Community in the Capital (CITC)

Community in the Capital (CITC) is a policy advocacy fellowship for staff at National CAPACD member organizations. CITC aims to increase the national presence and visibility of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) community-based organizations and emerging leaders, and bridge the gap between local and federal policy advocacy. CITC Fellows:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the structure of the federal government to identify how to most effectively advocate for AA and NHPI-specific policies.
• Learn how the federal government impacts their work at the local and state levels.
• Understand how to pursue equity for AAs and NHPIs in a coalition.
• Build strategic relationships with other community leaders.
• Learn how to become stronger and more effective leaders.
• Become dynamic storytellers and effective communicators who can confidently speak about their work and organization as policy advocates.

National CAPACD has trained nearly 150 leaders from across the country representing 50 different AA and NHPI community-based organizations over the past 14 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.

CITC 2023 Cohort

Caroline Calderon (She/Her)
Project Manager, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) | Los Angeles, CA

Caroline Calderon (she/her) is a Project Manager in the Real Estate Development Department of the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), a multi-service center and community development corporation located in the City of Los Angeles. As a project manager, Caroline is responsible for all phases of real estate development, including feasibility analysis, design development, preparing applications for and securing entitlements and financing, coordinating development team members, and construction administration. Before working in affordable housing development, she worked as a Graduate Intern for the Little Tokyo Community Impact Fund, a social investment fund established to buy properties in Little Tokyo in order to preserve community-aligned businesses and organizations from increasing rents and real estate speculation. She spent 9 years working in San Francisco with community-based organizations such as the Bayanihan Equity Center/Bill Sorro Housing Program, where she assisted individuals and families in applying for affordable housing opportunities, and Pin@y Educational Partnerships, where she taught middle school and college students Ethnic Studies. Caroline holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Francisco and a M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California at Los Angeles. She acts as a board member for the Asian Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APAHiP) and Narra. When she's not building housing or advocating for community ownership, you can find her DJing at weddings and community events.

Emma Ishida (She/They)
Youth Programs Associate, Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) | Boston, MA

Emma Ishida is the Youth Programs Associate at Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC). ACDC builds affordable housing and leads placekeeping and placemaking efforts in Greater Boston’s gateway communities of Chinatown, Malden, and Quincy. Emma facilitates A-VOYCE (Asian Voices of Organized Youth for Community Empowerment) where she builds curriculum based in community-centered urban planning and leads workshops around topics like displacement, environmental racism, and Asian American history. Through these workshops, she works to empower youth in their advocacy and leadership skills, and has trained up young people to share their experiences in public meetings and speak directly with legislators to advocate for various policies. They also supervise high school and college interns during the school year and summer. Originally from the East Bay, CA, Emma graduated in 2020 from Tufts University with a B.S. in Cognitive and Brain Sciences and a B.A. in American Studies with a focus in Asian American Studies. Emma loves movement and can be found walking, running, biking, or swimming. They also make things! They like bookmaking and pottery, have recently learned sceenprinting, and are slowly learning sashiko stitching. 

Naomi Jia (She/Her)
Business Development Manager, MidTown Cleveland, Inc. | Cleveland, OH

Naomi Jia serves as the Business Development Manager for AsiaTown in MidTown Cleveland, where her primary role is to facilitate the growth of small business owners by connecting them with essential financial resources and support. On a daily basis, Naomi provides assistance to the business community, including language support, technical expertise, and troubleshooting guidance. She actively collaborates with various organizations to enhance the AsiaTown brand and works alongside partners to develop sustainable strategies for the aging businesses in the area, ensuring the continuity and vitality of the business community. MidTown Cleveland, Inc., CDC, is dedicated to serving the diverse needs of MidTown's members, stakeholders, businesses, organizations, residents, and visitors. The organization aims to foster a connected and complete community by leveraging the area's unique assets, thereby developing a vibrant neighborhood that unifies the downtown and innovation districts of the city. Naomi was born and raised in China. Her cultural background provides her with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the Asian business community. Additionally, she completed her graduate studies in Economics at Cleveland State University, further enhancing her ability to support the economic growth and success of AsiaTown.

