Meet the HIP Organizers

Shai Chang

Cindy Lee

Jaiab Lee

Kat Moua

Katie Moua

Anson Saechao

Christine Thao

Kao Ye Thao

Dao Vang

Kayno Vang

Tammy Vang

Maki

Mysee Xiong

Nancy Xiong

Executive Team

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Nancy Xiong grew up in Merced, CA as the youngest of ten siblings and is the daughter of Hmong refugee parents from Southeast Asia. These experiences fueled her passion for health and education equity for underserved populations. In her previous capacity, she worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA for a local nonprofit helping to build advocacy and organizational capacity in the Southeast Asian community throughout California. Her background also includes youth development, program management, community engagement and outreach, narrative change, and working closely with first-generation college students and young SEAA professionals.
As a first-generation college student herself, she graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health and a minor in Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies. In her spare time, she enjoys thrift shopping, DIY home projects, and making ice cream.

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Katie Moua, who also goes by Paj Yeeb (Pah - yeng) by her elders and family members, was born and raised in Fresno, California to refugee parents and is the oldest of four. As a young person she was interested in improving the mental health of her community and advocating for families affected by domestic violence. Katie then went to pursue her degree in Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. During her undergrad she slowly began to realize that the solutions to the issues she was concerned about affecting her community didn’t have a quick fix. When she returned to Fresno, she was determined to find an opportunity to participate in systems change work. Her current work focuses on developing programs with Southeast Asian youth, young adults and Hmong queer & LGBTQ in Fresno and Sacramento, uplifting their voices and centering their lived experiences in creating belongingness, meaningful change and healing their community. She is also a dog mom to June.

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Kao Ye Thao was born in South Sacramento and grew up in a multi-generational household of thirteen. Her fondest childhood memories include playing with her siblings and cousins outside her old family home on Meadowvale Ave and eating delicious papaya salad from the food cart in front of Rosa Parks Middle School. Kao’s experiences as a first-generation Hmong American woman have shaped her passion for service, community, and equity. Prior to working at HIP, she served as the Program and Grants Officer for California Volunteers where she oversaw AmeriCorps State programs and supported grantmaking. Kao is a proud alumna of AmeriCorps VISTA, the Capital Fellows Program, and the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. In her free time, Kao Ye enjoys singing, dancing, baking, watching horror movies, and learning the Hmong language.

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Maki grew up in Marysville, CA, unceded Nisenan land, as a second generation Hmong American. Maki struggled with her identity as a Hmong American womxn until she found her home away from home at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She organized with a student group on campus to educate the community about the Hmong community by uplifting our stories as a way of navigating the intergenerational trauma and healing process. As an art student, Maki received the Irwin Project Grant for her installation on her parents’ journey as refugees during and after the Secret War. Prior to joining HIP, Maki worked as an educator for over five years working closely with high school youth. After dabbling as an educator in the K-12 system, Maki realized what she wanted was to make progressive systemic change for the marginalized and oppressed. During her time with HIP, Maki has had the opportunity to participate in different fellowships such as the Rockwood Fellowship Institute, Seeding Change Fellowship, and Emerging Organizers Fellowship. She is interested in working on dance and art as ways of healing and self-love and is looking forward to building with community members towards a more equitable future for all.

Youth Justice Team

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Shai Chang was born and raised in Fresno, CA. He is the co-founder of Queer Hmong Intersectional Pride (QHIP) in partnership with HIP. Through love and the power of organizing, QHIP is dedicated to supporting the intersectional identities of folxs who are Hmong and queer. He was instrumental in building and dreaming up a vision for QHIP. Since founding QHIP, Shai has provided healing, community gatherings, mentorship, and training for several Hmong American and Southeast Asian American youth and young adults in the LGBTQ+ community. For example, Shai was the lead for the community healing space for Hmong youth and young adults after a deadly shooting in Fresno that impacted the larger Hmong community. He has provided educational workshops and training on gender, sexuality and how to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ in different work sectors - nonprofits and in health care. Lastly, Shai began work on creating a Hmong glossary for LGBTQIA+ terms and phrases for expression and led Covid-19 vaccine and prevention education in the Hmong LGBTQ+ community.
At CSU Fresno, Shai started the infrastructure of the API Cross Culture Gender Center (CCGC) on campus in collaboration with the Asian Faculty and staff association. He led programming and created events on campus for students/young adults to learn about their culture, art, healing and gender and sexuality. Shai was also a Seeding Change Fellow, a fellowship that aims to develop the leadership of a new generation of activists and organizers who are deeply invested

