Meet The Sacramento Bee’s Top 20 AAPI Change Makers

Change makers push the boundaries, foster community and lead with dedication. They care for their community and strive to transform the world around them.

With the help of our community, we’re happy to introduce our Top 20 Asian American and Pacific Islander Change Makers cohort. Among the group are educators, nonprofit leaders, physicians and politicians. Their passions range from cultivating healthy neighborhoods and developing economic strategies to drafting powerful legislation and nurturing youth through music and mentorship.

The Sacramento Bee’s Equity Lab and Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program (NELP) partner on the Change Maker series to highlight those in our Sacramento region who lead with fearlessness.

Since the project’s inception, we have celebrated more than 100 pioneers in the Latino, Black and Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Last fall, we introduced the Top 20 Black Change Makers. We will follow up with our Top 20 Latino Change Makers later this winter. Join us at an event to honor them on March 22.

The selection committee — made up of past Change Makers and leaders from the Nehemiah Community Foundation and The Bee — convened in late November to consider the community’s nominations and select the top 20 change makers.

Our selection committee included: Jinky Dolar, director of advertising sales and marketing at CHIMETV and OCA Sacramento Chapter president; Donna Trumbo, co-founder of ABC Equity Consultants; Bobby Dalton G. Roy, investment adviser representative; Timothy Fong, professor of ethnic studies at Sacramento State; Scott Syphax, founder and chairman Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program; Scot Siden, chief operating officer of the Nehemiah Community Foundation; Deneva Shelton, chief executive officer of the Nehemiah Community Foundation; Sabrina Bodon, editor of The Sacramento Bee’s Equity Lab; and Colleen McCain Nelson, executive editor of The Sacramento Bee.

Here are The Sacramento Bee Equity Lab’s Top 20 AAPI Change Makers.

Elaine Abelaye-Mateo, 41

Founder of Everyday Impact Consulting

Background: In 2009, the California Endowment pledged to invest $1 billion to improve the health of residents in 14 communities, which included South Sacramento. Three years later, the local effort nearly unraveled when a key working group couldn’t agree on a common goal.

That’s when the endowment enlisted Abelaye-Mateo to help the group identify its purpose and commit to it. After her intervention, South Sacramento Building Healthy Communities coalesced and fulfilled the 10-year grant’s requirements.

That same year, Abelaye-Mateo co-founded APIs RISE Fund to build momentum for philanthropy within the AAPI communities after learning that AAPI nonprofits receive a tiny fraction of philanthropic dollars. APIs RISE has so far granted more than $200,000.

Impact: Abelaye-Mateo continues to facilitate mission-critical projects. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, her company pulled together 20-plus diverse communities to deliver one of the best census counts in decades in Sacramento County, she said.

Plans: Since the pandemic, values-driven leaders have been looking for ways to connect more authentically with residents, Abelaye-Mateo said, and Everyday Impact Consulting wants to help them do so.

Best advice: If there was ever a time for innovation, it’s now, Abelaye-Mateo said. “There is an openness to new ideas and to creativity.”

Why a nominee? “Elaine is a very strategic thinker, understanding the political … complexities to engage and solve community issues,” said May O. Lee, founding director of Asian Resources Inc. and co-founder of the APIs RISE Fund.

Vince Andrade-Sales, 59

CEO of Everyday Impact Consulting

Background: Andrade-Sales immigrated at 17 from the Philippines. But the inequities he saw during his early years made a lasting imprint on his career and life. Andrade-Sales felt compelled to push back against injustice and oppression. Those values led him to work with the AAPI community during the height of the AIDS pandemic and, in recent years, address anti-Asian hate.

Impact: Andrade-Sales founded Everyday Impact Consulting, a firm promoting social change and justice. He is also the co-chair of APIs Rise fund, which raises money for organizations combating anti-Asian hate and anti-Black racism, and facilitated the first Filipino migration-themed mural in Sacramento.

