SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS BIOGRAPHIES

Abigail Kiyoko Bates, Ph.D., Senior Research Analyst, Campaign for College Opportunity

Abigail Kiyoko Bates, Ph.D. is Senior Research Analyst at the Campaign for College Opportunity. She has been working in education and fighting for social justice for over 15 years, with experience as a practitioner and scholar for the entire P-20 educational pipeline. Abigail is a proud graduate of the University of California, where she earned degrees at both UC Santa Barbara and UCLA. She previously worked at the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) at UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (HERI).

Workshop Presenter: Moving forward, together: Education Advocacy for AAPI communities

Shikha Bhatnagar, South Asian Network

Shikha Bhatnagar is a member of Columbia University’s SIPA Alumni Advisory Council. She sat on the Board of Directors of the Upakar Foundation, a non-profit organization that provided merit and need based college scholarships to Indian Americans, and held leadership positions with the Network of South Asian Professionals (NetSAP) and Indus Women Leaders, in Washington, DC. She is also an alumnus of the Washington Leadership Program, which provides young South Asian Americans an opportunity to intern with Congressional offices in Washington, DC.

Shikha was born in New Delhi, India and raised in Las Vegas, NV.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1997 and received her Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in 2001.

Workshop Presenter: Turning Data Into Action

Tony Bui, Director of Public Affairs, DeBoo Communications

Tony Bui is currently the Director of Public Affairs for DeBoo Communications where he manages the firm’s public affairs and government relations for a wide range of clients. Previously, Tony served as a principal consultant for Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, as a legislative director for Assemblymember Jim Wood and as deputy chief of staff for Senator Bob Hertzberg. Some of Tony’s signature achievements include working on legislation that established a state regulatory scheme over California’s cannabis industry and directing a State Assembly campaign that that unseated a two-term incumbent, marking the first time the district switched parties in over two decades. Tony has also served in various roles, including President, with the Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association.

Workshop Presenter: Advocacy and Budget 101 

Yannina Casillas, Legislative and Government Affairs Coordinator, Council on American-Islamic Relations, CA Chapter

Yannina Casillas serves as CAIR California’s Statewide Legislative and Government Affairs Coordinator. Yannina is a graduate of UC Hastings College of the Law where she received a concentration on social justice lawyering and was the Acquisitions Editor of the Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal. She grew up in the small city of Moreno Valley as the daughter of Mexican immigrants. As a UCLA student, she was the Vice President of the Muslim Student Association, Vice-Chair of the Student Fee Advisory Committee, volunteered with the Incarcerated Youth Tutorial Project, and helped develop BruINTENT the nation’s first program to bring scholarships to homeless UCLA students. As a 2012 Coro alumnus she was part of the nation’s oldest leadership training organization. The Coro Fellowship in public affairs is a nine month graduate program focused on experiential learning in the major sectors of public affairs: Business, Government, Non-Profit, and Labor.

Workshop Presenter: ICE Out of CA: The Empire Strikes Back

Angela Chan, Policy Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Asian Law Caucus

Angela Chan is a policy director and senior staff attorney managing the Criminal Justice Reform Program at Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco, which is the nation’s oldest legal and civil rights organization serving the low-income Asian and Pacific Americans.  Angela represents immigrant families who have youth caught in the juvenile justice system, and youth who are harassed or discriminated against in the K-12 education system.  She also works on policy reforms to disentangle local police from immigration enforcement.  She co-led the campaign to pass the TRUST Act (AB 4), a state bill which was signed into law and went into effect in January 2014, to set a statewide minimum limit on detentions in response to ICE hold requests. Angela joined Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus in 2006 with a Soros Justice Fellowship. Angela was named a Local Hero by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, given a Monarch Award by the Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition, selected for a 40 Under 40 Leadership Award from the New Leaders Council, and named a Best Under 40 attorney by the National Asian Pacific Bar Association.

Angela served on the San Francisco Police Commission for four years, which is a chartered city civilian commission that adjudicates officer disciplinary cases and sets policies for the police department.  Angela also was an instructor for the Raza Department at San Francisco State University, teaching courses on race, crime, and justice.  In addition, she was a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Napoleon A. Jones in the Southern District of California.  Angela earned a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Occidental College.

Panel Speaker: Budget & Legislative Priorities

Workshop Presenter: ICE Out of CA: The Empire Strikes Back

Kimberly Chen, Government Affairs Manager, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

Kimberly Chen currently serves as the Government Affairs Manager at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, where she lobbies for policies and resources to advance health equity for communities of color.