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Cindy Lee was born and raised in Southeast Fresno. Growing up, her refugee parents highly emphasized the importance of getting an education. However after receiving her Bachelors of Science in Child Development from CSU Fresno in Fall of 2020, Cindy was unsure about what was in store for her next. Soon enough, she got involved with HIP as an Outreach Specialist where she helped to conduct outreach in HIP’s civic engagement program which sparked her love and interest in civic education.
Cindy is passionate about human development, growing healthy family dynamics, and uplifting and/or supporting disadvantaged children. As much as Cindy values her work, she also respects time to rest. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her friends and family, being outdoors in nature, painting, and eating whatever she wants. Spending time alone helps her to stay centered. Cindy hopes to educate and support others to grow to find their truest selves.

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Jaiab Lee was born and raised in Fresno, CA. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Sciences and Deaf Studies with an emphasis in Speech and Language Pathology, a minor in Asian American Studies, and a certificate in Southeast Asian studies at CSU Fresno. She has over four years of experience working with children and teenagers with special needs. In addition, children and teenagers who use assistive devices like augmentative and alternative communication programs. Jaiab started with HIP as a Volunteer Coordinator leading a 3-part series called Info Jams for youth and young adults focused on financial literacy, tools and resources for Hmong and SEAA first-generation college students, and resume building. In addition, she led and created space for youth and young adults to engage in a conversation on non-traditional pathways in the SEAA community after Sunisee Lee won a gold medal in the 2021 Olympic Games. She then transitioned into the role of a HIP Young Adult Lead and continued to deepen her work and relationships with youth and young adults across both the Sacramento and Fresno regions.

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Katherine Moua, Kat, was born and raised in Fresno, CA. She is the daughter and granddaughter of Hmong refugees and the middle child of 5. Currently she attends Sacramento City College majoring in Political Science and hopes to transfer to CSU Sacramento in the Fall 2023 semester. Her work with HIP started as a volunteer in high school. Through HIP, Katherine fostered her want to create positive change in her community; both her community as a whole and within her Hmong community. With HIP she has worked as an Outreach Specialist in 2020, Young Adult Lead, 2020-2022, and is now the Young Adult Coordinator. As the Young Adult Lead, Katherine co-created the Cross Campus Organizing Space, now HIP’s Sacramento Young Adult Space, with the help of another Lead and young adult members.
In her free time, Katherine enjoys reading, embroidering, listening to music, watching movies, watching American, Thai, Chinese, and Korean shows, baking and doing her nails. She loves to spend time with her friends and family.

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Anson Saechao is half Mien (O) on his father’s side and half Hmong (Green) on his mother’s side. He was born and raised in South Sacramento and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Davis in Spring 2020. He majored in Linguistics and Communication and minored in Spanish and International/Global Studies.
Anson fostered his growth and passion for community organizing through his time with various youth-serving organizations and community service clubs since high school and middle school. His identity as a Southeast Asian American empowered him further in not only higher education but working towards social justice and equity for all. Through Hmong Women’s Heritage Association’s Youth Circle Mentoring Program (YCMP), Anson built his initial understanding of community power and organizing then further deepen this once HIP was established. As a past HIP volunteer for canvassing and voter registration, Anson transitioned from being an Outreach Specialist officially in May 2021 to a Team Lead and now as a Community Organizer with the Youth Justice team.
In his free time, he listens to lots of K-Pop and has gone to various concerts in South Korea, Bay Area, and SoCal. He also enjoys lots of board and card games with friends and new folks as a way to get to know others such as Kong of Tokyo, Sabobatage, and Tic-Tac-KO. He also loves to watch cartoons and sitcoms in his free time because they are a form of entertainment that can casually be watched such as Bob’s Burgers and One on One.

