Community in the Capital (CITC) is a policy advocacy fellowship for staff at National CAPACD member organizations. CITC aims to bridge the gap between local and federal policy advocacy. CITC Fellows:
National CAPACD has trained nearly 150 leaders from across the country representing 50 different AA and NHPI community-based organizations over the past 15 years through CITC. We’re proud to see that CITC alumni are becoming leaders in their respective fields, growing strong peer relationships, serving on National CAPACD’s Board of Directors, or becoming policymakers themselves.
Reno Anoa’i (He/Him), Senior Program & Advocacy Manager, Pacific Islander Community Partnership (PICP) (Daly City, CA)
Brian Liu (He/Him), Community Development Manager, APANO (Portland, OR)
Liliana Napoleon (She/Hers), Special Projects Manager, Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA) (Honolulu, HI)
Don Pin (He/Him), Program Manager, Economic Inclusion, United Cambodian Community (UCC) (Long Beach, CA)
Isa Sasi (She/Hers), Advocacy Project Coordinator, Southern California Pacific Islander Community Response Team (SoCal PICRT) (Los Angeles, CA)
Lolofi Soakai (She/Hers), Executive Director, Motivating Action Leadership Opportunity (MALO) (Ontario, CA)
Clayton Xu (He/Him), Policy Manager, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) (Chicago, IL)
Jimina Afuola (She/Her), Advocacy Coordinator, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) (Los Angeles, CA)
Jason Bautista (He/They), Community & Civic Engagement Associate, Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) (Los Angeles, CA)
Avi Gandhi (She/Her), Senior Community Planner, Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC) (San Francisco, CA)
Paying Her (She/Her), Building Community Program Manager, Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM) (Fresno, CA)
Avalon Igawa (They/She), Community Engagement Specialist, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) (Los Angeles, CA)
Susi Feltch-Malohifoʻou (She/Her), Chief Community Engagement & Development Officer, Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR) (Salt Lake City, UT)
Urgen Sherpa, (He/Him), Senior Small Business Organizer, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Wenyan Wang (She/Her), Research Analyst, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) (Chicago, IL)
Caroline Calderon, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) (Los Angeles, CA)
Emma Ishida, Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) (Boston, MA)
Naomi Jia, MidTown Cleveland, Inc. (Cleveland, OH)
Frank Lee, 85 Community Development Corporation (85 CDC) (Atlanta, GA)
Derek Lum, InterIm Community Development Association (InterIm CDA) (Seattle, WA)
Monica Lapa, UTOPIA Washington (Kent, WA)
Pa Houa Vang, Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM) (Fresno, CA)
Grace Chan McKibben, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) (Chicago, IL)
Mimi Cheung, Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) (Los Angeles, CA)
Celina Fernando, Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) (Boston, MA)
Yasue Katsuragi-Clark, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) (Los Angeles, CA)
Wanna Lei, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) (Portland, OR)
David Li, Chinese American Service League (CASL) (Chicago, IL)
Jim Nguyen, The Alliance (Houston, TX)
Fahad Rumi, South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) (Queens, NY)
Sayon Syprasoeuth, United Cambodian Community (UCC) (Long Beach, CA)
Karis Tzeng, MidTown Cleveland, Inc. (Cleveland, OH)
Sina Uipi, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) (Los Angeles, CA)
Rosaline Yang, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) (Philadelphia, PA)
Lamei Zhang, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) (Philadelphia, PA)
Weiying Zhang, Chinese American Service League (CASL) (Chicago, IL)
Aian Mendoza, AYPAL (Oakland, CA)
Chrissy Sam, Khmer Girls in Action (Long Beach, CA)
Farzana Linda, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Frances Huang, Chinese-American Planning Council (New York, NY)
Journey Chen, Asian Community Development Corporation (Boston, MA)
Kristina Doan, CAPI USA (Brooklyn Center, MN)
Lamei Zhang, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (Philadelphia, PA)
Nikki Sutton, Little Tokyo Service Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Seema Choudhary, South Asian Youth Action (Queens, NY)
William Oh, HANA Center (Chicago, IL)
An Huynh, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation & Development Authority (Seattle, WA)
Carro Hua, Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (Dorchester, MA)
Jeena Hah, Asian Community Development Corporation (Boston, MA)
Manisha Lance, Raksha, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
Seema Ahesan, Muslim Women Resource Center (Chicago, IL)
