Our Team

Joanne Lee, Executive Director

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Joanne Lee comes with over three decades of working at the intersection of culture, economic development and social change. She has held leadership positions in arts administration, nonprofit management, and community building at a range of institutions that support equity in the cultural arts and communities of color. Most recently, she received a San Francisco Board of Supervisors Certification of Honor for serving as the Deputy Director of Programs at San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC), where she spearheaded public initiatives that addressed the City’s priorities and needs in cultural programs. Previously, Lee was at Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) as their Deputy Director and Director of Housing Development, marking over 14 years of work for Chinatown.

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Candace Huey, Head Curator

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Candace Huey is an interdisciplinary curator and art historian with years of experience conceptualizing and implementing compelling and engaging arts exhibitions and programming for local and international institutions, private entities, corporations, and non-profit organizations. She founded re.riddle, an experimental contemporary art gallery that showcases exhibitions and installations worldwide. Candace has worked for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Bonham's auction house, Alameda County Arts Commission, and various art galleries in the Bay Area. As an independent curator, she conceptualized exhibitions for Consulado General de México and España, Consulat Général de France, Villa Albertine San Francisco, Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and public exhibitions in Chicago, London, Paris and France.

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Candace holds degrees in Art History from The Courtauld in London and U.C. Berkeley, and has presented her academic research on seventeenth-century Dutch Art at renowned conferences in the United States and the Netherlands. Most recently, she was full-time faculty teaching graduate and undergraduate Art History courses at a private university. Candace is co-chair of SECA Council at SFMOMA, on the Northern California Chapter Leadership Committee of ArtTable, and an active member of Artadia San Francisco Council, Headlands Center for the Arts and San Francisco Art Dealers Association.

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Peggy Lee, Managing Director

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Peggy brings organizational development and strategic planning skills honed over two decades of experience and leadership in the nonprofit affordable housing community. She has held positions supporting and managing admin and operations, fund development, HR, organizational finance, and programs and events. Her experience has solidified her commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging in nonprofit organizational culture and systems. Prior to coming to Edge, Peggy was the Deputy Director at the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California where she supported the organization through executive transition, unprecedented growth, and led the development of two groundbreaking programs aimed at advancing racial equity and inclusion in the affordable housing sector of the region. Peggy began her career in nonprofits at Chinatown Community Development Center, where she spent six years. She is excited to be returning to the San Francisco Chinatown community and being a part of Edge’s transformational work.

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Linda Lui, Director of Marketing & Communications

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A creative strategist with over 15 years of international experience in the cultural arts, fashion industry, and academia, Linda Lui’s work ranges from commercial and luxury brands to nonprofit institutions, fine art museums, and universities. The melding of these diverse worlds cultivated her interdisciplinary methodology for marketing which entails the application of social science, visual cultures, and intellectual innovation. An early career in academia widened the aperture of Linda’s lens with critical analysis and theory, enhancing her work for companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. and Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. Her international experience includes commissions for Musée de Montmartre and Jardins de Marqueyssac, experiential programs at Institut Néerlandais, spearheading successful membership to the Fédération de la Haute Couture for emerging brands, and creative services during Paris Fashion Week. Linda is a native San Franciscan whose upbringing was directly impacted by the Chinatown community’s resources. Joining the Edge team to realize its vision is therefore much like coming full circle.

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Robyn Mallery, Marketing & Communications Associate

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While Robyn’s professional life in the arts is just getting started, his plans for the present and future are ambitious. Robyn started a collage art magazine in the beginning of 2023 titled Photosynthesis which addresses worldwide views on current events through the medium of collage. In addition, he is laying the groundwork for a long-term project of building a new museum and community space in the SF Bay Area that will focus on showing the history of Transgender, Genderqueer, Intersex, and Nonbinary individuals. Joining the Edge on the Square team of art lovers, art historians, and creators has inspired Robyn to continue to expand upon what he is learning at Edge and apply this knowledge to future projects.

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Erika Pallasigue, Art and Public Programs Coordinator

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Erika Pallasigue is a dedicated advocate for the power of storytelling to shape and enrich communities. Her passion for amplifying diverse voices and underrepresented perspectives flourished during her tenure at Eastwind Books of Berkeley—an Asian American and Ethnic Studies bookstore. In her role, Erika managed a range of programs, from author talks and book festivals to overseeing publications, deepening her commitment to the impactful intersection of literature and community engagement. As the host of hAAPI hour book club, an online reading community dedicated to fostering meaningful conversations through AAPI literature, Erika continues to build community, one book at a time. 

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Elaine Fong, Programs Assistant

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Elaine comes to Edge on the Square with a strong desire to cultivate an environment that fosters connectivity and facilitates new dialogue surrounding the power of art. Holding a degree in Art History and East Asian Studies from UC Davis, she is passionate about highlighting the present and thriving art scene in San Francisco. This background informs her work prior to arriving at Edge, having worked at various arts administrative positions in San Francisco. Elaine is excited to support the Programs team and provide community centered art initiatives for Chinatown residents to enjoy. Driven by her belief in the regenerative and restorative power of art and creativity, Elaine is dedicated to creating programming that further enriches the surrounding community and its residents. Outside of her work at Edge on the Square, Elaine enjoys going to museums and is always on the lookout for interesting things to read.

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Linda Huang, Office Assistant

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Linda Huang supports the office at Edge on the Square. She believes that the space is special and if visitors take their time to reflect on its various art offerings, they will be surprised to learn that the artists’ ideological realm is so profound. 

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Armaan Mumtaz, Visitor Engagement Associate

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Armaan Mumtaz is a 22 year old artist and recent honors graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Art Practice, living and working in San Francisco full time. Having worked in journalism, fine arts, corporate marketing, and museum/gallery spaces, Armaan boasts experience in editorial illustration, graphic design, digital outreach, visitor engagement, art handling, and assistant curation. With a people-first demeanor and a robust visual toolkit, they are currently serving as a Visitor Engagement Associate at Edge on the Square. On a community level, Armaan is passionate about furthering accessible arts spaces which diverge from an extensive history of exclusivity in the culture industries. More personally, they are interested in baking, fashion history, antique fairs, textiles, and religious studies. Armaan is using they/them pronouns.

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Waymon Ng, Visitor Engagement Associate

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Waymon is a born and raised San Francisco Native, who has a passion for listening to and exchanging personal stories with individuals. With a diverse work experience spanning in trade, education and nonprofit sector, he excels in public engagement during activations and hands-on event production. Currently he is pursuing studies in Public Health and Asian American Studies at City College of San Francisco. Joining the Edge Team contributes to his growth in the nonprofit sector and serves as a stepping stone in his community involvement.

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Our Board of Directors: 

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Stephen Gong, President, Founder
Vincent Pan, Vice President, Founder
Tatwina Chinn Lee, Treasurer, Founder
Justin Hoover, Secretary
Mabel S. Teng, Founder
Buck Gee, Founder
David Ho, Founder
Jay Xu
Malcolm Yeung, Founder

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As the first project of the Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative (CMAC), Edge on the Square is a place-based cultural institution with a strong voice that focuses on lifting up an inclusive narrative for immigrants. Edge supports Chinatown by acting as a social and economic engine to educate and transform minds by building a fun and innovative cultural hub.​ Embedded in our mission is the aim to spark discourse and foster greater public understanding of Chinatown’s significance as an immigrant gateway, ethnic community, and historical landmarks of cultural resilience.