Plans: He hopes to develop a Filipino community center that will offer workforce development programs, an immigration clinic and arts and culture activities. The center is currently in a design phase and will be located at East Southgate Drive and 66th Avenue in South Sacramento. Andrade-Sales says the center will be essential to preserving Filipino culture among youth and creating a sense of connection for the elderly.

Best advice: “Do the job well, do it with your heart, and in the best authentic way that you can be as a person,” Andrade-Sales said.

Why a nominee: “Promoting art as a force for social activism and change is at Vince’s core,” said Mona Tawatao, an APIs Rise member. “Vince’s work gives us representation, education and healing when we see ourselves and the world sees us in works of art.”

Bernadette Austin, 43

Chief Executive Officer of CivicWell (formerly the Local Government Commission)

Background: Austin has championed engaging residents in shaping projects, policies, spending and research that affect them and their communities. She’s done so by ensuring people take time to reflect, evaluate, share ideas and collaborate.

Impact: She played a key role in conceptualizing a number of developments around the capital region, including the transit-oriented La Valentina apartments on 12th Street in Sacramento’s Mansion Flats neighborhood and senior housing in the Blue Mountain Terrace project near downtown Winters.

Later, as executive director of the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis, Austin persistently forged and cultivated off-campus partnerships and helped research subjects gain a voice in what questions are asked and how information is used. Informed by her work, the university established an Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement.

Plans: Since joining CivicWell in March, Austin has been leading an internal culture shift to break down silos and streamline operations. The organization convenes forums on smart growth, livability, sustainability and climate change.

Best advice: “I’ve worked in housing, academia and climate change. They’re very different. If I hadn’t taken a chance and been comfortable with a circuitous route in my career, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Austin said.

Why a nominee: West Sacramento Council Member Verna Sulpizio Hull noted that Austin has paved the way to improve the land use and real estate development industry in the Sacramento region to be more diverse and inclusive.

Rejie Marie Baloyos, 41

Interim Executive Director for Asian Resources Inc.

Background: Before joining Asian Resources Inc., Baloyos won statewide recognition for her work at My Sister’s House, where she assisted victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking with rebuilding their lives and attaining stability. To help her clients, many of them immigrants, she earned accreditation from the U.S. Department of Justice for her knowledge of immigration law. The designation gave her the right to guide them as they sought residency or citizenship.

Impact: Thousands of people rely on Asian Resources annually for help with finding jobs, getting prepared to enter the workforce, learning English or filing taxes after they’re employed, Baloyos said, and these services help to avert homelessness and lift people out of deep poverty.

During her time as a site director for Asian Resources’ job center, it became the top-performing location in Sacramento County from 2021-2022. Since becoming interim executive director, she has launched the Youth Executive Academy, a nine-month course where civic and elected leaders share their skills with youth largely from low-income families.

Plans: To ensure the agency is meeting current needs, Baloyos is asking clients what services they value or want to see added.

Best advice: “Work can be more than a job if you follow your passion,” Baloyos said.

Why a nominee? Rejie’s efforts helped individuals break the cycle of poverty and have made a substantial difference in our community’s employment landscape, said community advocate Jinky Dolar.

Christopher Cabaldon, 58

Mayor in Residence, Institute for the Future in Palo Alto

Background: As mayor of West Sacramento for two decades, Cabaldon led a scrappy campaign to build a $40 million baseball park that ultimately led to a profound transformation of the city’s image in the region, state and nation.

Impact: After the stadium opened, the city that once drew little interest from major retail developers nabbed a power center with a coveted IKEA store. Then came massive residential developments and a towering riverfront headquarters for CalSTRs.

Cabaldon also set up a program called the West Sacramento Home Run aimed at positioning the city’s youth for success in the workplace. It has offered financial incentives to start college savings accounts and a way to attend community college without any tuition costs. In 2020, West Sacramento became the first U.S. city to send a letter of college admission and a scholarship offer to all of its high school graduates.

Plans: Cabaldon wants to continue helping people achieve ambitious goals for their towns and cities. The West Sacramento resident is running to represent District 3, which includes Napa, Solano and Yolo counties, in the California Senate.