Before joining CPEHN, she served as staff in the California State Assembly, where she worked on transportation, environmental, language access, and taxation issues. Kimberly also worked with the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, advocating for improved social, emotional, and economic outcomes for Asian and Pacific Islander boys and young men. She volunteers as a Youth Advisor to the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project, a conference dedicated to developing civic participation, leadership, and interest in public service for API high school students in California.

Kimberly earned her Master in Public Administration from the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy. She is also a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies. Kimberly is an alumna of the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program and currently serves as Board Member for the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN).

Panel Speaker: Budget & Legislative Priorities

Lian Cheun, Executive Director, Khmer Girls in Action

Lian Cheun is the Executive Director of Khmer Girls in Action. She is a 1.5 generation refugee from Cambodia. She grew up in the Bay Area and has spent 2 decades working in low-income communities of color. Lian started out as a youth organizer on the Kids First! Campaign and has since worked for funding for youth programs, fought for educational and health justice, volunteered and trained for numerous GOTV efforts with the Alameda County Labor Council, and fought for workers’ rights regionally and internationally. In 2007, Lian helped Migrant Forum in Asia organize the very first regional, migrant domestic workers’ assembly.  Lian believes in fighting for our self-determination as women, as workers, and as creators of knowledge and culture in our communities. She was also the former director of the Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program (MAAP) at the Center for Third World Organizing (CTWO). In 2014, Lian was appointed to President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Panel Speaker: “State of AANHPIs”

Victoria (Nikki) Dominguez, Education Equity Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice- Los Angeles

Victoria (Nikki) Dominguez is the Education Equity Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles. Prior to joining AAAJ-LA, she served as a community organizer and the College Head Start Coordinator at Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) in Los Angeles. Nikki graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2012 with a BA in Legal Studies and Politics.

Workshop Presenter: Moving forward, together: Education Advocacy for AAPI communities

Mary Anne Foo, Founder & Executive Director, Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance

Mary Anne is the executive director and founder of the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, Inc. (OCAPICA), a non-profit community based organization serving the diverse and underserved communities in Southern California regarding health, mental health, policy and civic engagement, youth leadership and education, and workforce development.

She has been working for 30 years on issues affecting diverse populations on national, state and local level at several community and county wide organizations.  She has received numerous honors including the The California Wellness Foundation Sabbatical Award, Legacy Award from Orange County Human Relations, and Woman of the Year from former Assemblymember Lou Correa.

Mary Anne received her Bachelor of Science from UC Davis and her Master in Public Health from the UCLA. She loves being involved in her sons’ schools including serving on the boards of PTA, music boosters, and Little League. She is a fourth generation Chinese-Japanese Californian married to a Japanese Peruvian and with their two sons, likes to go fishing with her family or search online for personal information on people.

Workshop Presenter: Assessing and Addressing the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis on AAPI Communities

Gen Fujioka, Policy Director, Chinatown Community Development Center San Francisco

Gen Fujioka is the Policy Director of Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco (CDC). His policy work involves advocating for policy reform that fulfills Chinatown CDC’s mission of building healthy affordable communities, focusing on preserving and rehabilitating neighborhood assets for the benefit of low-income residents, and advocating for sustainable communities that are accessible to low-income residents and neighborhood-serving retail. He was also a former Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus.

Workshop Presenter: Assessing and Addressing the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis on AAPI Communities

Gabriel Garcia, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center

Gabriel coordinates SEARAC’s work around building Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) inclusion in the larger na­rrative around boys and men of color. By engaging in coalition-based advocacy efforts around criminal justice, immigration, mental health, education, and workforce development, Gabriel works to create space and visibility for the ways these issues affect AANHPI communities.

Gabriel graduated from the University of California Davis with Honors, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Managerial Economics. Previously, Gabriel worked as a Customer Business Analyst for the Intel Corporation, before managing advertising services for Unitrans, the public transportation system of Davis, California. Gabriel began his career as an advocate during his five years as a competitor in high school and collegiate mock trial programs. During his time at UC Davis, he became involved with the university’s growing mock trial team, winning the award for Outstanding Attorney during the team’s Spring Program. He began advocating for social justice issues by locally fundraising for the American Civil Liberties Union’s campaign to secure LGBT rights across the country. In his spare time, Gabriel enjoys hiking, rafting, and recording and producing music.

