UNDER 30

Joie Ha, 28

As the daughter of refugees, Joie (she/her) has always been acutely aware of existing injustices and began her journey as an activist for minority communities in Colorado over 10 years ago. Joie is the Founder of CORE: Community Organizing for Radical Empathy, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm and community organizing group that focuses on grassroots solutions. Awarded the Asian American Young Hero of Colorado award in 2012, her background includes a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.A. in Development Practice with work spanning locally and abroad; including community development in Malaysia and research on hip hop and fictive kin in Cambodia. Connect with Joie at: coredei.

com or infocoredei@gmail.com. 1Chinese,

Taiwanese

Denver

2

“Halo-Halo” Mixed Race, Broomfield

Elizabeth Mary Tavara Franz, 28

Elizabeth (she/her) is the Principal Certified Mediator at Humanz Mediate. As a mediator, she has been supporting people in their most impactful conversations for the past 10 years. She is the Director of the Professionals of Color Network, and she serves on the Cemetery Committee of Broomfield County and Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Board. Elizabeth facilitates restorative justice cases through The Conflict Center and holds space for healing circles in the AAPI community. She is grateful to the Filipino American Community of Colorado for the privilege to learn traditional Filipino dances. She is also an alumnae of the Colorado Dragon Boat’s Emerging Leadership Program. Connect with Elizabeth at: humanzmediate.com or @Professionals

ofColorNetwork (Facebook).

Under 30

Let’s kick off the 100 Asians To Know with the young people in our community. These are the young leaders and hard workers, who have shown their diligence and commitment to themselves and to the world around them. They are destined to leave a mark. Remember these names as this is only the beginning for them!

Allyson Masunaga Goto, 25 Stephen Zhang, 16

Stephen (he/him) is a junior at Cherry Creek High School, who loves technology and business adventures. Moreover, he loves his community, which is why he founded Youth Creates, as a way for students to get involved in their community. The organization has led projects to promote cancer research, fight PPE (personal protective equipment) deficiency during the peak of the pandemic, and support Colorado senior residents. This summer, Stephen will lead his team to host another Gala for a Cure event to fundraise

3for cancer research. Connect with

Stephen at: Stephen.Zhang@

youthcreates.com or youth Chinese, creates.com. Englewood

Allyson (she/her) is a proud fourth-generation Japanese American, food and racial justice activist, and a mental health advocate. A graduate of Brown University with a degree in Environmental Studies and Policy, Allyson currently works for Jefferson County Public Health Japanese, on food justice projects. As a mental Westminster health advocate, she is a founding member of Asians*inFocus, an artistic mental health 4 initiative developed in response to the growing Asian hate amidst the pandemic. Allyson is also an alumnae of the Mirai Generations Leadership Program, in which she applied her passion for environmental sustainability to bringing sustainable options to the Cherry Blossom Festival. Connect with Allyson at: asiansinfocus.com,

@allysongo2, or @asiansinfocus.

Susanna Y Park, 28

A Korean American, Susanna (she/her) was born and raised in Colorado. She is completing her PhD in global health and is interested in health equity and communitybased research. She finds joy in connecting with her plants, fur-baby, and community. She is co-founder of Global Caveat, a global health educational nonprofit organization that provides equitable access to public health education and educational services by amplifying institutionally underserved voices and grassroots communities through cultural preservation and international collaborative efforts. Connect with Susanna at: susanna@globalcaveat.

com, susannaypark.com, or globalcaveat.com.