Best advice: “Keep enough ideas or dreams or initiatives in your quiver that, when a window of opportunity opens, you can land something your community needs,” Cabaldon said.

Why a nominee? West Sacramento Council Member Quirina Orozco said of Cabaldon: “His remarkable impact and contributions in the areas of education, climate change, and economic and community development have been celebrated both nationally and internationally.”

Pat Fong Kushida, 64

Chief Executive Officer of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce

Background: Fong Kushida had to raise the funds to pay her own salary when she agreed to lead the capital’s Asian chamber. The organization had just $19,000 in its bank account and needed to hire an administrative worker.

That was 25 years ago. Fong Kushida has since grown the two chambers’ combined budget to nearly $10 million and staff to 35 people.

Impact: Fong Kushida has leveraged relationships with other business leaders to push for legislation and to secure funding.

One such example, when Sacramento’s mayor pledged new tax revenue would go to inclusive economic development, Fong Kushida collaborated with other local ethnic chambers and business districts in disadvantaged neighborhoods to secure funding to help small businesses weather and recover from the pandemic.

More recently, in 2023, Fong Kushida worked with state leaders, who approved Assembly Bill 258 to create a portal where minority business owners can access resources to help them compete for state contracts.

Plans: California’s minority-owned small businesses contribute billions yearly in economic output, Fong Kushida said, but many struggle with accessing resources and tools needed to grow. As long as this gap exists, she said, there’s more work to do.

Best advice: Fong Kushida shared that success can be achieved by assembling a network of people who can help with your professional development and achieving work-life balance.

Why a nominee? “Pat’s leadership has uplifted Sacramento’s AAPI and marginalized business communities,” said Matt Sumida, who works for the two Asian Pacific chambers.

Dr. Primo “Lucky” Lara Jr., 57

Director of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

Background: The Manila-born Lara earned degrees in biology and medicine in the Philippines before immigrating to Chicago in 1992. At Rush University in Chicago, he was an internal medicine resident. He started his career at UC Davis in 1996 as a hematology and oncology fellow, and joined the faculty in 1999. Lara leads more than 300 scientists at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, which serves more than 10,000 adult and pediatric patients a year.

Impact: Lara’s research focuses on new ways to treat, control and cure lung and other cancers. That dovetails with his and the center’s community outreach to keep flavored tobaccos off store shelves and promote lung cancer screening programs for high-risk communities.

Plans: More widespread community outreach is a priority, Lara said. “We need to go out in the community and bring that information back to our labs and our classrooms so we evolve our thinking. None of our research matters if it doesn’t align with what the community needs.”

Best advice: ”The best advice I’ve heard is, ‘Be kind always,’” Lara said. “The ability to provide comfort allows you to be humble. For others, stop fantasizing and start planning. Put your idea on paper and it stops being a fantasy and it becomes a plan.”

Why a nominee? He is the first Filipino American leader of a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center. His work with community and academic partners to reduce flavored tobacco use in AAPI, Black and Latino communities helped to pass strong new local and state laws to stop its sale, said faculty colleague Elisa Tong.

Jennifer Lee, 59

Founder and CEO of Elim Care Inc.

Background: As a child, Lee accompanied her mother when she was a volunteer serving hot meals to troops in their native South Korea. In San Francisco, where the family settled after emigrating to the U.S., Lee volunteered to help people with developmental disabilities and unhoused people in homeless shelters.

Lee has dedicated her life and career to caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia at her Elim Care residential facilities and in the community. The founder and CEO of the Granite Bay-based Elim Care has championed Alzheimer care for more than three decades. Serving others has always been important to Lee.

Impact: Along with her work in Alzheimer’s and dementia care, Lee’s work with Sacramento’s Korean American Community has raised thousands of dollars for scholarships and created mentorship programs for local students. She has worked to address health and other issues in the region’s AAPI community and chaired the Crocker Art Museum’s 60th annual Crocker Ball, becoming the event’s first-ever AAPI chair.