Workshop Presenter: Turning Data Into Action

‘Inoke Hafoka, Doctoral Student, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies

‘Inoke Hafoka is a doctoral student in Social Science and Comparative Education (SSCE) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) within the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies (GSE&IS). His research aims to understand the issues and experiences of students of color, specifically Pacific Islanders, in education to better implement policy and educational practices that give them support within the educational system. ’Inoke earned a Master of Education in Education, Culture & Society (ECS) from The University of Utah and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Brigham Young University.

Panel Speaker: Budget & Legislative Priorities

Lisa Hasegawa, UCLA Asian American Studies Center

Lisa Hasegawa, served as the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Development (CAPACD) for the past 15 years and recently stepped down in December 2016. Prior to National CAPACD, she was the Community Liaison of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans Pacific Islanders at the end of the Clinton administration. For her entire career, she has worked at the intersections of civil and human rights, housing, health and community organizing. Lisa is committed to leveraging her cross-disciplinary networks across the country for UCLA students, faculty, and larger community. Returning to the AASC as the Activist in Residence is a homecoming for her. While she was an undergraduate at UCLA, she started her career in community activism through an AASC internship at the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture.

Workshop Presenter: Assessing and Addressing the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis on AAPI Communities

Workshop Presenter: Organizational Development

Daniel Ichinose, Director of the Demographic Research Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles

Daniel Ichinose is Director of the Demographic Research Project (DRP) at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, the nation’s largest legal organization serving Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities. DRP seeks to (1) inform community programs and advocacy through data collection and analysis and (2) empower community organizations to better utilize research in grant making, program planning, and advocacy through technical assistance and training.

He has over 20 years of experience leading research that uses census, voter, and other data to address problems facing Asian American and NHPI communities. He oversees Advancing Justice – Los Angeles’ Census Information Center (CIC), recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as an official source of census data since 2006, and currently serves as Vice Chair of the national network’s Steering Committee. He is also a veteran of two statewide redistricting campaigns, working with stakeholders throughout California to construct the Asian American and NHPI community’s first statewide redistricting proposal in 2001 and the state’s first majority Asian American legislative district in 2011.

He holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Workshop Presenter: #SaveTheCensus: AANHPI 2020 Complete Count Efforts

Kyla Aquino Irving, Communications & Marketing Manager, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers

Kyla Aquino Irving is the Communications & Marketing Manager of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) and was first introduced to the disability rights community since her involvement in the California Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities in 1997.

Previously, Kyla worked in health-related nonprofit organizations where she took great joy in developing and leading public relations campaigns for local, regional, and national public health outreach efforts, events, and conferences. She has been a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) since 2012 and was the youngest and first person of color to serve as President of the PRSA California Capital Chapter in 2015.

As a two-time kidney transplant recipient, Kyla has 20 years of experience as a spokesperson for ethnic minority health, disability rights and organ donation awareness. She’s passionate about diversity, inclusion and health equity. No stranger to CFILC, Kyla has emceed Disability Capitol Action Day twice.

Born in the Philippines and raised in California, Kyla graduated cum laude from California State University, Sacramento in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies, with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing.

Sacramento Business Journal named Kyla one of the “40 Under 40” in 2015 and Sac Cultural Hub named her one of the “Exceptional Women of Color” in 2016.

Kyla enjoys cooking, dining, traveling, and dancing in her living room with her husband Steve and eight-month-old son Imani.

Workshop Presenter: Communications 101: Getting Your Message Across in the Digital Age

Ditas Katague, Director, California Complete Count – Census 2020

Ditas Katague is currently the Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 for the State of California. She served as the Director of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Census 2010 project. In 2000, as Chief Deputy Campaign Director for the Governor’s Census 2000 California Complete Count campaign, she led a groundbreaking multi-lingual, multi-media outreach effort that resulted in a mail-in return rate that outpaced the entire nation. She is an expert in multi-ethnic outreach and civic engagement. Ditas most recently served as Chief of Staff to the California Public Utilities Commissioner Catherine Sandoval where she improved public participation and access to the energy and telecommunications utility rate and regulation process. Since 1998, she has served on the Advisory Board for the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.

Workshop Presenter: #SaveTheCensus: AANHPI 2020 Complete Count Efforts

 Bryan King,  Legislative Director, Office of Senator Steve Glazer

Bryan King is currently Legislative Director for Senator Steve Glazer. Previously, Bryan worked as a Consultant in the Senate Democratic Caucus and as a Legislative Aide for Senator Ted W. Lieu. In addition to working for Sen. Glazer, Bryan currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association (APICA). Bryan proudly hails from Turlock, CA in the Central Valley where he also attended college at California State University, Stanislaus and graduated with a degree in Political Science. He is passionate about people, politics, all things coffee, and rooting for the Sacramento Kings.

