Phuong Do

Phuong Do is the Director of Technical Assistance and Training for the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC). At SEARAC, Phuong’s work is focused on strengthening organizational structure of local community based organizations so that they can increase their capacity to better serve and represent their communities. Phuong began her community work in Denver, Colorado in 1991, providing resettlement services to Vietnamese refugees. Shortly thereafter, she was hired by SEARAC as Leadership Program Coordinator to address leadership and organizational capacity needs of Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs). She spent over six years working at the national level with ethnically diverse immigrant groups addressing leadership development needs.  Phuong has also directed a national AmeriCorps program that engaged young Vietnamese Americans in building community-based leadership skills through committing to a year of service at local community-based organizations.

Currently, Phuong is working with refugee self-help groups from Bhutan and Burma, providing individualized technical assistance and training to community leaders as they organize to create their own voice and gain greater access to services and resources for their community members.

Phuong has extensive experience and knowledge in leadership development and capacity building specific to refugee and immigrant-led organizations. Her work with immigrants and refugees has also inspired her to examine ethnic/cultural identity, national allegiance and homeland issues through visual representation, and she has devoted the past 10 years to exploring these issues through photography. She holds a Master of Social Work degree, and a Master of Photography degree.