Plans: Today, she sits on boards dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease care and research, and she chairs the Sacramento Valley Korean American Community organization, continuing to bring much-needed attention to care focused on the AAPI community.

Best Advice: Lee is known to say, “Follow your heart, don’t follow money. Have a passion for what you do.”

Why a nominee? “Jennifer’s service to her community is both wide-ranging and deep-rooted,” said nominator Alea Baron. “Jennifer stands as a beacon of leadership and innovation, particularly in the AAPI community.”

Nan Lin, 36

Founder of Sacramento-based real estate investment firm Kaizen Capital

Background: Lin was drawn to the world of real estate in his teens. By 17, he was a telemarketer for a real estate firm, where his business acumen quickly won him a promotion to loan officer. But the housing crash briefly left him jobless.

The experiences taught him a valuable lesson: “You really need to respect money. You can’t just ride the wave,” he said.

A loan from his parents kept him afloat, and he briefly returned to school to study medicine. But the pull of real estate was too strong. He bought his first property in 2011, a modest home in Natomas, with savings and money from a new job as a financial adviser. In 2012, he opened Kaizen Capital, the name a nod to the Japanese business credo that emphasizes constant improvement.

Impact: Lin saw the demand for affordable housing in a recovering Sacramento market, buying and renovating houses and condominiums. Today, Kaizen Capital holds more than 75 rental units, another 65 or more in development and a portfolio north of $20 million.

Plans: “I strive to teach people about real estate investment. Anything I can contribute, I’ll do it for free.”

Best advice: “Identify something you’re passionate about and pursue that with all your might,” Lin said.

Why a nominee: “One of his proudest achievements has been to transform neglected properties and turn them into beautiful, vibrant spaces that residents can take pride in,” said colleague Alea Baron. “His commitment to elevating the city to its fullest potential is evident.”

Debra Oto-Kent, 67

Founder and executive director of Health Education Council

Background: Debra Oto-Kent grew up in South Sacramento, an area that now benefits from her life’s work. Though she spent time working in hospitals, Oto-Kent was constantly drawn to community work and helping underserved populations. That passion led her to found the Health Education Council, a nonprofit that addresses the underlying drivers of health outcomes.

Impact: The council, with Oto-Kent at the helm, collaborates with a variety of organizations to tackle health disparities in low-income, diverse communities. Among other contributions, the council helps administer health screenings and vaccinations, mentor youth in distressed communities and provide fresh produce to thousands of people. The goal, Oto-Kent says, is understanding health is a multifaceted issue and influenced by all factors of life.

Plans: Oto-Kent wants to continue advancing the community’s understanding of health, particularly with the use of neighborhood programs and partnerships. She contends that every sector of society has a stake in building a healthy, thriving community.

Best advice: “There is something to be grateful for everyday,” Oto-Kent said. “It makes the hard days less so and the good days even better.”

Why a nominee: “Oto-Kent is known for pushing the biggest boulders up the steepest hills,” said Philip Bensing, a co-worker and friend. “She puts the community first and leverages untraditional partnerships to tackle the most important topics.”

Frances Losana Palu, 45

Former director of financial services at the Yolo County Office of Education

Background: Palu has spent years uplifting Pacific Islander culture, a testament to her Polynesian parents who instilled a passion for community. After high school, Palu served 11 years in the U.S. Navy. She went on to attend and work at Sacramento State, where she championed community building. Most recently, Palu was the director of financial services at the Yolo County Office of Education.

Impact: Palu took on budget, administration and human resources roles at Sacramento State — all while supporting its Pacific Islander student community. She helped found the university’s Pacific Islanders United, a student organization that brings together clubs of Polynesian students from colleges in the Sacramento region. She was also a founding member of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi Association at the university and spearheaded its first Pacific Islander educational conference. This year, Palu and her family started an annual scholarship for Pacific Islander students.

Plans: Palu’s ultimate goal is to become a professor and teach a Pacific Islander course at her alma mater. For Palu, teaching would be another opportunity to share her culture.