5

FilipinaTaiwanese, Denver Korean, Denver

Chinese, Denver

6

Kai (he/him) is honored to be a member of the Denver Asian American Kai Vong, 17 Pacific Islander Commission. Kai is the Katerina (she/her) is a poet, artist, healer, community organizer, Katerina Jeng, 29 founder and president of the Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance at East High School, an organization providing a space for all students to learn and appreciate culture. He is also a board member of the Re-Envisioning Denver’s Historic Chinatown Project, whose mission is to create an inclusive Denver that recognizes its history, and celebrates the past, current, and future diversity of the city. He looks forward to the future and strives to make a positive impact on the community surrounding him. Connect with Kai at: instagram. com/kaivongco. 7 and creative entrepreneur. She is the co-founder and co-leader of Slant’d, a storytelling collective Johnnie Nguyen, 24 building the community Asian Americans want and deserve. Born and raised in Denver, Johnnie (he/him) grew up pasShe is also the co-founder and sionate about issues regarding access to education, mental strategic director of Spectacle, a health, and racial equity. Empowered by his family’s resilience, marketing agency paving the way he became the first in his family to graduate law school. At for representation and inclusion. 24, he was elected the youngest member of the American Katerina is working on her first po- Bar Association’s Board of Governors, which is the etry collection, exploring the con- world’s largest legal association. His background cepts of faith and spirituality, and is in law and politics, previously working for US creating spaces for collective healing. Her work has been 8 Senator John Hickenlooper, Lewis Brisbois LLP (7th largest law firm in the country), the Colorafeatured in People, CBS News, Vietnamese, do House of Representatives, the Colorado AtHuffPost, Talks at Google, Denver torney General’s Office, the U.S. District Court, TEDx, and more. Connect with and the Colorado Supreme Court. Connect with Katerina at: katerinajeng.com. Johnnie at: linkedin.com/in/nguyenjohnnie.

Sebastian (he/him) is a professional soccer player with the Colorado Rapids. In 2019, at the time he signed his contract, he was only 16, the youngest with the team (16 years, 238 days). He became the youngest player in club history to make his pro debut as a starter, and the youngest goal scorer for the Rapids on July 20th, 2019. He played with the US U15 and U17 National teams, including being named to the US U17

Korean/ FIFA World Cup roster in Hungarian, Brazil. Sebastian enjoys Highlands spending time with his

Ranch friends and trying new

9foods. Connect with Sebastian at: @seb_anderson6.

10

Indian (Punjabi), Colorado Springs

Naureen Singh, 26

Naureen (she/her) is a community organizer at the Asian Pacific Development Center, where she has organized around issues like Census 2020, Get Out the Vote, and Know Your Rights workshops for immigrant and refugee families. She has also organized interfaith events across Colorado focused on education around the Sikh faith and Sikh community as the policy director of Colorado Sikhs. She is a former White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders intern and E3! Ambassador. She is a graduate student at CU Denver studying Criminal Justice and researching the impact of COVID-19 on Asian American victimization and feelings of safety. Connect with Naureen at: @naureenksingh (Twitter) or

@naureensingh (Instagram).

Akemi Tsutsui-Kunitake, 27

Akemi (she/her) is a third and fourth-generation Japanese American multi-disciplinary artist from Denver. As a practitioner of Shotokan karate for over 24 years, Akemi teaches and trains out of her family’s dojo, Colorado Budokan, and is a USA Karate team member representing Women’s Kata (forms).

Aside from martial arts, Akemi is a visual artist whose pen and ink works mix themes of Japanese folklore with Western mysticism. As an extension of her artwork, she is the creator behind Live Deliciously, a virtual gift shop dedicated to offerings that focus on self-empowerment and personal ritual. She is passionate about the intersectionality of cultural tradition, ancestral wisdom, 11 and modern identity. Connect with Akemi at: Japanese,

tsutsui-kunitake.com Denver or livedeliciously.net.

Kiana Marsan, 20

Kiana (she/her) is a senior at the University of Denver, studying English with a minor in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the school’s paper—the DU Clarion—leading her team through 12 an unprecedented year of loss Filipina, and social up- Highlands rising. She was Ranch the lead writer on campus-wide movements for social and racial justice, and she curated a news column called “On the Margins’’ that shared the lived experiences of marginalized students at her predominantly white campus. This summer, she will intern with Asian Avenue Magazine. Connect with Kiana at: duclarion. To watch the full press conference, go to tinyurl.com/aapi-solidarity-pressco. com/author/kianamarsan.

JD Mangat

Indian 13 (Punjabi), Lafayette

JD (he/him) was elected to the Lafayette City Council at the age of 22 and has been an active member of his community since the age of 13. He is also a full-time teacher at Angevine Middle School, serves on the Board of Directors of two nonprofit organizations, supports his family’s small business, does modeling for company advertisements and is a community volunteer. JD hopes to continue to work with local youth encouraging them to take on leadership roles. Connect with JD at: jd.mangat@ lafayetteco.gov or 303-731-9460.