Workshop Presenter: Advocacy and Budget 101

Deanna Kitamura,  Project Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles

Deanna Kitamura is a Project Director of the Voting Rights Project at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. Her work includes ensuring that counties comply with their language assistance requirements at poll sites.  She is one of the co-authors of Advancing Justice’s Voices of Democracy: Asian Americans and Language Access During the 2012 Elections. From 2009 to 2012, Kitamura was Advancing Justice – LA’s Statewide Redistricting Manager and worked with community partners to advocate that Asian American and Pacific Islander communities be kept whole through the Los Angeles City and statewide redistricting process.

Prior to her work at Advancing Justice-LA, Kitamura was a legislative deputy for a Los Angeles city councilmember.  She has also worked as an attorney at Western Center on Law & Poverty, California Rural Legal Assistance, the National Consumer Law Center, and a civil rights litigation firm. Kitamura graduated from Pomona College and UCLA School of Law.

Workshop Presenter: Turning Data Into Action

Alissa Ko, Former White House AAPI Director, 44th President of the United States Barack Obama

Alissa Ko has built a 15-year career that spans high-level national community organizing, fundraising, coalition building, and successful legislative campaigns. Currently, she works at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC) as their Vice President of Policy, Government Relations, and Advocacy. She oversees the development and implementation of the legislative, field, and coalition strategies for PPAC’s various legislative and policy programs.

Ko also served as the Senior Associate Director at the Obama White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Office of Public Affairs, where she worked with attorneys general, state legislators and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Prior to working at the White House, Ko served as the Deputy Director of Ready for Hillary, a groundbreaking national organization that raised over $14 million and comprised 3 million supporters and over 100,000 donors. At Ready for Hillary, she oversaw the day-to-day operations and managed the field, constituency, data, and digital departments. Ko also worked on the 2012 Obama for America campaign as the National Asian American and Pacific Islander Vote Director, where she helped increase the AAPI vote by 11 percent.

Ko got her start in politics in California. She interned at a State Assemblymember’s office through an Asian community organization, which led her to a career in youth, labor, electoral, and community organizing. Ko has been included on 40 under 40 lists by the American Association of Political Consultants and the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs and recognized as a Rising Star by Campaigns and Elections and California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus.

Panel Speaker:  Stay Engaged: Local, State and National Perspectives

Aarti Kohli, Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus

Aarti Kohli landed in Queens, NY as a seven-year-old with her family and saw first-hand what it means to be a struggling immigrant in the U.S. She is currently the Executive Director at Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus, the first organization in the country to represent and promote the legal and civil rights of Asian and Pacific Islander communities. At Advancing Justice-ALC she oversees key program areas including National Security and Civil Rights, Immigration, and Criminal Justice Reform. She also helps guide the state and national policy work of the Advancing Justice affiliation with partners in LA, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington DC.

Formerly, she was the Director of Immigration Policy at the Warren Institute at UC Berkeley School of Law where one of her key projects involved creating an intensive immigration seminar for professional journalists. Prior to her work in California, she worked in Washington, DC, as Judiciary Committee counsel to Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) and as Assistant Legislative Director at UNITE union where she lobbied on behalf of low-income garment workers who were primarily immigrant women.

Panel Speaker:  “State of AANHPIs”

Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council

Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Esq. (Manju) is Executive Director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), a coalition of over forty Asian Pacific Islander organizations that serves and represents the 1.5 million APIs in Los Angeles County.  Manju also serves as a Lecturer in the Asian American Studies Department of UCLA, teaching “Ethnic, Cultural and Gender Issues in America’s Health Care Systems” and “South Asian American Communities.”  Prior to joining A3PCON, Manju was Executive Director of the South Asian Network (SAN), which advances the civil rights, violence prevention and health and health care access of South Asians in Southern California.

Manju received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Women’s Studies from Duke University and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law.  In April 2014, Manju received the White House Champions of Change award for her dedication to improving health care access for South Asian Americans.