Best advice: “If you don’t see a lane, create one,” Palu said. “If you don’t see a community, build one.”

Why a nominee: “The PI (Pacific Islander) community benefits by having a well-known PI professional blazing the trail by showing the next generation that higher education is an attainable goal, and they will have the support they need from the community to achieve it,” said Bena Arao, a friend and former colleague at Sacramento State.

Richard Pan, 58

Senior Policy Adviser at AAPI Data and physician adviser at American Medical Association

Background: Pan arrived in the Sacramento region 25 years ago, quickly making a name for himself and becoming a pioneer for Sacramento’s AAPI community. Pan, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, was the first Asian American to represent Sacramento in the state Legislature. Before his time there, Pan was a pediatrician and a UC Davis professor. He now serves as a volunteer physician at the Sacramento County Health Center and is a senior policy advisor at AAPI Data, a nationally recognized publisher of demographic information and policy research.

Impact: While at UC Davis, Pan created a grassroots program connecting pediatricians with communities. The program established Federally Qualified Health Centers in Sacramento. As a state senator, Pan authored legislation to expand Medi-Cal coverage and allow the state to implement the Affordable Care Act, advocated for multiple vaccine mandates and secured funding to support victims of anti-Asian hate.

Plans: Pan cites the importance of educating people on Asian American history and promoting data collection for his community. He is campaigning to be the first elected Asian American mayor of Sacramento.

Best advice: “We can only be seen when we demand to be seen,” Pan said. “Our community needs to speak out, stand up and support each other.”

Why a nominee: “Dr. Pan’s commitment to our region goes far beyond career to truly being his life’s work,” said Dawnte Early, a West Sacramento City Council member.

Jasjit Singh, 37

Director of Programs at ChangeLawyers

Background: Singh’s community efforts began at 14, when he joined the Jakara Movement. Now, 23 years later, he serves as board president for the largest Sikh youth organization in the country.

As an immigrant and the first person in his family to attend college, Singh has been a pioneer. He was the first Sikh person elected in Sacramento City Unified School District history and is the only person of Asian descent on the school board.

“I want to make sure I’m inspiring the next young person to be like, ‘Oh, well if he can do it, I can do it,’” Singh said.

Impact: Singh’s work is multifaceted. While he’s spent his career advocating for Sikh communities, he also serves other communities of color. With the American Civil Liberties Union Northern California, he led policy efforts to reform the bar exam to make it more accessible. He also co-authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on upholding student diversity. Singh is currently the director of programs for ChangeLawyers, an organization that supports up-and-coming lawyers.

Plans: Singh hopes to see his work with ChangeLawyers as a “force to be reckoned with” when advocating for underrepresented communities.

Best advice: “Many times you’re told that something that was a part of you may not be an asset, and maybe you’ll be told to change who you are,” Singh said. “Believe in (yourself) and not change anything about (yourself) when you actually run or do something important, because that’s what people are looking for.”

Why a nominee: Christopher Punongbayan, executive director of California ChangeLawyers, described Singh as an active voice in local and state issues impacting Sikh and other communities of color.

Madhulika Singh, 64

Co-founder of PreetiRang Sanctuary

Background: Singh grew up in Kolkata, India, and moved to the United States to obtain a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Yale University. She went on to secure two more master’s degrees and spend several years working in software design and development.

Impact: Singh and her husband left their Silicon Valley careers to open the PreetiRang Sanctuary, a 40-acre Solano County haven for animals. The sanctuary is home to 64 animals — 13 cows, 11 goats, two sheep and many roosters and hens. Many of the animals are handicapped.

Singh and her husband hold tours of the sanctuary most Saturdays to promote positive interactions between humans and animals.

Plans: Singh will continue prioritizing the wellbeing of animals and spreading awareness about their needs. She believes animals are the most neglected section of any society and need more love and attention. Singh hopes more people become vegan, reject animal farming and live a “life of minimum violence.”

Best advice: “We are all one family living on Mother Earth and we should be caretakers of our Mother Nature,” Singh said. “And we should live like a big loving family that includes all living things.”

