Pronouns: She/Her
Co-Chair
Executive Director
Southeast Asian Freedom Network
Bronx, NY
Chhaya Chhoum is currently the executive director of the Southeast Asian Freedom Network. Chhaya and her family lived in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines before being resettled to the US. After the US’s refugee resettlement program abandoned her family and thousands of Southeast Asian refugees in the Bronx, she organized her community through the newly created Youth Leadership Project. She took on slumlords, overcrowded schools, and cutbacks in translation services at public assistance centers and local health clinics. Chhaya harnessed the energy of youth in a community that has lost much of its adult generations. Through an intergenerational framework, she organized adults as well as youth to fight for justice and developed the framework of healing and organizing in the Southeast Asian community; that justice is healing. In 2002, Chhaya put out a call to Southeast Asian organizers across the country to train and strategize against welfare reform and the secret repatriation agreement between the US and Cambodia, which catapulted the deportation of thousands of Southeast Asian refugees. It was in the Bronx that the Southeast Asian Freedom Network and the Southeast Asian movement for social justice started.
In 2012, she co-founded Mekong NYC in the Bronx, empowering Southeast Asians through arts, culture, community organizing, and advocacy. Its work in the Bronx honors the history of the Bronx and all its people. As one of the earliest anti-deportation activists, Chhaya’s award-winning, strategic and innovative leadership has been critical to the movement and has laid the foundation for stopping numerous deportations. Her achievements were recognized by the Ford Foundation and the Petra Foundation. Her work was featured in a documentary called “Eating Welfare” and in the NBC Asian America “Deported” series.
Pronouns: She/Her
Treasurer & Chair, Finance Committee
Executive Director
Hawaiian Community Assets
Honolulu, HI
Chelsie Evans Enos brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of transformative leadership within communities in Hawaiʻi. With a foundational career that spans roles from Direct Service Specialist to Executive Director of impactful organizations, Chelsie has been at the forefront of cultural-based financial education and housing initiatives that address the unique needs of the people of Hawaiʻi. Under her leadership at Hawaiian Community Assets, the budget for vital community programs increased by $3 million in the first year alone, highlighting a strong capability in financial management and fundraising. Her pioneering work includes building team infrastructure and creating the state’s first rent-to-own housing program with fee-simple options, directly addressing inequities in housing policies for Native Hawaiians.
Chelsie’s commitment to social equity extends beyond housing to include advocacy for equitable education systems for Native Hawaiians, managing significant budget increases, and innovating social entrepreneurship models that bridge at-risk youth to education and career opportunities. With a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable populations, including critically ill children and domestic violence survivors, Chelsie has consistently worked towards creating programs that support basic needs in addition to educational and career support. Holding a Master’s degree in Human Services with a specialization in Marriage and Families, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Chelsie embodies the spirit of service and dedication to creating equitable systems that allow Hawaiians to thrive. She’s been recognized by Pacific Edge as the top leader of Native Hawaiian Business in 2023 and identified as a Mana Wahine in the publication of Ka Wai Ola.
Duncan currently serves as the Community Development Director for APANO, Oregon’s leading AAPI grassroots advocacy organization. He first became politicized while attending the University of Michigan, earning his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Asian Studies. During this time, he worked on numerous civic engagement and environmental campaigns. After graduating, he worked as a field organizer for a national non-profit focusing on voter registration and GOTV campaigns. Duncan then moved to Portland, OR, and obtained his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. After becoming an attorney, he relocated to Asia to practice international corporate law, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on their cross-border merger and acquisition activities.
Pronouns: She/Her
Co-Chair
Executive Director
Asian Community Development Corporation
Boston, MA
Angie has been working in the affordable housing and community development field since 2004. Previously serving as ACDC’s Director of Real Estate, Angie oversaw the asset management of ACDC’s portfolio of 300+ units, and was responsible for developing a pipeline of new projects for ACDC. She has worked as a consultant and project manager in Seattle and Philadelphia assisting nonprofits in providing safe and affordable housing. She has served as the project lead on over $95 million worth of projects. Angie received a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in Community Development. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Pronouns: She/Her
Government Business Advisor
Avenu Insights and Analytics
Los Angeles, CA
In 2014, Rachelle Arizmendi was the first woman of color elected to the City of Sierra Madre City Council. In April 2017, she was first selected by her colleagues to serve as Mayor and then again in December 2020. Rachelle ended her public service in December 2022.
Rachelle serves in leadership positions on several Boards, including the Board President of the Asian American Pacific Islanders Equity Alliance, and was appointed by the current and previous CA Governor to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Former Board roles include Board Chair for the Foothill Workforce Development Policy Board, Board Secretary of Child 360, 1st Vice President of the CA League of Cities Women’s Caucus, and Board Member for the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Coalition.
Rachelle Arizmendi was the Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of PACE (Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment). PACE is a non-profit community development organization that serves over 50,000 people every year. Focused on under-represented and Asian Pacific Islander Communities, PACE provides services in the areas of job training and employment, business development, early education, asset building, and energy & environmental services.
