Kabo Yang (Chair)

Kabo Yang is a Strategic Services Consultant at Propel Nonprofits, working with organizations in the areas of strategic planning, board governance and organizational impact. She also teaches at St. Catherine University and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Kabo was most recently the Executive Director of the WoMN ACT (formerly MN Women’s Consortium), advocating on behalf of women throughout the state, and has worked in and volunteered for community-based organizations for 20 years. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree with research interests in women, refugees and leadership. She is a single mom to two young adults and enjoys traveling, hiking and watching cheesy horror movies.

Vân Huynh (Vice-Chair)

Vân Huynh (she/her) is a queer Vietnamese American, born in Saigon. She is an immigration attorney, having co-led several high profile deportation defense cases and whose legal and advocacy work strives to build movements with organizers in order to effectively address root causes of criminalization. She has been involved with Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago and Atlanta, PASO-West Suburban Action Project, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation, and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) – all working to organize immigrant communities and to connect with Black-led organizing.

Vân is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. Currently, she splits her time between Atlanta and Chicago, and frequently visits family in Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Anthony Tan Nguyen (Treasurer)

Anthony Tan Nguyen currently serves as the Administrative Manager for the Alliance Healthcare Foundation. Prior to this role, he was the Alliance Coordinator for Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, the research arm of Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego. He is the former District Director for U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) and has worked in both his San Diego, CA and Washington, DC offices handling issues on health care, seniors, housing, labor, human trafficking, national security, and Asia-Pacific affairs. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from San Diego State University, a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of San Diego, and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Anthony previously worked for the U.S. Social Security Administration and started his career in public service interning for the U.S. Department of State – Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. He is the former Secretary (Executive Board Member) of the Vietnamese American Youth Alliance of San Diego, Past President of the Vietnamese Student Association at SDSU, current Political Partner of the Truman National Security Project – San Diego Chapter, and 2022 CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment) Fellow. Anthony is a proud 1.5 generation Vietnamese American, born in Taiwan, and fluent in Vietnamese. He enjoys oil painting, throwing ceramics, and spending time with his wife and son at national and state/local parks.

Seng So (Secretary)

In the 1980s Seng So’s parents fled the Khmer genocide and settled in the Bay Area. It is from this history—the struggles and sacrifices of his ancestors—that paves his path today. Seng has been a youth organizer in California’s immigrant and refugee communities for almost two decades. At the heart of his life and work are three principles: community, love, liberation.

Lue Vang

Lue Vang is the Finance Manager at The McKnight Foundation. He currently serves on the board of directors for Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) and Friends of Saint Paul College Foundation. Prior to his current experience, he served on the Planning Commission for the Saint Paul and Capital Improvement Program Advisory Committee (CIPAC) in Ramsey County. Lue holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Saint Olaf College and resides on the eastside of Saint Paul, MN. In his spare time, he enjoys spontaneous trips outside of Minnesota.

Roseryn Bhudsabourg

Roseryn Bhudsabourg is a government relations professional with a decade of experience in public policy, community outreach, and advocacy. Roseryn is currently the Supervising Program Administrator for the Office of Government Relations with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the largest multi-purpose water supply, watershed stewardship, and flood management special district in California.

Roseryn previously served as a Senior Assistant and Communications Director at the California State Assembly in Sacramento, where she managed legislation and provided communications support to more than 100 bills, advised on key policy decisions, and conducted research and analyses of a broad range of policy issues, including environmental sustainability and social justice. She was also a member of the 2020 Staff Academy cohort of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Institute and the Capitol LGBTQ Association. Prior to the State Assembly, Roseryn was a Council Assistant with the City of San Jose and spearheaded the city’s first Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month festival, drawing upwards of 2,000 attendees annually during its four-year run.

While she considers San Jose her hometown, Roseryn grew up in different cities across the San Francisco Bay Area and overseas in Bangkok, Thailand, where her family is from. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in journalism and is an alumna of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI) at De Anza College. Roseryn also currently serves on the Board of the Santa Clara County League of Conservation Voters.

Samantha Hing

Samantha Hing is a Staff Attorney at Bronx Defenders in their Immigration Defense Practice. She provides removal defense for detained and non-detained indigent clients. Before going to law school, Sam worked as a Data and Systems Manager at KIPP NYC through the Impact Fellowship at Education Pioneers. Before taking on this fellowship, she was in tech consulting and worked for large federal agencies. Sam is a second generation Cambodian American and the first of her family to graduate both college and law school. Sam is a graduate of Rutgers Law School-Newark and Columbia University. She currently resides in Jersey City but frequently visits family in her hometown in Long Beach, California. Sam tries to visit Cambodia every 3-4 years and tries to visit Asia once a year. You can find her at the gym, cosplaying at an anime convention, or running a race.

Kathy Duong

Kathy Duong (she/her) has been working in the legislative and local government space for over a decade with her work rooted in government affairs, policy analysis, and community engagement. Kathy is a Public Policy Manager with Amazon, leading public policy and outreach with local communities throughout Northern California. She is passionate about equity access and forging successful public/private partnerships that benefit the community. Before joining Amazon, Duong worked for nine years as a government affairs and community relations director in Silicon Valley and also served as public policy director for a San Jose Councilmember.