Sophanarot Sam, Southeast Asian Community Alliance (Los Angeles, CA)
Tong Thao, Asian Economic Development Association (Saint Paul, MN)
Vicki-Ann Paresa, Hawaiian Community Assets (Honolulu, HI)
Jordyn Danner, Program Manager, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Lily Hu, Resident Services Manager, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (Oakland, CA)
Lehua I, Asset Building and Youth Program Coordinator, Hawaiian Community Assets (Honolulu, HI)
Matthew Ides, Director of Economic and Community Development, Hmong American Partnership (Saint Paul, MN)
Debbie Liu, Community Development Coordinator, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (Chicago, IL)
Quynh Pham, Executive Director, Friends of Little Saigon (Seattle, WA)
Will Spisak, Director of Programs, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Vong Thao, Loan and Business Development Manager, Asian Economic Development Association (Saint Paul, MN)
Heidi Tso, Program Coordinator, Chinese Community Center (Houston, TX)
Samantha Vang, Community Engagement Coordinator, CAPI USA (Minneapolis, MN)
Aly Arnold, Chinese Community Center (Houston, TX)
Debbie Chen, Asian Community Development Corporation (Boston, MA)
Yihong Dong, Asian American Community Services (Columbus, OH)
Raúl Fernández-Berriozába, Chinatown Community Development Center (San Francisco, CA)
Erika Gee, Chinatown Community Development Center (San Francisco, CA)
Andrea Giese, Pacific Consortium in Employment (Los Angeles, CA)
Jagpreet Khakh, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Jamie Lee, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, (Seattle, WA)
Lei Reidel, Hawaiian Community Assets (Honolulu, HI)
Yaomee Xiong, CAPI USA (Minneapolis, MN)
Christina Baggao, Pacific Consortium in Employment (Los Angeles, CA)
Ching Chan, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (Seattle, WA)
Wai-Ling Chin, Pacific Consortium in Employment (Los Angeles, CA)
Rosalyn Epstein, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (Oakland, CA)
Sarah Fajardo, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (New York, NY)
Duncan Hwang, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (Portland, Oregon)
Theresa Imperial, Veteran’s Equity Center (San Francisco, CA)
Lucy Pyeatt, Chinese Community Center (Houston, TX)
Alisi Tulua, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (Los Angeles, CA)
Choua Vang, Hmong American Partnership (St. Paul, MN)
Lahela Williams, Hawaiian Community Assets (Honolulu, HI)
Sarah Yeung, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (Philadelphia, PA)
Desiree Vea, Hawaiian Community Assets (Honolulu, HI)
Grace Shim, Minkwon Center for Community Action (New York, NY)
Imtiaz Hossain, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Kim Train, Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (Los Angeles, CA)
Kimberly Tang, Chinese Community Center (Houston, TX)
Michael Yee, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (Seattle, WA)
Mike Murase, Little Tokyo Service Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Mindy Au InterIm Community Development Association (Seattle, WA)
Sarah Teater, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (Oakland, CA)
Stephen Lee, Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
Yunie Hong, Hmong National Development, Inc. (Washington, D.C.)
Richard Chang, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (Los Angeles, CA)
Carol Wu, Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (Los Angeles, CA)
Linda Yang, Lao Family Community of Stockton (Stockton, CA)
Hieu Lam, Union of Pan Asian Communities (San Diego, CA)
Michael Byun, Asian Service in Action (Akron, OH)
Chi Mei Lin, Chinese Community Center (Houston, TX)
Rosalee Puaoi, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Geraldine Mendiola, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Jun Yang, Faith Action for Community Equity (Honolulu, HI)
Nam Pham, Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (Dorchester, MA)
Charles Vang, Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce (Milwaukee, WI)
Theresa Mah, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (Chicago, IL)
Noelle Desaki, Hawaiian Community Assets (Honolulu, HI)
Tony Chung, Center for Pan Asian Community Services (Chamblee, GA)
Mamta Gurung, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Riamsalio Kao Phetchareun, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (Washington, DC)
Nancy Pomplun, Asian Economic Development Association (St. Paul, MN)
Dae Joong Yoon, Korean Resource Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Genna Byrd, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Janelle Chan, Asian Community Development Corportation (Boston, MA)
John Chin, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (Philadelphia, PA)
Phuong Do, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (Washington, D.C.)
