Our Team

The San Francisco Bay Area Regional Center will benefit greatly from the valuable insights of its management team, consisting of senior leaders from urban planning, government and business.

Mr. Steven Kay - President

Mr. Kay is a founding member of Kay & Merkle, LLP, a San Francisco law firm specializing in transactional law, including real estate and commercial transactions, commercial litigation, estate planning and other related areas of practice. Mr. Kay has extensive experience representing entities and individuals involved in the business of developing and owning improved and unimproved real property, including Lennar Homes, Lennar Community Builders and Mills Corporation Real Estate Trust. Mr. Kay was admitted to the California Bar in 1966. He received his Bachelors degree in 1963 from the University of California at Berkeley and earned his L.L.B from the University of San Francisco in 1966. Mr. Kay is also a guest lecturer for the Practicing Law Institute (PLI).

Mr. Eric Chelini - Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Chelini is the founder of Golden Sate Renaissance Ventures, LLC which has been federally designated by the USCIS to attract foreign investment to the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to founding Golden State Renaissance Ventures, LLC, Mr. Chelini was an entrepreneur whose diverse business background included management in operations, accounting, finance, information technology, and legal arenas. Mr. Chelini has a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Santa Barbara, an MBA from California State University, East Bay and a Master of Science from Golden Gate University.

Mr. Willie Brown - Principal

Mr. Brown served as the 41st Mayor of San Francisco from 1996 to 2004. During his tenure as Mayor, Mr. Brown ushered in a significant increase in real estate development, public works, city beautification, and other large-scale city projects. Prior to serving as Mayor, he was the Speaker of the California State Assembly for 16 years, the longest serving Speaker in California history. Mr. Brown was reelected to the California State Assembly 16 straight times, serving from 1964 to 1995. Mr. Brown has also served a Regent of the University of California and a member of the Board of Trustees of the California State University system. Mr. Brown earned his Bachelors degree from San Francisco State University and a J.D. from Hastings College of Law, University of California.

Ms. Judy Chu - Principal

Ms. Chu was born and raised in Guangzhou, China and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. In 1996 Ms. Chu founded her own real estate brokerage firm, Goldenland Investments, in Oakland, Calif. where she currently serves as Principal. Ms. Chu is responsible for the management of more than 200,000 square feet of commercial property in Alameda County. Prior to starting her own firm Ms. Chu was a real estate agent with Commonwealth Co and Goodjob Properties. From 1984 to 1988, Ms. Chu served as a news announcer and producer for Sino Broadcasting Corp. Ms. Chu earned her Bachelors in Mass Communications from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mr. Eugene Wong - Principal

Mr. Wong is one of the most prominent immigration attorneys in the United States and founding member of Law Offices of Eugene Wong. Eugene C. Wong was born in China and came to the United States at the age of 12. For more than 20 years, he has been assisting aliens and U.S. corporations in immigrant and non immigrant visa applications. Mr. Wong received his Bachelors in Biochemistry from University of California at Berkley and a J.D. from the Antioch School of Law.