She earned her associates degree at De Anza College, undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduate degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She was named Silicon Valley’s 40 Under 40 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2019. Born and raised in San Jose, CA, Kathy loves spending time with her family and they can be found serving coffee with her husband at their shop, Academic Coffee, on the weekends.

Hieu Pham

Hieu Pham is a Director of Programs and Community Outreach at Monsoon Asians & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity. She oversees victim services for Central Iowa, and administers the Legal Assistance Program for Asians & Pacific Islanders (LAPAPI). Hieu is a former journalist who worked as a government reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen and covered presidential campaigns for Agence France-Presse. Hieu immigrated to the United States as a child and refugee from Vietnam, and is passionate about issues such as Asian American identity, community health and the immigrant diasporic experience. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Iowa. A mother of three, Hieu loves to read, journal, and seek culinary adventures whenever she manages to get away.

Huong Nguyen-Yap

Huong Nguyen-Yap (she/her/hers) is the Director of Community Investment at Women’s Foundation California where she is responsible for spearheading the Foundation’s grantmaking and convening strategies. Previously, she worked at Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) and Asian American Pacific Islanders In Philanthropy (AAPIP). Huong’s experience also includes working as a clinical social worker for community-based, youth development programs.

Huong earned her MSW from San Jose State University and her BA in Asian American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Huong also serves on the board of EBAYC in Oakland and is a core member of the Hella Heart Oakland Giving Circle.

Mike Hoa Nguyen

Mike Hoa Nguyen, PhD, is assistant professor of education and faculty affiliate at the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University (NYU). His research and teaching critically examine the benefits and consequences of racialized public policy instruments in expanding and/or constraining educational systems, specifically focusing on how these dynamics shape access, learning, opportunity, and success within and beyond schools for students of color. Prior to NYU, Dr. Nguyen was on the faculty at the University of Denver. He was also appointed by the Governor of Colorado to the History, Culture, Social Contributions, and Civil Government in Education Commission and by the Mayor of Denver to the Denver Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, where he collaborated with a diverse coalition to incorporate AA and NHPI curriculum into Colorado’s K-12 educational standards.

Dr. Nguyen also has extensive professional experience in the federal government, having served as a senior staff member in the Office of US Congressman Mike Honda. Before federal service, Dr. Nguyen was a program associate at De Anza College. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley and his graduate education at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the proud son of Vietnamese American refugees.

Ana Phakhin

Raised in Arkansas, Ana is the proud daughter of Lao refugees. From advocating for equitable public school funding to Medicaid expansion, her career started with rural community organizing. She most recently worked in community-based philanthropy, managing grant investments focused on building pathways to prosperity for children and families. She is a proud graduate of Springdale Public Schools and Wellesley College and is grateful to have worked in the communities where she grew up. Ana is currently a student at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.

Varaxy Yi

Varaxy Yi, Ph.D., is a Khmer American daughter of refugees. She is an associate professor of Higher Education Administration and Leadership (HEAL) and core faculty member in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at California State University, Fresno. As a first-generation Khmer American graduate and faculty, Varaxy is committed to advancing knowledge to serve racially minoritized communities. She conducts research to advance equity, access, and opportunity for historically underserved communities, such as racially minoritized, Southeast Asian American, and refugee populations. Born and raised in the Central Valley (Modesto), she is committed to serving the local community. Varaxy enjoys spending time with her new baby, Rada, and spouse, Ryan, traveling and visiting family.

Victor Donge

Victor Duong Donge currently serves as the Senior Treasury Advisor to the Treasurer of AltaGas Ltd. and its subsidiary Washington Gas. In his role, he is responsible for guiding the company’s DMV-based activities in debt capital markets, treasury regulatory matters, and management of its pension and 401K investments. He received his bachelors in Aerospace Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and has graduate engineering and business degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and the University of Maryland at College Park. Prior to obtaining his MBA, Victor worked in the Baltimore County Department of Social Services supporting the IT and software needs of social workers. He also has served as a consultant for several non-profits in the DC area, including the Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association. Victor was born in Vietnam, but grew up mostly in the Philippines before moving to the U.S. for college. He enjoys traveling for eco-adventures, taking nature photography, and has visited all seven continents.

Alvina Yeh

Alvina (she/her) is a consultant that works to support movement leaders and organizations become more impactful, strategic, and equitable. Alvina comes from a Chinese refugee family from Vietnam. She is deeply passionate about building a society where everyone has a fair chance at thriving. Alvina is a community organizer with experience in organizational management, program development, fundraising, coalition building, and capacity building for civic engagement, labor, and social justice organizations.

Alvina was most recently the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership & Advancement (IAPALA) where she worked with unions, chapters, members, and community allies to build a grassroots base to support the needs and issues of AAPI working people. Her prior experience includes serving as the Director of State Capacity Building with State Voices, the Program Director at Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and working on several political campaigns at the congressional and presidential levels. A self-described nerd and reluctant outdoor enthusiast, in her free time you can find Alvina risking friendships over a board game, reading, or just trying to take a nap.