Workshop Presenter: Organizational Development

Ke Lam,  Co-founder of San Quentin ROOTS & Reentry Coordinator, Asian Prisoner Support Committee

Ke Lam  is the Reentry Coordinator of Asian Prisoner Support Committee. His work focuses on advocacy on behalf of current and formerly incarcerated APIs, providing them with Care Management, Peer Support, and Reentry support. Like many ​Southeast ​Asian refugee youths, ​he was impacted by the Migration-​School-Prison-Deportation Pipeline. He was sentenced as an adult and given a life sentence at the age of 17. Upon ​his ​scheduled ​release from prison, he was handed over to ICE (Immigrant and Customs Enforcement) custody for removal because of his criminal conviction. Though due to the ’95 MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) between Vietnam and US, he ​was released from ICE and placed under ​their supervision​ on State Parole. ​He was one of the thousands of “Stranded Deportees” living in ​the ​US​. ​They feared  re-detention at any time, living their lives in limbo.

While incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, he was given the chance to co-establish the first ethnic study program focused on Asian and Pacific Islanders’ cultures and histories. The program has been running in San Quentin for five years now, and a pilot program is being implemented in Solano State Prison, Level 3.

Workshop Presenter: ICE Out of CA: The Empire Strikes Back

Joshua Fisher Lee, AYPAL

Joshua Fisher Lee has been contributing to and leading youth leadership work for the past ten years. Earning a MA in Higher Education concentrating in Diversity and Social Justice from the University of Michigan in 2012, Joshua has been able to advance his practice in working with students to identify and engage in their own transformation. Joshua has served in an organizing as well as operations capacity for several organizations in Oakland and the Bay Area including  Youth Together, Forward Together, and Asian Americans/ Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.

Workshop Presenter: Moving forward, together: Education Advocacy for AAPI communities

Kevin Liao, Press Secretary, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon

Kevin Liao is press secretary for Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. In that role, he serves as the Speaker’s spokesman and helps develop messaging and manage media relations. Outside of his day job, Kevin serves as chair of the California Young Democrats API Caucus and writes for Citius Mag, a blog that covers elite track & field and road running. Kevin is a native of San Jose and attended UC San Diego.

Workshop Presenter: Communications 101: Getting Your Message Across in the Digital Age

Lee Lo, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center

Lee Lo leads SEARAC’s health and education advocacy to address health and education disparities within the Southeast Asian American community. Lee also expands the policy advocacy capacity of SEAA-serving organizations and individuals by coordinating advocacy campaigns, building coalitions, and providing resources around health and education policy.

Lee graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science: Public Service and a Bachelor of Science in Community & Regional Development with a minor in Education. Lee pursued her passion for community organizing and led the UC Davis Southeast Asians Furthering Education (SAFE) department throughout her undergraduate career. Through SAFE, Lee coordinated conferences, community workshops, and developed leadership pipelines through holistically and culturally relevant lens to recruit and retain Southeast Asian Americans in higher education.

Lange Luntao, Trustee, Stockton Unified School District

Lange Luntao is the youngest person ever elected to the Stockton Unified School District Board of Trustees and the first out gay man elected to public office in San Joaquin County. A third-generation teacher who was born and raised in Stockton, Luntao is an honors graduate of Harvard University, an Education Pioneers Alumnus, and recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Malaysia.

In addition to serving on the Stockton USD school board, Luntao serves as the Executive Director of the Reinvent Stockton Foundation, an organization founded by Mayor Michael Tubbs to promote health, education, and economic development outcomes in Stockton. In this capacity, he helped to launch the Stockton Scholars, a college promise initiative launched in January 2018 which aims to triple the number of students from Stockton who enter and complete higher education in the next decade. Luntao returned to Stockton in 2012 to work in public service and education – first as an Early College Sociology Teacher at Aspire Langston Hughes Academy, as a policy analyst with the Stockton Schools Initiative, and as a founding educator with the Stockton “us” history program, an ethnic-studies after school program for high school students in his hometown.

Panel Moderator:  “State of AANHPIs”

Andrew Medina, Policy Manager, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – California

Andrew T. Medina is Asian Americans Advancing Justice-California’s (Advancing Justice-California) Policy Manager and brings more than eleven years of state public service experience. He is responsible for advocating Advancing Justice-California’s legislative agenda in the State Capitol, as well as expanding and strengthening coalitions that serve the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities in the state. Advancing Justice-California is a partnership of Advancing Justice-LA and Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco.

Prior to joining Advancing Justice-California, Andrew served as the consultant for the California Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus, which is comprised of Asian American members of the California State Legislature. He started at the California State Assembly in 2004 as a scheduler for former-Assemblymember Judy Chu and later served as a legislative aide and then legislative director for former-Assemblymember Mike Eng before joining the API Legislative Caucus in 2009.