Frank Lee (He/Him)
Executive Director, 85 Community Development Corporation (85 CDC) | Atlanta, GA

Frank Lee is the founder and Executive Director of 85 Community Development Corporation. He started 85CDC in 2022 with support and encouragement from many community partners to provide culturally specific services and foster self-determination among immigrant communities in one of the most diverse counties in the Southeast. Frank moved to Los Angeles to attend planning school at Cal Poly Pomona and was indoctrinated in nonprofit community development work while employed at Koreatown Youth and Community Center and Little Tokyo Service Center. After moving back to his hometown of Atlanta to be with family, Frank worked as a planner for a few municipalities for a brief period before serving as the Director of Transportation for an agency that provided culturally specific paratransit service. He likes to dream of early retirement by spending his free time woodworking, gardening, or attempting DIY projects.

Derek Lum (He/Him)
Policy and Advocacy Manager, InterIm Community Development Association (InterIm CDA) | Seattle, WA 

Derek Lum is the Advocacy and Policy Manager at InterIm CDA. He leads InterIm CDA's systems change and community-wide organizing work. InterIm CDA promotes social justice and equity for low-income, immigrant and refugee, and API communities. This means working with community members to ensure their voices are heard in local government processes, citywide and neighborhood land use issues, and more. InterIm CDA also disseminates information about civic rights, tenants' rights, and additional resources. Derek works with coalitions of different community members and leaders, as well as representatives from other communities to make sure the values of equitable development drive our policies, outcomes, decisions, investments, resources, and implementation of policies or programs. He has also worked in civic engagement with Asian Counseling Referral Service and APACEvotes, both which work to increase voter participation and registration in the AAPI community. He holds two degrees from the University of Washington; a Bachelors in Social Welfare and a Masters in Social Work. He has a certificate from the University of Washington Real Estate School's continuing education program. Currently, he serves on the board of APACEvotes. He also serves on the board of Historic South Downtown, which resources the Pioneer Square and CID neighborhoods in the face of large public and private projects, and preserves the health, safety, and cultural heritage of the two neighborhoods. Derek also enjoys beer, coffee, learning to play the guitar, and open-world video games. A general lover of all foods (except those which are too spicy), he prizes fried chicken above the rest.

Monica Lapa (She/Her)
SPEaC Change Coordinator, UTOPIA Washington | Kent, WA

Monica Lapa is currently a SPEaC (System, Policy, Environmental, and Cultural) Change Coordinator for UTOPIA (United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance)-Washington. United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance (UTOPIA) is a queer and trans people of color-led, grassroots organization born out of the struggles, challenges, strength, and resilience of the Queer and Trans Pacific Islander (QTPI – “Q-T-pie”) community in South King County. As a SPEaC Change Coordinator, she helps coordinate leadership development and civic engagement programs, climate and environmental justice policy, and regional community organizing to help improve advocacy and increase civic engagement of the immigrant and refugee community members overall, with a focus but not limited to 2SLGBTQ+ communities. She was born and raised in the beautiful village of Fagatogo, American Samoa. She is a graduate of Samoana High School and has earned her Associate of Arts Degree from American Samoa Community College, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History & Political Studies at Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii. She also helped UTOPIA Las Vegas to become a 501(c) (3) organization in 2020. As a proud Fa’afafine with a background in guest relations and leadership, she was instrumental in empowering and bringing more resources for Queer and Trans Pacific Islanders in Las Vegas. Through community organizing and volunteering, she realized her passion is standing up for those that look like her. Her fearless personality helps her speak up for others and be a voice for those that are afraid to speak up for themselves. The world is a stage, and they are watching every move we make in how we live our lives. Like the superstars that we are, we will always have a look, show a look, and give them a look. We will not be erased!

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ―   Audre Lorde

Pa Houa Vang (She/Her)
Staff Analyst, Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM) | Fresno, CA

Pa Houa Vang is the Staff Analyst at Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM). FIRM is a non-profit organization that serves refugee families in the Fresno area by connecting the community to resources, navigating the healthcare system, engaging in culturally appropriate community organizing, and providing educational outreach. Pa Houa’s role includes monitoring and analyzing statistical reports of services used by FIRM program participants, supporting the FIRM staff with troubleshooting and training, and providing regular high-level reports on organizational impact to inform policy advocacy and implementation efforts. Pa Houa graduated in 2020 from the University of California, Davis with a BA in Sociocultural Anthropology, and a minor in Human Development. She moved back to her parent’s residence in Fresno to complete the final quarter of her undergraduate studies due to COVID-19. Soon after, she joined the FIRM team as a Community Health Worker (CHW), delivering educational outreach and resources about COVID-19 to underserved communities and working with Southeast Asian families who have been directly impacted by COVID-19 before taking on data-oriented roles for the organization. Her hobbies are reading, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and spending quality time with her family.