Father Joseph Tung Dang Lynn Baca 14

Latina, Pacific Islander, Brighton

Lynn (she/her) is the first Latina Asian Pacific Islander to be elected to the Adams County Board of Commissioners. Her grandfather is from the Philippine Islands, and she is a second-generation American honored to represent her community on the Asian Chamber of Commerce Board. She is currently working on equity vaccination clinics in Adams County. She served two terms on the Brighton City Council. Connect with Lynn at: lynn@lynnbaca.co,

lynnbaca.co, or @BacaforAdamsCounty.

Father Dang (he/him) Proud is an ordained Catholic priest of an independent Public Servants jurisdiction (Catholic Apostolic Church Inter- Colorado’s Asian American public national), ambassador servants include elected officials and for the Vietnamese com- those working for local government. munity, a community li- These individuals have spent decades aison for Denver Health Southwest Pena Clinic, 15Vietnamese, Denver working to address community needs for a better Colorado. and a chaplain at the Denver Police Department. Father Dang is one of the leaders that formed the Little Saigon Business District on South Federal Blvd corridor. The Vietnamese American community is proud to have him as Will Chan the to go to person for resources and services. Will (he/him) has been a champion of During the pandemic, Father Dang drop off historically underresourced populations food boxes to many Vietnamese seniors. through various positions with the City

He hosts a talk show every night live-streamand County of Denver. He has develing on Facebook and YouTube with over oped immigrant and refugee programs, 40,000 Vietnamese American followers from addressed systemic poverty in low-inacross the US. Each week, he invites special come neighborhoods, and incorporated guests such as medical professionals to join racial equity considerations in the City’s him to talk to the community about being economic development framework. Will’s principles stem from his perhealthy. Recently, he is joining many efforts spective as a first-generation child of immigrant and refugee parents. to get as many Asians vaccinated as possible, He serves on the boards of the Colorado Nonprofit Development especially Vietnamese. Connect with Father Dang at: joseph.dang@denvergov.org. Center and PlatteForum, and formerly served on the Denver Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission and as a regional ambassador for the White House Initiative on 16 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Connect with Chinese, Will at: william.chan@denvergov.org or @realwillchan. Denver

17

Eric (he/him) is the Exec- Japanese, utive Director of Denver Denver

Economic Development

& Opportunity (DEDO), a position he assumed upon his appointment by Mayor Michael B. Hancock in August 2017. Born in California to Japanese immigrant parents, Eric moved to Colorado to study at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His inclusive leadership has elevated representation of AAPIs at all levels of Denver’s economy and has been at the forefront of the city’s pandemic relief and recovery efforts through support of businesses, nonprofits, jobseekers, and expanding opportunities for historically under-resourced populations in Denver’s economy. Eric also serves on multiple boards and advisory committees supporting the Asian community. Connect with Eric at: eric.hiraga@denvergov.org.

Trace (she/her) has worked in the Sheriff’s Office in the Denver metro area for over 12 years in different divisions – Patrol, Administrative, and Training. She is the Training Operations Supervisor for the agency. With the recent surge in hate crimes against the Asian community, she spearheaded a meeting between the Sheriff’s Office and the Asian community to educate, collaborate, and build a positive relationship to overcome these challenging times. She has worked at Hmong American Association of Colorado helping non-English speakers with social, le- Hmong, gal, financial, and medical needs. She also Westminster established cultural programs for traditional Hmong funeral and wedding practices. Since 2007, she has emceed the annual Hmong New Year celebration in Colorado. Connect with Trace at: 18

traceyang1@gmail.com.

Joe Jefferson

Joe (he/him) has led through years of public service with many local and national organizations, including International Leadership Foundation. He served on Englewood City Council from 2007 to 2018 and as mayor from 2015 to 2018. Mayor Jefferson was the first know Chinese American mayor in Colorado history. He was then elected Englewood’s Presiding Judge as the only publicly elected judge in Colorado. Judge Jefferson earned his B.S. from Cornell University and his J.D. from University of Denver. He owned Jefferson Legal Group and Twin Dragon 19 Restaurant with his mother, who has proudly served the local community for over 45 years. Connect with Judge Jefferson Denver, at: joejeff1224@gmail.com or 720.373.5639. Englewood