Andrew graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from UC Davis, double majoring in English and Asian American Studies.

Workshop Presenter: #SaveTheCensus: AANHPI 2020 Complete Count Efforts

Senator Dr. Richard Pan, Senator, California Senate District 6

Dr. Richard Pan is a pediatrician, former UC Davis educator, and State Senator proudly representing Sacramento, West Sacramento, Elk Grove and unincorporated areas of Sacramento County.

Dr. Pan chairs the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, the Committee on Public Employment and Retirement and the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. He also chairs the Senate Select Committees on Children with Special Needs, Asian Pacific Islander Affairs and the 2020 United States Census. He serves on the Senate Committees on Agriculture; Business, Professions, and Economic Development; Health and Education.

TIME magazine called Dr. Pan a “hero” when he authored landmark legislation to abolish non-medical exemptions to legally required vaccines for school students, thereby restoring community immunity from preventable contagions.  Dr. Pan also authored one of the most expansive state laws regulating health plans eliminating denials for pre-existing conditions and prohibited discrimination by health status and medical history. Dr. Pan provided leadership in enrolling families for health coverage, resulting in halving the number of uninsured in California, and he sponsored numerous health fairs providing resources including free glasses, dental screenings, and vaccines.

Dr. Pan and his wife are raising two young sons and run a dental practice where they balance expenses, meet a payroll and understand the challenges of running a small business.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University, a Medical Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters of Public Health from Harvard University.

Panel Speaker: Budget & Legislative Priorities

Thu Quach, PhD, Chief Deputy of Administration, Asian Health Services

Thu Quach serves as the Chief Deputy of Administration at Asian Health Services, a federally qualified health center in Oakland serving 28,000 patients in English and 12 Asian languages. In this capacity, she oversees community services programs, research, specialty mental health, facilities and general administration. As an epidemiologist, Dr. Quach has conducted research focusing on Asian Americans and immigrant populations, including examining occupational exposures and health impacts among Vietnamese nail salon workers. Dr. Quach is involved in local, statewide, and national research and policy efforts to promote health equity, including data warehouses, community-based participatory research, civic engagement, and health policy. In addition, she has been very involved in a new organization – the Progressive Vietnamese American Organization (PIVOT), which engages and empowers Vietnamese Americans for a just and diverse America. She received a Masters in Public Health at U.C.L.A. and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at U.C. Berkeley.

Workshop Presenter: Advancing AAPI Health Equity

Karthick Ramakrishnan, Chair, California Commission on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs

Karthick Ramakrishnan is associate dean of the UC Riverside School of Public Policy, and professor of public policy and political science. He is founder and director of the Center for Social Innovation at UCR.

Ramakrishnan is also a Board Member of The California Endowment, Chair of the California Commission on APIA Affairs, and adjunct fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).  He received his Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University, and has held fellowships at the Russell Sage Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Ramakrishnan’s research focuses on civic participation, immigration policy, and the politics of race, ethnicity, and immigration in the United States. He directs the National Asian American Survey and is founder of AAPIData.com, which features demographic data and policy research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He has published many articles and 6 books, including most recently, Framing Immigrants (Russell Sage, 2016) and The New Immigration Federalism (Cambridge, 2015).

Panel Speaker:  “State of AANHPIs”

Workshop Presenter: Turning Data Into Action

Manny Rodriguez,  Legislative Associate, The Education Trust – West

Manny Rodriguez serves as a Legislative Associate for The Education Trust – West. Prior to this, Manny served as a Program Director for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Sonoma County, where he ran the afterschool program for students in one of the region’s highest poverty schools. In that position, Manny brought families and school leaders together to align and coordinate support services to meet the students’ highest needs. Manny holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Sonoma State University.

Workshop Presenter: Moving forward, together: Education Advocacy for AAPI communities

Tavae Samuelu, Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities

Tavae Samuelu is the Executive Director for Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), a national organization based in Los Angeles. As the Executive Director, Tavae provides strategic oversight towards realizing EPIC’s mission to promote social justice by engaging the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community in culturally-relevant development, advocacy, and research. She’s passionate about liberation work and supporting the political consciousness and growth of youth. Tavae was born and raised in Long Beach, CA, and moved to the Bay to attend UC Berkeley where she majored in Ethnic Studies. Before joining EPIC, she served as the Development Director for the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond and has since become a member of RYSE’s Board of Directors.