Karoleen Feng, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (Oakland, CA)
Jeff Gilbreath, Hawaiian Community Assets (Honolulu, HI)
Hyeok Kim, InterIm Community Development Association (Seattle, WA)
Jeremy Liu, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (Oakland, CA)
Kei Nagao, Little Tokyo Services Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Rosalee Puaoi, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Shan Rehman, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Nenick Vu, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (Washington, D.C.)
Malcolm Yeung, Chinatown Community Development Center (San Francisco, CA)
Cindy Wu, Chinatown Community Development Center (San Francisco, CA)
Evelyn Bruce, National Alliance to Nurture the Aged and the Youth (North Miami, FL)
Shannon Toriki, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Lilia Kapuniai, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Laura Matsuoka, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Kapolei, HI)
Shan Rehman, Chhaya CDC (Jackson Heights, NY)
Margaret Iwanaga-Penrose, Union of Pan Asian Communities (San Diego, CA)
Pany Siharath, Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
Mark Masaoka, Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (Los Angeles, CA)
Sheng Lee, Hmong Asian Partnership (Saint Paul, MN)
Jeong Yeon Hong, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (Annandale, VA)
Keh Rachanit Trikandha, Thai Community Development Corporation (Los Angeles, CA)
Bruce Blaisdell, VietAID (Boston, MA)
Richard Lee, Asian Americans for Equality (New York, NY)
Joel Jacinto, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (Los Angeles, CA)
Pronouns: She/Her
Environmental Justice and Housing Program Coordinator
Southern California Pacific Islander Community Response Team (SoCal PICRT)
Los Angeles, CA
Shana Coleman is an environmental justice and housing program coordinator for the Southern California Pacific Islander Community Response Team (SoCal PICRT). She leads environmental justice education, community engagement, and homelessness prevention efforts to serve Pacific Islander families throughout Southern California.
Her previous experience includes supporting families during the COVID-19 pandemic through public health outreach on vaccine and testing clinics, resource navigation, and housing assistance. She has worked on environmental justice campaigns, youth engagement efforts, and community workshops that help Pacific Islander families understand and respond to climate and housing challenges.
Shana is pursuing a Business Administration degree at Mt. San Jacinto College and plans to continue her education at California State University, San Bernardino. As a Tongan advocate calling for climate and housing justice, she works to amplify Pacific Islander perspectives and continues to educate herself on the evolving climate and housing challenges facing frontline communities. She is dedicated to ensuring that the lived experiences of Pacific Islander communities inform climate and housing conversations across Southern California.
Pronouns: She/Her
Community Outreach Coordinator
Friends of Little Saigon (FLS)
Seattle, WA
Alina Doan is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Friends of Little Saigon (FLS), a nonprofit organization in Seattle, Washington that preserves and enhances Little Saigon’s cultural, economic, and historic vitality. For over two and a half years, she has supported Vietnamese- and Chinese-speaking small business owners with technical assistance, grants, and in-language resources. She advocates for equitable development to keep Little Saigon affordable and community-centered, building coalitions with residents, service providers, volunteers, and policymakers.
Before FLS, Alina worked at the Port of Seattle, where she created a community engagement board game to help employees engage ethically and effectively with Indigenous tribal members. She also led youth programs at the Wing Luke Museum and communicated with museum guests to foster a welcoming environment in a community-centered cultural space.
Alina graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Diversity. Outside of her career, she dedicates her time to appreciating and caring for the environment. You’ll likely find her bird watching, composting with a local organization, gardening, or climbing.
Pronouns: She/Her
Community Organizer
Little Tokyo Community Council (LTCC)
Los Angeles, CA
Hana Noguchi is a fourth-generation Japanese American and serves as the Community Organizer at the Little Tokyo Community Council, where she supports advocacy campaigns focused on equitable development in Little Tokyo and Downtown Los Angeles. Hana’s work includes engaging residents, coordinating outreach and grassroots organizing efforts, mobilizing community initiatives, and representing community interests to city officials and developers to protect, preserve, and promote the historic Little Tokyo.
Previously, Hana served as a Community Planning and Development Intern at Koreatown Youth and Community Center, where she strengthened her commitment to advancing and protecting AANHPI communities in Los Angeles by supporting equitable development, civic engagement, and community-centered planning initiatives.
