The Asian Real Estate Association of America Boston chapter president Elena Lau welcomed attendees to the eighth gala Feb. 28 at the State Room. (Image courtesy of Ling-Mei Wong.)

The Asian Real Estate Association of America Boston chapter rang in Lunar New Year at its eighth annual gala Feb. 28 at the State Room.

“Our achievements are not possible without our leaders, who contribute to our mission,” said AREAA Boston president Elena Lau. She thanked members for helping the Boston chapter win chapter of the year in 2019 for the second time, the only AREAA chapter nationwide to do so.

AREAA National president Amy Kong inducted the 2020 Boston chapter board. Lau continues to be Boston chapter president for 2020, serving on the executive board with treasurer Dick Lee, and secretary and community outreach chairwoman Abby Nguyen-Burke. Other board directors inducted were Henry Choi, Steven In, Richard Kim, Kathleen Lau, Jacquelyn Medeiros, Alexandra Siemiatkaska, Conan Soohoo, Jean Soong and Tom Truong.

Lau asked attendees to observe a moment of silence for Liz Hochberger, honorary board member in memoriam, who passed away in 2019.

The gala was hosted by Quincy City Council president Nina Liang and Chris Dorin, RCN Capital senior loan officer and trainer.

AREAA is a nonprofit trade organization committed to representing real estate professionals, providing educational and networking opportunities, serving the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, and promoting sustainable homeownership while empowering members and partners. The organization has 17,000 members in the United States and Canada, representing 51 ethnicities and 26 spoken languages.