Guest Speakers:

Ms Janet Nguyen was elected to the Garden Grove City Council on November 2, 2004, coming in first out of nine candidates. She is the first woman to serve on the City Council in nearly 35 years and the youngest member ever to be elected.
Janet has served on the Garden Grove Planning Commission, the Garden Grove Traffic Commission, and was a former board member for the Orange County Alcohol and Drug Advisory Board. She has worked for two former Chairmen of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and former Orange County Assemblyman as the District Director.

Janet dedicates countless hours to different organizations throughout Garden Grove. She is currently a Board Member for the Garden Grove Hospital and Center for a Brand New Day. She is also a member of Soroptimist International of Garden Grove and former Associate Member of the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Association, former Board Member of the Grove Theatre Center and Senior Meals on Wheels. In addition, she owns a consulting business for public and community relations and the former Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Janet has been recognized by the Asian Pacific American Legislative Staff Association as the first Vietnamese American in California to hold the District Director position for a state or federal legislator's office. She has been awarded the We Give Thanks' 2004 Women of Vision Award, which recognizes outstanding women who have provided exceptional services to the community. In addition, the Orange County Register Newspaper has listed her as one of the "30 Vietnamese Americans To Watch" and was named as the OC Metro Magazine 2006's "25 Hottest" People in Orange County .

Janet is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. A strong supporter of education, Janet taught the Law Student Admission Test's (LSAT) preparation course to potential law students for Princeton Review

Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Janet and her family escaped their homeland on a small wooden 10-foot boat sailing across the South China Sea in search of freedom and democracy. Janet and her family arrived in California in 1981. Janet has lived in Garden Grove, Orange County for more than fifteen years with her family and three siblings.

Janet resides in Garden Grove with her husband Tom Bonikowski and their three dogs.