Panel Speaker: “State of AANHPIs”

Workshop Presenter: #SaveTheCensus: AANHPI 2020 Complete Count Efforts 

Kiran Savage-Sangwan, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

Kiran Savage-Sangwan graduated from New York University with a B.A. and a Master of Public Administration. Prior to joining CPEHN, she worked as the Director of Legislation and Advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) California. At NAMI CA, Kiran led policy initiatives to improve access to behavioral health care, and to reduce the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness. Kiran has also worked at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California and the New York Civil Liberties Union as an Organizer, primarily focused on immigrants’ rights.

Workshop Presenter: Advancing AAPI Health Equity

Reshma Shamasunder, Vice President of Program Strategy, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles

Reshma Shamasunder is Vice President of Program Strategy at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles.  Prior to joining Advancing Justice – LA, Reshma served as Deputy Director of Programs at the National Immigration Law Center and previously consulted with philanthropy, advocacy, and grassroots partners on policy campaigns and issues that benefit low income, immigrant, and vulnerable communities.

Reshma served as Executive Director of the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) from 2003 to 2015.  Under Reshma’s leadership, CIPC helped to spearhead groundbreaking campaigns at the state level, including placing limits on cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration authorities, preserving and expanding important health and human service programs for immigrant communities, winning driver’s licenses for all Californians, and furthering important immigrant integration efforts.

Reshma currently serves on the board of the California Immigrant Policy Center and previously served on the boards of Health Access California and the South Asian Network in Los Angeles and was an inaugural fellow with the Rockwood Fellowship for a New California, a leadership program for California’s immigrant rights leaders. Reshma has received numerous awards for her leadership on immigrant issues, including the Families USA Health Equity Advocate of the Year Award and the National Immigration Law Center Courageous Luminaries Award.

Reshma holds dual Bachelor’s Degrees from UCLA and a Masters in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Workshop Presenter: ICE Out of CA: The Empire Strikes Back

Mai Thao, Civic Engagement Director, Hmong Innovating Politics

Mai Thao is a first generation Hmong American womyn born and raised in Fresno, California. Growing up, she witnessed her family and relatives struggle with limited resources, food insecurity, and living in gang infested neighborhoods. These experiences fueled her passion for health and education equity for immigrant and underserved populations. She volunteered for her first electoral campaign, a local Fresno City Council race when she was 14 years old, and since then, has been involved in building political power for underserved communities.

She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley with a dual major in Ethnic Studies and Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies. Mai has worked and continues to work on a myriad of Asian American Pacific Islander issues, with a strong dedication to the Hmong community. She previously served as the Lead Political Community Organizer for SEIU Local 521 and joined Hmong Innovating Politics in December of 2017 as the Central Valley Civic Engagement Director based in Fresno. Mai believes that in order to change the circumstances of our community, we need to tear down the institutional and political barriers that reinforce the existing disparities and continue to build power through organizing, civic engagement, and systems change work.

Panel Moderator: Budget & Legislative Priorities

Kristi Kimiko Thielen, Vice President, Fem Dems of Sacramento

Before working for Assemblymember Rob Bonta, Kristi Kimiko Thielen started her career in politics as a political consultant for Acosta Consulting working on initiative campaigns and targeted state and local races. She took the lead on social media and digital strategies for the firm and used her experience to enhance her grassroots organizing skills. She was the Communications Director for both Sacramento County Young Democrats and the Fem Dems of Sacramento, the two largest Democratic organizations in the county, and is a UCLA graduate.

Workshop Presenter: Communications 101: Getting Your Message Across in the Digital Age

Leslie Toy,  Program Manager, Advancing Justice – LA

Leslie Toy is a Program Manager for Advancing Justice-Los Angeles’ Health Access Project. She leads and manages strategic partnerships with over 60 California community based organizations and clinics through the Health Justice Network, which aims to reduce health disparities across Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and other communities of color through culturally competent outreach, education, and enrollment. Her work has concentrated on several issue areas including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), Covered California Navigator program, Health4All Kids campaign, and advocacy on the local, state, and national levels.

Prior to Advancing Justice – LA, Toy was the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Norman Y. Mineta Fellow in Washington D.C., where she worked in coalition with the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans on issues of health care, immigration, and civil rights. She has served on the Washington D.C. and Los Angeles boards of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. In 2016, she was selected as a NextGen Leader/Mentee of the Committee of 100’s Southern California Region Leadership and Mentoring Program (C100 LMP).