Derek Okubo

Derek (he/him) has been active in the Asian community in Colorado since the 1980’s – serving on Asian community boards and assisting organizations. He is most proud of his participation with the preservation efforts of the Amache Concentration Camp, an effort that his father helped start and Derek helped lead from 2002-2010. Since 2011, 20 he has served as the Executive Director of the Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships for the City and County of Denver as an appointee of Mayor Michael B. Hancock. Connect with Derek at: dpokubo13@gmail.com,

Japanese, @dereko413 (Twitter), or dpo_13 (Instagram). Denver

Lynda (she/her) works at Asian Pacific Development Center as a Behavioral Health Coder and Lao Navigator. Since she was young, she wanted to connect and help enrich the Lao community. She recalls her parents experienced challenges navigating the American system. Back then, she was too young to understand, but now that she is older, she helps whomever she can, which includes supporting monks with immigration paperwork, helping organize fundraisers, or driving elders to vaccination clinics.

She and her husband live north of Denver with their three kids: Bielly (16), Kailei (14), and Tobias (5). Connect with Lynda at: lyndasipanya@apdc.org.

Laotian, Commerce

City 21

Drucie Bathin

Ethnic Community Organizers

These are the respected leaders and connectors in Denver’s specific Asian ethnic communities.

Eed Cefkin

Eed (she/her) is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for Wat Buddhawararam, Denver Thai Buddhist temple, an ESL teacher at the

Community College

of Aurora, and an interpreter and translator for Thai and Lao communities. Eed is the former General Manager of the Royal Thai Honorary Consulate in Denver, and previously worked at Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice and Asian Pacific Development Center. She got her start as a social worker and a teacher at a refugee camp in Thailand after graduating from Thammasat University in Bangkok and was an AFS exchange student. She is a past president 22 and a current member of the Denver Thai Lions Club which organizes 9Health Fair Thai, annually at the Thai temple. Connect with Denver Eed at: eed.cefkin.cca@gmail.com.

Drucie (she/her) is the founder of Friends of the Karen People of Burma DBS Burma Community Rangers, a nonprofit organization in Colorado that assists former political refugees from Myanmar (Burma). Drucie immigrated to the US over 20 years ago. She and her family from Karen State survived ethnic cleansing by the Burmese Army due to her ethnicity being Karen. She has a B.A. in History Social Science and minor in English from Eastern Connecticut State University.

In February of 2021, the Burmese Army attempted a coup and over 700 people have been murdered in Burmese cities, while over 24,000 people have been internally displaced in the Karen State alone. The US and other countries around the world have imposed sanctions in Burma. Drucie started a Facebook fundraiser to help her people back home. Donate at: tinyurl. com/karen-state-fundraiser. Connect with Drucie at: linkedin.com/in/drucie-b-7b0b9959.

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Karen, Aurora

Peter Seung-woo Lee

Peter (he/him) serves as Co-chair of the Aurora Asian/Pacific Community

Partnership. He is a health insurance broker and branch manager of a financial planning firm with 18 years of experience as a former banker. Peter also worked as a Partnership Specialist for the US Census Bureau in 2010 to develop Census partnerships 24 with Asian organizations. For the 2020 Census, he co-organized the Colorado Asian Complete Count Committee to increase the self-response rate for the AAPI community. Peter is from South Korea and has been working to create Korean, an Aurora Korean War Veterans Memorial and Aurora Korea Town. Connect Aurora with Peter at: PeterL63@gmail.com.

Adam You

Adam (he/him) runs Denver Chi25 nese Source, a community-based Chinese language online platform that shares information about local Chinese, businesses, relevant news, and helpCentennial ful resources. As an advocate for Colorado’s Chinese community, he also manages communities on Facebook and WeChat to provide mutual assistance and information sharing. Adam also organizes volunteer events such as fundraising for the Denver Rescue Mission and organizing public policy forums in the Asian community. Connect with Adam at: adamyou@denver

chinesesource.com or denverchinesesource.com.

