Hao Lam

Hao Lam, CEO and Chairman of Best in Class Education Center, has devoted his entire career to advocate for supplemental education. Ironically, he was illiterate when he was a kid. As a child living under the Communist regime in Vietnam, Hao was faced with adversity and hardships that affected his ability to attain a conventional education. It took him 13 years, including two months in jail, and being shot at to make it by a boat to a Philippine Refugee Camp. Inspired by the wisdom and courage of his would-be future wife Lisa, he learned his first English words in the refugee camp at the age of 20. He made his way to Canada where he realized his dream of graduating from high school at the age of 23. In 1995, Hao's true passion for teaching and entrepreneurship propelled him to open his first tutoring school in Seattle. In 2011, he franchised the business and today, he oversees 65+ franchised centers across the United States.

Lam is a serial entrepreneur whose passion for the environment led him to co-found a recycling company in Vietnam. He also co-founded a Seattle-based mortgage company, co-owned a commercial real estate acquisition and management firm and invested in multiple restaurants. Hao is also a real estate investor. In addition to his responsibilities at Best In Class Education Center, Lam is a motivational speaker, who encourages people to achieve their full potential. In his book From Bad to Worse to Best in Class: A Refugee’s Success Story, Hao shares his success story from humble beginnings as a Vietnamese refugee to leader of a national education franchise in the US.

Lam also served on the board of several non-profit organizations:
- President of the Indochina Chinese Refugee Association
- Forum Co-Chair of Entrepreneur's Organization of Seattle
- Advisory Board member of UW Consulting and Business Development Center