Toy graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and is a proud third/fourth generation Chinese American.

Workshop Presenter: Advancing AAPI Health Equity

Mai Yang Vang, Board Member, Sacramento City Unified School District

Mai Yang Vang is a proud Sacramento native and the eldest of 16 children. Mai was elected to the Sacramento City School Board in November of 2016. Mai currently works as the Community Affairs Director for Sacramento City Councilmember Larry Carr and is also an adjunct faculty in the Department of Ethnic Studies at Sacramento State University. Mai co-founded Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) whose mission is to strengthen the power of disenfranchised communities through innovative civic engagement and strategic grassroots mobilization.

Prior to being elected, Mai worked as a community organizer in south Sacramento. Mai currently lives in Meadowview and holds dual Master’s degrees in Public Health and Asian American Studies from UCLA. During her free time she enjoys kickboxing & spending time with her 15 siblings.

Panel Speaker:  Stay Engaged: Local, State and National Perspectives

Ronald W. Wong

Ronald W. Wong is a respected and renowned business, political and community leader.  He is a successful business owner who has been involved in the political advancement of the Asian Pacific American community for the past three decades.  Wong is a renowned expert in APA politics and political campaigns, having served as political consultant or staff to more than 100 successful campaigns.

As President and CEO of Imprenta Communications Group, Inc. an award-winning public affairs, campaign and ethnic marketing firm, Mr. Wong oversees a multi-million dollar business.  He develops and implements political and communications strategies for Fortune 500 companies, elected officials, government entities and candidates for elected office.  Imprenta is one of Southern California’s leading public affairs and campaign firm and has made Inc. Magazine’s list of the 500 Fastest-Growing Companies in America two years in a row (2015 and 2016). Mr. Wong is deeply involved in the community and the political advancement of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community serving in leadership roles in various community based organizations.

Workshop Presenter: Communications 101: Getting Your Message Across in the Digital Age

Pamela Wu, Director of Communications and Media Relations, UC Davis Health

Pamela Wu’s career spans the fields of broadcast journalism, public relations, and communications training. Currently, she is Director of Communications and Media Relations for UC Davis Health, the region’s only academic health center. She previously served as Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at UC Davis School of Law.

Workshop Presenter: Communications 101: Getting Your Message Across in the Digital Age

Dr. Ghia Xiong, Psy.D, Director of Living Well Program, The Fresno Center

Dr. Xiong is a graduate from California State University of Fresno and Alliant International University in the California School of Professional Psychology. He was awarded the graduate Dean’s Medal in 2002. He has conducted a number of researches on the Hmong and co-authored a book with Lillian Faderman, “I Begin My Life All Over Again” which captures the voices of the Hmong immigrants in Fresno. He has presented on a number of topics relating to Hmong cultural, beliefs, practice, and mental health issues.

Currently, Dr. Xiong serves as the Program Director of The Fresno Center’s Living Well Program, where he oversees a Mental Health program that is contracted with Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services to the Southeast Asian community. Also, he is an adjunct faculty teaching Hmong medical interpreting at Clovis Community College.

Workshop Presenter: Advancing AAPI Health Equity

Mariko Yamada, Former State Assemblymember, California State Assembly

Mariko Yamada is a social worker, former county supervisor and northern CA Assemblymember (2008-2014), now in her 44^th year of public service.  She began her career as staff to L.A. County Supervisor Ed Edelman; served a decade in D.C. for the Census and later, as the only woman investigator in the Office of the Secretary, Office for Civil Rights in the Commerce Department.  Mariko also served five years in the Director’s Office, San Diego County Department of Social Services, clearing a backlog of employment discrimination complaints. Currently, Mariko is Assistant Adjunct Faculty, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, supporting the next generation of social work change agents.

Panel Speaker: Stay Engaged: Local, State and National Perspectives

Tracy Zhao, Executive Director, API Equality-Los Angeles

Tracy Zhao is the Executive Director of API Equality-LA, an LGBTQ rights and racial justice organization in Los Angeles building grassroots community power and organizing for change in the Asian and Pacific Islander community. Prior to joining as staff, Tracy was involved with API Equality-LA as an intern, volunteer, and Steering Committee Co-Chair. She has been involved in supporting various grassroots API and social justice spaces in Los Angeles, such as Tuesday Night Cafe, Free Radicals, and Summer Activist Training. She graduated from Pomona College with a degree in Asian American Studies and Psychology.

Panel Speaker: “State of AANHPIs”