Risa is the Executive Director of Asian CineVision, a NYC-based non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of media works by artists of Asian descent.  She was the festival director of the NY Asian American International Film Festival in 2001 and 2002.

Risa received an M.A. in film and education from NYU in 1999 while serving as the Associate Director of the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program and Institute.  She is the President of Edgewood Pictures, Inc., a motion picture production company.  In addition to lecturing across the country on Asian and Asian American media, Risa has served on many juries/selection committees including POV, Tribeca All Access, IFP Project Involve, and IFP Gotham Awards.