Giselle Rushford

Giselle (she/her) currently serves as a Na-

tional Federation of Filipino American As-

sociations (NaFFAA) Trustee and the Asian Pacific American Vote Colorado Executive Director. For the former, she advises the national team and works on projects, and currently she is developing the Run for Office Program. This program trains and mentors would be politicians, nonprofit leaders andcivically engaged individuals. For APIA Vote-Colorado, she implements the four pillars of voter engagement: registration, education, protection and get out the vote. Her latest project is coordinating the John Lewis National Day of Action, May 8, 2021 in 27 Denver. This national event hopes to ignite public sup- Filipino,port for restoring the Voting Rights Act. Connect with Giselle at: giselle.rushford@naffaa.org. Aurora

Su Baw

Su Baw (she/her) is Karen, an ethnic minority from Burma that continues to be persecuted against. Since 2014, she has worked for the Asian Pacific

Development Center

as a community navigator. She reaches out to Karen community members to provide education and to connect them to resources and services like behavioral health, food delivery, immigration assistance, interpretation, COVID vaccinations and more! In 2013, she co-founded Project KARE to help provide education to Karen people in Burma. Each year, the organization delivers school supplies to thousands of students. With the recent coup in Burma and violence in Karen State, Su Baw helped to organize the “Rally for the People of Burma” at the state Capitol. She shared her story as one of the featured speakers (vimeo.com/535356345). At the same time Karen, she led Project KARE’s fundraising effort Aurora for humanitarian relief for displaced Karen people, raising more than $15,000. Connect with Su Baw at: subaw@pro- 26

jectkare.org or projectkare.org.

Gary Yamashita

A third generation Japanese American born in Denver, Gary (he/him) feels a strong sense of pride and responsibility in preserving the history of the Japanese American community for future generations to enjoy. As Chief Executive Officer of Sakura Square LLC, Gary is responsible for overseeing the operations, strategic planning and leadership of the organization. He serves on the Project Management Team for the redevelopment of Sakura Square as a Japanese cultural and community center. He is also the Executive Director of Sakura Foundation, a nonprofit foundation committed to promoting Japanese heritage and culture through programs, grants and scholarships. His background includes over 40 years of experience in the real estate and banking industries. Gary also cares about the well-being of the greater metro community and contributes considerable time to the Downtown Denver Partnership, Rose Community Foundation and St. Francis Center. As part of the Downtown Denver Partnership, he currently serves on the panel for Diversity, Inclusivity and Equity. Connect with Gary at: garyy@sakurasquare.com or sakurasquare.com.

28

Japanese, Denver

Stacey (she/her) was born and raised in Denver and is the daughter of Japanese American (JA) internees. As the Program Director for Sakura Foundation and Sakura Square LLC, she is grateful to have a platform to live her professional and personal goal to uplift the rich culture and communities of JAs, Asians, and Denverites. Her volunteer work with the following organizations intersects with these communities on a variety of levels, allowing for robust connections, understanding, and collaboration: Denver Women’s Commission, PFLAG Denver (Board Secretary), Simp son United Methodist Church (Ad Council co-chair), AAPI Colorado Coa- 29 lition, and Okaeri Connects! Nikkei LGBTQ+ and Allies Team. Connect Japanese, with Stacey: staceys@sakurafoundation.org, sakurafoundation.org, or Denver

@SakuraFoundationCO (Facebook).

Shauna (she/her) is owner and operator of No Ke Aloha, a food truck, caterer, and soon to be storefront in Aurora. No Ke Aloha serves traditional Polynesian favorites, including Hawaiian BBQ and unique fusion items, and has also become a trusted advocate and resource for the Pacific Islander communities in Aurora, Denver, and greater metro area. Shauna serves as Chair for Denver’s Asian

American Pacific Islander

Commission which is housed 31 in the Mayor’s office and acts as a catalyst for the Native community through Hawaiian, advocacy and various Chinese, Irish, pathways of support. Portuguese, Shauna, who was reAurora cently named secretary for the AAPI Initiative of Colorado Democrats, has also played a large role in the Re-envision-

ing Denver’s Historic Chinatown

Project. She is a proud mother of a beautiful blended family of eight and beyond. Connect with Shauna at: ShaunaMTui@gmail.com, noke

aloha.com, or @NoKeAloha (Facebook).