Why a nominee: “After a successful career in high-tech in Silicon Valley, (she) chose to serve the most ‘invisible and insignificant’ segment of society,” said Ritu Marwah.

Bobbie Singh-Allen, 52

Mayor of Elk Grove

Background: Born in India, Singh-Allen has called Elk Grove home for more than 30 years.

Following the deadly 2011 drive-by shootings of two Sikh grandfathers on their daily walk, Singh-Allen sought a seat on the Elk Grove Unified School District board of trustees. She later served as board president of Northern California’s largest school district.

Singh-Allen became the first Sikh woman in the nation directly elected mayor when Elk Grove residents voted her into office in 2020. She is now serving her second term.

Impact: Singh-Allen leads a multi-ethnic city council in one of the Sacramento region’s most diverse cities. A new civic center, central city park and casino all opened under her watch. Plans for a new regional zoo are in the works, and the city’s economy continued to hum despite a crippling pandemic.

Plans: Singh-Allen wants to inspire other AAPI women to run for public office and lead in their communities. “Women in leadership in the AAPI community, we’re grossly underrepresented. There are many ways to serve, and not just as elected officials. It’s stepping up and serving the needs of the community.”

Best advice: “Demand a seat at the table or you’ll be on the menu,” a play on a quote often attributed to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “I want women to understand the power of who you are.”

Why a nominee? “Her strength is unity in a divisive world. She is gifted at collaboration and bringing all sides to the table,” said husband Jake Allen, who nominated Singh-Allen.

Jim Tabuchi, 60

Serial social entrepreneur

Background: A former electrical engineer, Tabuchi became a worldwide marketing manager at Hewlett-Packard, traveling throughout Asia and the Pacific. When he retired at 42, he rejoined the Sacramento Mandarins, a youth performing arts organization he first joined when he was 15. His membership in 1979 is considered that of the first non-Chinese member.

Impact: Tabuchi is a big believer in the ripple effect of mentoring young people. At the Sacramento Mandarins, he’s helped to grow the music academy from one elementary school with 11 kids to 45 schools with more than 1,300 kids. He also regularly works with immigrants, helping them navigate work and life in their new home country.

Plans: Tabuchi says he’d like to empower youth to figure out wealth building at a young age. He calls it his “Trillion Dollar Challenge.”

“If I can influence and impact a million young adults to be on a path to become millionaires by the time they retire, you do the math,” he said.

Best advice: Tabuchi breaks down life into: healthy relationships, education, careers and wealth building. “If you can really focus on each one of those as being keys or pillars to your life, then you have a very good chance of having a successful life.”

Why a nominee: Colleague Jason Jong nominated Tabuchi for his leadership in the development of the Next Gen Empower U program in partnership with the Cal Asian Foundation and the Sacramento State Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Center. This program provides life skills and mentorship.

Stephanie Tom, 52

Deputy Treasurer of the California State Treasurer’s Office

Background: Tom rebelled at a young age, resisting the call to follow in the footsteps of her political powerhouse parents, Maeley and Ron Tom. For nearly 20 years, she rose through the ranks of Oracle Enterprise in international and regional roles. But the public sector continued to call. She’s since made strides in expanding broadband and digital literacy throughout the state and now serves as deputy treasurer.

Impact: Tom sees the common denominator in her career as equity and strives to be a voice for her peers and young people.

While at Oracle, she co-created the organization’s first Asian/Pacific Islander affinity resource group, growing the group to more than 900 members globally. Tom served as the chief consultant for the AAPI Legislative Caucus from 2021 to 2023, allowing her to directly advocate for legislation benefiting the AAPI community.

Plans: “My mission is to ‘inspire others to join the dance,’ meaning in whatever role I have I’m dedicated to inspiring anyone around me to be a part of the mission,” Tom said. “I believe my strengths as a change maker are being a catalyst for change by connecting others and driving a coordinated effort based on a common vision.”