Currently, Rachelle is a Government Business Advisor for Avenu Insights and Analytics, a nationwide government technology.
She has two undergraduate degrees and a Master of Science degree with an emphasis in Nutrition.
Pronouns: She/Her
Executive Director
Sông Community Development Corporation
New Orleans, LA
Tap Bui is the Co-Executive Director of Sông Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of life of black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) communities in Southern Louisiana. In this role, she leads strategic initiatives focusing on equitable community development, disaster response and recovery, advocacy and policy, as well as community services and programming.
A proud New Orleans native, Tap brings over 14 years of expertise in disaster response, nonprofit leadership, public health programming, program evaluation, and philanthropy. Her career began as a Health Outreach Coordinator at MQVN Community Development Corporation, where she spearheaded the implementation of the Diabetes Education in Vietnamese Americans (DEVA) study, addressing barriers to diabetes management within Vietnamese communities. She also worked as the lead Community Organizer and empowered Vietnamese fisherfolks in response to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil drilling disaster. In her past role as Vice President of Community Impact at United Way of Southeast Louisiana, Tap managed an annual $3.5 million grantmaking process and led health-focused initiatives, including trauma-informed programming and COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts.
Tap is deeply committed to service and equity. She has served on the boards of New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School (Sci High) and the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation. She currently serves as Chair of the Institute of Mental Hygiene New Orleans and is a member of the Louisiana Public Health Institute.
Tap holds a Master’s in Public Health from the LSUHSC School of Public Health, is a certified medical interpreter, and is fluent in Vietnamese. When she’s not doing community work, you can find her cooking and hanging out with her two Shih-tzus, Luna and Sunny.
Pronouns: She/Her
Director
Organizing & Resource Institute
Chicago, IL
Prior to joining KRCC’s staff in 2014, Ms. Choi worked as an independent consultant for nine years assisting community-based organizations and foundations with capacity building and strategic planning. Ms. Choi also served as the Program Director of the Crossroads Fund, the Asian American Liaison for the Harold Washington administration in Chicago and a community organizer for the Metropolitan Tenants Organization. She is a co-founder of Korean American Women In Need (KAN-WIN).
Pronouns: He/Him
President & CEO
Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC)
New York, NY
Wayne Ho is the President and CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), the nation’s largest Asian American social services agency. He is responsible for leading this 53-year-old organization that promotes social and economic empowerment of over 60,000 Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income New Yorkers each year. CPC implements more than 50 programs at over 30 sites throughout New York City, including early childhood education, school-age care, youth services, workforce development, community services, and senior services. Under Wayne’s leadership, which started in 2017, CPC launched Advancing Our CommUNITY, its organization-wide strategy to expand services to address persistent needs and emerging trends and to improve leadership skills among staff and community members.
Previously, Wayne served as Chief Strategy and Program Officer for the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), an association of 200 community and faith-based member agencies aiming to promote upward mobility of underserved New Yorkers. He was responsible for expanding policy advocacy, capacity building, and faith-rooted organizing initiatives to achieve FPWA’s strategic plan. During his tenure, FPWA has advocated successfully for a funded $15 per hour minimum wage for City contracted social services nonprofit workers, grew the number of trainings and grants to member agencies, and increased its budget by 45%.
From 2004-2013, Wayne was the Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), the nation’s only pan-Asian children’s advocacy organization. During his tenure, CACF collaborated with other organizations to successfully pass policies to improve language access, reduce bias-based harassment in schools, baselined funding for community-based child abuse prevention programs, and increased discretionary funding for the Asian Pacific American community. He has been recognized by the City and State in the inaugural Nonprofit Power 50 cohort in 2018 and as a 40 Under 40 New York City Rising Star in 2014. Wayne was one of 10 leaders invited to meet with President Obama during the White House’s Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration in 2011.
Wayne serves on numerous boards, including the board of Coro New York Leadership Center and Partnership for After School Education, and is appointed to several New York City and State advisory boards. Wayne received his Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley and his Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Pronouns: She/Her
Former Executive Director
Chinese Community Center (CCC)
Houston, TX
Chi-mei Lin has been the Executive Director of the Chinese Community Center in Houston for the past 15 years. CCC is the largest Asian-led social services agency in the southwestern United States, serving over 10,000 families a year with educational, cultural, and social services. In 2015, CCC achieved recognition and accreditation from the Board of Immigration Appeals. Chi-mei actively engages in community work and is currently serving on the City of Houston Community Development Advisory Council, United Way of Greater Houston Care for Elders Leadership Council, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collective Executive Committee, and Houston Empower Community Initiative Executive Council.