Harry Budisidharta

Photo credit: Heirloom Films & Photography

As the Executive Director of Asian Pacif- Community Leader At-Large ic Development Center, Harry (he/him) These changemakers are out in the community works with government officials and com- speaking up for social justice, advocating for the rights munity partners to address health dispar- of all people, and working day in and day out to make ities in the refugee and immigrant communities. Due to his extensive experience in nonprofit and government relations, Harry has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, The Denver Post, The Aurora Senti- Chinese, nel, Westword, Law Week Colo- Indonesian, rado, The Colorado Statesman, Aurora Colorado Politics, and Asian Avenue Magazine.In his spare time, he likes to go hiking and 30 to sing karaoke badly. Connect with Harry at: harry.budisidharta@gmail.com or

@HarryBudisidhar (Twitter).

Annie Guo VanDan

Annie (she/her) is the co-founder and president of Asian Avenue Magazine, a monthly print publication that features Denver’s Asian community news and events. She is currently developing a directory for Asian-owned businesses and supporting restaurants through a monthly Asian Eats program in her role as Executive Director of the nonprofit Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network. She also works at Change Matrix, where she leads projects that provide diversity, equity, and inclusion training and equitable evaluation. A mother of two young daughters, Annie enjoys connecting people to each other and to resources. Connect with Annie at: annievandan@gmail.com, asian

avemag.com, or @annievandan.

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Chinese, Taiwanese, Aurora

Việtnamese, Denver

33

Nga (she/her) is a proud Việtnamese refugee and a tireless social justice advocate for underrepresented and marginalized communities. She’s a TEDx Presenter, the Refugee Congress Delegate for Colorado, a founding member and public speaker with Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau, the first refugee elected to Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains Board of Directors, a Denver Elections Advisory Committee Advisory Member, a Noble Ambassador for Christina Noble Children’s Foundation serving impoverished children in Việt Nam and Mongolia, a Denver’s Little Sài Gòn Redevelopment Group Advisory Member and previously a Denver Asian-American Pacific Islander Commissioner. Nga was honored with a mural by internationally renowned artist Thomas Evans (I Am Detour) in Denver’s Historic Five Points District. Connect with Nga at: refugeecongress.org/delegates-1/nga-vng-sandoval1.

Nga Vương-Sandoval

Community Leader At-Large

These changemakers are out in the community speaking up for social justice, advocating for the rights of all people, and working day in and day out to make this world a better place.

Japanese, Denver 34

Photo credit: Anthony Camera Marge Taniwaki

Tarika (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Nathan Yip Foundation. The Foundation Tarika historically built and funded school projects in remote villages throughout China, and continues Cefkin to operate a rural teacher training program. Under Tarika’s leadership, it has shifted its funding focus to serving K-12 rural schools in Colorado. In her tenure, her team has granted $1 million to education projects worldwide. She previously served as the Operations Manager for the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, and remains involved as its Public Safety Chair. Tarika is also a founding Board member of Theatre Esprit Asia, the first and only pan-Asian theatre company in the Rocky Mountains. In 2020, she launched a campaign to rebrand the company to Insight Colab Theatre, and expanded its mission to give all underrepresented communities a spotlight in mainstream theatre. Most recently, Tarika was 35

Marge (she/her) was incarcerated appointed to the Denver Asian American Pacific Thai, for the first four years of her life at Islander Commission. Connect with Tarika: at Denver Manzanar near Death Valley, one of 10 tarika@nathanyipfoundation.org. major WWII US Concentration Camps. Haunted by traumatic childhood memories, Marge sought the real rea- SomXai Vue sons for her incarceration along with 120,000 others of Japanese descent. Elders were reluctant to speak about their imprisonment, driving Marge to research, read, organize, travel and engage those who would. From revolutionary Nicaragua to colonized Puerto Rico, from the Navajo Nation to the southern border, Marge continues to organize for justice and a truthful telling of people of color’s history by those who lived it versus those who perpetrated it. Connect with Marge at: marge taniwaki@aol.com. Hmong, Thornton 36 SomXai (he/him) is the Chairman of the United States National Defense Corps, an organization that supports first responders during natural disasters and Homeland Security events. He is a former Thornton City Councilmember, a Board of Director for the E-470 Public Highway Authority, and a former president for the Hmong American Association of Colorado. He was awarded the Asian American Hero of Colorado Award in 2010 for his leadership and service in the Asian community, which includes serving in leadership roles with the National Association of Asian American Professionals Colorado, Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, Hmong Colorado Radio, Vue National Association, Inc., and the National Hmong Grave Desecration Committee. Connect with SomXai at: SomXai.Vue@comcast.net.