Best advice: Tom shared three messages: Live outside of your comfort zone, learn to trust yourself, and practice self compassion.

Why a nominee: Colleague Elissa Ouchida nominated Tom for her experience working with local AAPI organizations, including Asian Resources Inc., My Sister’s House, California Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association.

Bill Wong, 58

Author, podcaster, campaign consultant

Background: Wong immigrated to Marysville with his family as a child and stumbled upon student activism and Asian American studies in college. This eventually led him to political activism, fighting for representation and creating opportunities in politics and public affairs.

Impact: Throughout his career, he’s worked to identify AAPI community leaders and support them through leadership training. Wong is a co-founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs, which has had a hand in crafting legislation and directing funding to benefit the AAPI community. His recent book, “Better to Win” highlights these philosophies.

Plans: Though recently retired, Wong continues to mentor and seek out elected officials to make an impact.

“You have to find the individuals with the underlying qualities and foundations before you give them the skills and the power,” Wong said. “You never know who you’re teaching and how they’re going to use it.”

Best advice: “Courage is a muscle, if you don’t exercise it on a daily basis, it just becomes weak and flaccid,” Wong said. “We need to train leaders to exercise that muscle. That means making tough decisions every day, even though it’s uncomfortable.”

Why a nominee: “The core of Bill’s effort to solve complex social and civic problems has been to inspire, educate, and train a diverse new generation of leaders in elected office, legislative policy staff, and political strategists,” longtime colleague Dotson Wilson said.

Nancy Xiong, 33

Executive Director of Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP)

Background: For the past decade, Xiong has uplifted the Hmong community and other disenfranchised groups in the Greater Sacramento region. She empowers others through civic engagement with Hmong Innovating Politics. HIP is a grassroots organization that encourages voter engagement and intersectionality and coalition building specifically within Southeast Asian American communities.

Impact: Xiong led a COVID-19 vaccine outreach program for low-income and underserved communities in South Sacramento. This initiative helped thousands of residents access vaccines in 2021. Last year, she created the Sacramento Youth Fund, which advocated for Measure L, legislation supporting youth development and violence prevention programs. Xiong also helped build state support for the Stop the Hate Fund.

Plans: As HIP expands, Xiong said it’s important to uphold the organization’s values in community work. She said she wants to engage young people, empower them and help make them leaders.

Best advice: “Find out what you’re good at and do it well. It’s always about refining it, doing it better, trying it on, doing it in a different way, and adding your own flair to it,” Xiong said. “Do what you love.”

Why a nominee: “Nancy serves as a mentor to so many youth in the Hmong community,” said Doua Thor, advisory board member. “She does this regardless of her job by uplifting their experiences, building their confidence, and investing in their growth.”

Priscilla Yeung, 48

Senior IMPACT project program manager, Society for the Blind

Background: The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Yeung began to lose her sight at a young age. In many Asian cultures, blindness is considered a family secret, something to be hidden.

For that reason, as she entered young adulthood, Yeung didn’t know how to read Braille or use a cane. It wasn’t until she joined the Society for the Blind in 2001 that her world began to expand. She eventually went to graduate school at Louisiana Tech University, earning a degree in educational psychology with an emphasis in teaching others how to travel with a cane, a skill she passes along daily.

Impact: At heart, Yeung is a teacher who shares knowledge about mobility and accessibility. Yeung creates community spaces for people to gather, feel safe and be accepted. She’s helped establish resource groups for those who are Asian, Black and Spanish-speaking at the Society for the Blind.

Plans: Through the Society for the Blind, Yeung wants to reach out to more Asians who are experiencing vision loss and help them connect with others so they aren’t so alone.

Best advice: “Be open to take a look at ourselves and see what are the areas in our lives that we’re lacking or missing or want to grow in, and not be afraid to ask questions and to reach out,” Yeung said.

Why a nominee: “Thanks to Priscilla’s work, I watched as AAPI seniors once hesitant to show disability in public started using white canes and proudly walking around Sacramento,” Society for the Blind Executive Director Shari Roeseler said.