Avvo.com, an online legal directory.

Before entering private practice, she clerked for the first Asian American judge in Virginia, the Honorable John M. Tran in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. Linh graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2013 where she was the Manuscripts Editor of the Journal of Land and Development and a member of the Thomas Tang Moot Court Team. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia where she majored in English and minored in Asian Pacific American Studies.

She is the current President of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area and a Co-Chair of the Solo & Small Firm Network of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Linh is an active member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area and served as its Vice President of Membership from 2018-2019 and its Solo & Small Firm Co-Chair from 2017-2018. In addition, she is actively involved in the Fairfax Bar Association and Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia. Linh has participated as a speaker for a variety of organizations about diversity in the law, negotiation, and solo and small firm practice.

Valerie Pelton: vjpelton@yahoo.com

Valerie is an attorney, mediator, entrepreneur and former U.S. Air Force Officer. Prior to entering federal service, Valerie represented U.S. and international technology, telecommunications and aerospace companies. Her principle practice areas include administrative law, business law, corporate transactions, corporate governance, compliance, securities, M&A, aircraft finance and software licensing. Valerie’s work is published in Journal of Air Law and Commerce, The International Lawyer, Journal of World Energy Law & Business, Texas Tech Administrative Law Journal and Journal of Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems. She speaks French, some German, Spanish, Japanese and Arabic, and is currently learning Mandarin. In addition to serving the advisory boards for AALEAD and Devotion to Children, Valerie is an American Bar Foundation Fellow and active in Washington area business, legal, military and sailing groups.

In Memoriam

Devotion to Children honors the life and legacy of Amos-Leon Otis, a cherished member of our Advisory Board who passed away in November 2025. Mr. Otis was a distinguished entrepreneur, military veteran, and mentor. His wisdom, leadership, and commitment to service profoundly influenced our organization. We are deeply grateful for his guidance and support. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and all those who were touched by his remarkable life.

Mr. Amos‑Leon’ Otis was frequently recognized for his entrepreneurial and management skills and maintained a lifelong commitment to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). He actively mentored and assisted small, disadvantaged businesses and emerging entrepreneurs, generously sharing his experience and insight.

Mr. Otis was an alumnus of Tennessee State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and California State University, where he earned his MBA. He also held a Master of Military Art and Science degree.

In 1987, Mr. Otis founded SoBran, Inc., a technical and professional services company providing support services for biomedical and environmental research, security, and related fields. Under his leadership, SoBran served major government, academic, and commercial organizations and received notable industry recognition. Mr. Otis successfully guided the company’s growth from a startup into a multi‑million‑dollar enterprise.

Prior to founding SoBran, Inc., Mr. Otis completed a distinguished 21‑year career in the United States Air Force. His service included roles as a Titan ICBM Missile Combat Crew Commander; Production and Quality Assurance Specialist serving as the USAF Plant Representative at Hughes Aircraft Corporation; Cost Analyst for major weapons systems at the USAF Aeronautical Systems Division; Comptroller for the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing in Korea; Professor of Air Science for the Howard University AFROTC program; and Program Manager at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

We are honored to have benefited from Mr. Otis’s service and leadership.

Bang Trinh: bangtrinh@gmail.com

Bang Trinh is an investor, advisor and experienced executive whose career has spanned different industries and geographies.  He previously served as Group CFO and Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer for Techcombank, the largest privately-owned bank in Vietnam. In this role, he led the bank through its IPO, the largest-ever banking IPO in Southeast Asia to date. Bang began his career at Morgan Stanley in New York and held a number ofx senior roles during his 18 years with the bank, including Managing Director, Country Head for Vietnam and the Philippines, and Senior Advisor. Prior to relocating to Vietnam in 2009, Bang worked for his family-owned real estate business in Virginia.

Bang currently serves as Trustee for Newborns Vietnam and on the Board of Devotion to Children. His passion for sports and adventure has led to summiting two of the Seven Summits and participating in endurance events such as the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, multiple IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships and the Boston Marathon. Bang is also the co-founder of Sunrise Events Vietnam, which introduced the IRONMAN triathlon brand to Vietnam and has launched several endurance sport platforms, including IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon.

Bang graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and served two terms on the Board of Managers of its Alumni Association. He is a member of the Vietnam chapter of the Young President’s Organization and resides in Ho Chi Minh City with his family.