Pronouns: He/Him
Executive Director
Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC)
Los Angeles, CA
Erich Nakano has been with the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) since 1992. LTSC is a 40+ year old nonprofit organization that builds affordable housing, engages in comprehensive community development work in Little Tokyo, and provides a broad range of social services for the elderly and families. Erich graduated from UCLA’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning with an M.A. in 1993. At LTSC, he has managed affordable housing and community facility projects in Little Tokyo and in other communities of color throughout the L.A. area, in partnership with other community-based organizations. He was responsible for program development for several LTSC programs, including the Affordable Housing Collaborative, Asian Pacific Islander (API) Small Business Program, LTSC’s Child Development Program, and others. He has been LTSC’s Deputy Director, serving as LTSC’s Chief Operating Officer. In October 2019, he was appointed Executive Director after the former Executive Director passed away.
Prior to his work at LTSC, Erich has been involved in various community organizations and issues, including the Japanese American redress and reparations movement, community preservation and tenant rights, educational rights, and various national and local political campaigns. He graduated with a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in political science.
Pronouns: She/Her
Public Engagement Director
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Minneapolis, MN
Before joining the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, she served at CAPI USA – Immigrant Opportunity Center for 16 years, first as the Program Director and then as CEO for the last 12 years. She has served on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board and has been involved with many nonprofit organizations during her tenure with CAPI. Ekta has significant cross-cultural expertise and has worked extensively with culturally-based grassroots organizations. She has a deep commitment to the value of multiculturalism and has built bridges between and among numerous immigrant and refugee communities residing in the Twin Cities. Ekta has two master’s Degrees in Sociology (Delhi School of Economics) and Public Administration (Metro State University). She is a LAAMP and Gender Equity AAPIP Fellow and received the Rosa Park Diversity Award and Hometown Hero Award by Major League Soccer. Her experiences included leadership, cross-cultural expertise, program administration, strategic planning, and working with culturally based grassroots organizations.
Pronouns: She/Her
Executive Director
United Cambodian Community (UCC)
Long Beach, CA
Susana Sngiem has served as United Cambodian Community’s (UCC) Executive Director for over nine years. Susana was born and raised in Long Beach by Khmer refugee parents. She earned her Master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Susana has over 20 years of nonprofit leadership. She is committed to equitable development in the Cambodian community in Long Beach. She has led and partnered with the Cambodia Town Thrives Collaborative, Cambodian Advocacy Collaborative, and Language Access Coalition. She currently serves as the Chair of the Midtown Business and Property Owners Association and is a member of the City of Long Beach’s Homeless Services Advisory Committee.
Pronouns: He/Him
Executive Director
South Asian Network (SAN)
Artesia, CA
Shakeel Syed serves as the Executive Director of South Asian Network (SAN). Syed’s decades of leadership experience include previously leading the Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD) and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California as its Executive Director.
For more than 30 years, Syed has organized minority communities in protecting their civil rights and civil liberties, fostered interfaith solidarity, advocated for the rights of immigrant and low-wage workers, and the political empowerment of the minority communities. He also volunteers as a chaplain in prisons. Syed continues to speak and write on these and other issues, such as police abuse, mass incarceration, and the human rights of all people.
Syed also serves on the boards of AAPI Equity Alliance, American Muslims for Palestine, and Death Penalty Focus (DPF). He has also served on the boards of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE).
Maiko Winker-Chin served as Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation Authority (SCIDpda)’s Executive Director since 2009, and prior to that role she served as SCIDpda’s Director of Housing and Facilities. She worked at SCIDpda for over 17 years. Maiko has served on numerous Seattle-area workgroups focused on core community development issues, including housing and commercial affordability, equitable development, transportation, and public safety. She was a founding member of Puget Sound Regional Council’s HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Equity Network, co-chaired the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Sustainable Leadership, and was a UW Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies Affiliate Fellow. Maiko is a recipient of the 2020 Women of Valor Award from Senator Maria Cantwell, and was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in Seattle” by Seattle Met in 2021.
Pronouns: He/Him
Executive Director
Chinatown Community Development Center
San Francisco, CA
Malcolm started as Executive Director in April 2020. Before this, Malcolm served as the Deputy Director of Programs and Policy Manager of Chinatown CDC since 2009. Malcolm graduated from Duke University in 1994 (B.S.), University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997 (M.A. History), and Berkeley Law (J.D.) in 2001. Malcolm first practiced in venture finance and patent litigation at Perkins Coie LLP and then O’Melveny and Meyers LLP before joining the Asian Law Caucus in 2003. In 2011, Malcolm took a brief vacation from Chinatown CDC, where he served in the Administration of San Francisco’s First Asian American Mayor, the Honorable Edwin M. Lee, for one year to launch Mayor Lee’s housing programs. Malcolm was former Co-Chair of the California Coalition on Civil Rights and President of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area. He currently serves on the Boards of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and API Council. Malcolm likes to tell bad jokes, ride his bike(s) slowly, and torture his two children by making them tell him what a great dad he is. Malcolm is co-editor of a collection of short historical essays, Chinese Americans on the American Frontier, which can only be found in the most exclusive bookstores.