Hana earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from the University of California, Riverside, with a focus on Social/Cultural and Family Policy & Policy Processes and Institutions. She also developed and taught a college course on animal welfare and exploitation policy. This experience strengthened her ability to educate diverse audiences on complex social issues and connect individual experiences to broader systemic impacts.
Pronouns: She/Her
Public Realm Coordinator
Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda)
Seattle, WA
Naomi Saito is the Public Realm Coordinator at the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda), whose mission is to preserve, promote, and develop the Chinatown International District (CID) as a vibrant community and unique ethnic neighborhood. In her current role as Public Realm Coordinator, Naomi engages with neighborhood stakeholders to facilitate and implement collaborative place-keeping and placemaking projects in and around Seattle’s CID. She focuses her efforts on reinforcing the identity of the CID and community through public realm improvement projects, culturally appropriate and creative community outreach, and collaboration with community and city partners.
Naomi graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Community, Environment, and Planning. This interdisciplinary program allowed her to study urban planning, environment, landscape architecture, and anthropology. In addition to her work at SCIDpda, she is collaborating with National CAPACD to advance creative placemaking research and serving on the CID Neighborhood Team with Foresting Seattle to create a CID Tree Action Plan.
Pronouns: She/Her
Small Business Program Coordinator
Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC)
Los Angeles, CA
Megan Teramoto Vargas is a Small Business Program Coordinator at the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC). In this role, she works on large-scale neighborhood improvement initiatives, leads stakeholder engagement, and supports local merchants to avoid displacement by guiding them through complex grant and loan documents, regulatory challenges, and resource navigation.
Prior to joining LTSC, Megan served as a Field Deputy and Caseworker for the City of Los Angeles Council District Fourteen, where she acted as a community liaison, managed constituent services, and helped broker vital municipal leases for local cultural centers. She also gained foundational experience in commercial district administration as a Management Intern for the Arts District Los Angeles Business Improvement District.
Megan earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University, Los Angeles. Deeply committed to community service and her heritage, she has volunteered with Kosumosu, an LTSC domestic violence transitional housing facility, since 2018. She is also highly involved in supporting her childhood church, the St. Francis Xavier Japanese Catholic Center, by coordinating logistics and multi-generational fundraising events that are vital to preserving the historic parish’s cultural and spiritual presence in the neighborhood.
Pronouns: He/Him
Director of Economic Prosperity
Hmong American Partnership (HAP)
St. Paul, MN
Ger Thao serves as the Director of Economic Prosperity at Hmong American Partnership, where he leads community economic development initiatives focused on entrepreneurship, access to capital, and financial empowerment for underserved communities. In his role, Ger oversees small business lending, technical assistance, entrepreneurial education, and strategic partnerships that support immigrant, refugee, and low-income entrepreneurs across the Twin Cities metro area.
Prior to joining HAP, Ger served as Director of Operations at the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, where he managed microloan programs and business development initiatives that supported underserved entrepreneurs throughout Wisconsin. Across his career, Ger has helped deploy millions of dollars in loans, grants, and technical assistance to small businesses while building partnerships with CDFIs, government agencies, financial institutions, and community organizations.
Ger earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Supply Chain & Operations Management from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and later obtained his Master of Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University. Ger is passionate about advancing equitable economic opportunities and creating pathways for historically underserved communities to build long-term financial stability and generational wealth.
Pronouns: She/Her
Director of Housing Justice
Chhaya Community Development Corporation (Chhaya CDC)
Jackson Heights, NY
Tenying Yangsel is the Director of Housing Justice at Chhaya Community Development Corporation, a HUD-certified housing counseling agency that works with South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities across New York City. In her current role, Tenying oversees the organization’s first-time homebuyer program, foreclosure prevention, tenant counseling, and organizing initiatives. She provides leadership on housing counseling, community outreach, and program development to expand equitable access to homeownership opportunities, housing preservation resources, and critical support services for low- to moderate-income communities.
With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Tenying has dedicated her career to serving immigrant communities through culturally responsive, community-centered work. She studied Sociology, a background that informs her understanding of systemic inequities, community development, and housing justice. She is multilingual in Tibetan, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, and Tsangla, allowing her to engage effectively with NYC’s diverse communities. Drawing on her lived experience as a Tibetan raised across India, Nepal, and NYC, Tenying is committed to building inclusive, culturally responsive, and supportive environments where individuals and families feel valued, heard, and empowered.
