Getting to Know TAA President and Secretary

The business and activities of Thai Alliance in America is conducted under the leadership of president and secretary. With the according mixture of talents and diversified skills, this will ensure that TAA continues to grow and increasingly play greater roles and have more visibility among Thai communities in the months and years to come. 

Thanit Thangpijaigul (ธนิต ตั้งพิจัยกุล)
President

Mr. Thanit Thangpijaigul has a successful career with the World Bank Group in  Washington, DC. His responsibilities as a technology manager includes security trading technologies, trading room designs, telecommunication, real-time market information systems and disaster recovery and business continuity management. He has provided technical assistance to various central banks around the world.

He has been involved in volunteering work during his free time since he came to the U. S. some thirty years ago. He helped manage the Buddhist Association in Washington DC (Wat Thai DC) for more than 25 years as the Vice President - Finance. He was part of the management team who completed the Wat Thai DC multi-purpose building during late 1990s. He implemented a financial plan to fund the construction of the multi-purpose building by borrowing interest-free funds from Wat Thai DC members, and arranged with the lending institution to use members’ CDs as collaterals for a low interest construction loan to complete the building project. Funds borrowed from members were repaid within three years. Mr. Thangpijaigul joined the Thai Alliance in America (TAA) in 2004 as the Treasurer. He has successfully managed the financial affairs of TAA including two major King’s Gala fund raising events. Mr. Thangpijaigul is married and has two adult sons.

Apisit Ide Viriya (อภิสิทธ์ อ้าย วิริยะ)
Secretary

Mr. Apisit Ide Viriya has been involved in reviving the Thai Alliance in America in the following areas.

- Played a key role in drafting the organization’s by-laws and the mission statement
- Engaged the youth membership and participation in the community
- Met with key members of the Thai American community to build support in reviving the organization
- Organized general interest meetings among community stakeholders
- Led membership recruitment initiatives across multiple Thai communities 

While pursuing his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, he co-founded the Thai American Student Connections organization and also served as co-president. During his graduate studies, Mr. Viriya has served as an adviser to the Thai Student Association at the University of Maryland-College Park. Through these two student organizations he has successfully organized community service events, cultural shows, and social events.