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Kayno Vang, pronounced like volcano without the vol, would describe himself as fiery, loud, and kind or how he sums it up—passionate. He received a Business Administration degree from California State University Monterey Bay. This was where he learned to appreciate and deepen his love for his culture, language, and people. While in Monterey he was able to grow his passion for social justice, diversity and inclusion, and empowering youth and young adults through his engagement.
Originally from Sacramento, Kayno is the oldest of five in his family but grew up in a multigenerational household where he remembers big family gatherings and lots of festivities. Coming back to Sacramento, and joining Hmong Innovating Politics as a community organizer, he hopes to renew and strengthen his connection and relationship with his Hmong Community, and continue his passion of empowering others while continuing his learning and education.
When Kayno is not working, he likes to eat, travel, and hang out with friends. Whether it be in the Bay Area, Central Coast, SoCal, Hawaii, Cancun, or Vancouver, he is always on the hunt for the best seafood restaurants!
Catch Kayno around with his ever changing hair colors!

Civic Engagement & Outreach Team

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Dao Vang is the youngest of six siblings. Dao was born in Hanford, CA but was raised in Fresno, CA. He is a proud child of resilient Hmong refugees. His parents advocated for and believed that higher education was the bridge to better opportunities. To carry through with their dreams, Dao obtained his Bachelor of Science in Community & Regional Development at the University of California, Davis. During his time as an undergraduate, he served as the High School Outreach Coordinator for the university department Southeast Asian Furthering Education (SAFE). His role included youth development, conference planning, and higher education workshops for Southeast Asian high school students located primarily in South Sacramento area. Alongside SAFE, he also worked to help retain first-generation and Southeast Asian college students in the Student Recruitment & Retention Center (SRRC). During his free time, Dao is a casual gamer and average volleyball player. He also loves window shopping! He hopes to travel abroad to European or East Asian countries in the near future!

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Tammy Vang was born and raised in Fresno in the Central Valley and is the youngest daughter of eight children. As a child, her refugee parents believed higher education was the key to a better life for her and her seven siblings. However, after graduating from CSU Fresno in 2018, she realized that not much had changed for her community since she was a child. By joining HIP as an organizer, she hopes to meet and build with like-minded people who are down to disrupt systems of oppression and dismantle social injustice and inequality.
Tammy is also committed to uplifting and empowering her community through bringing Hmong and other disenfranchised communities to the political decision-making table, increasing civic engagement among the broader Asian American community, and demanding for resources for our community. She believes in the power of community work, organizing, and people power.
Besides being a strong supporter of language and voting access, Queer LGBT+ alliance, and social justice, during her free time, she loves to nurture her plants and spend time with her pets, Luna, Artemis, and Iris. “Aim high, but stay humble to your roots.”

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Mysee Xiong is from Fresno, CA and the youngest child of 12 to Hmong refugee parents. She has served with HIP in three previous Civic Engagement Programs in both Sacramento as an undergraduate and in Fresno. In addition to serving with HIP, she has served with other non-profit organizations doing work ranging from increasing literacy proficiency among primary grade level students and providing COVID-19 health and vaccine education to community members throughout Fresno County. She believes that politics impacts nearly every aspect of life and seeks to highlight the importance of participating in political discussion. She is passionate about empowering underserved communities through public service, and hopes that all communities can become civically and politically engaged at all levels of government.
Mysee obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with an emphasis in Comparative Studies and World Development, and a minor in History from the University of California, Davis. In her free time, she likes to catch up on her favorite TV series and explore new local food spots.

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Christine Thao is a Lesbian Hmong American who values love, honesty, social equity, and sharing narratives.
She grew up in Northern California near the Butte Sierra mountains where she graduated at her local community college with her Associates in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her social equity work began when she served on the Student Board of Directors as the Director of Cultural Affairs - building relationships with culturally different student populations on campus, and as Vice President of Internal Affairs, which oversaw internal operations, and shared governance meetings. After completing her Associates in Communications Transfer she moved to the City of Sacramento where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies at California State University of Sacramento.
She loved working at the Pride Center at Sacramento State where she shared her LGBTQ+ narrative in classrooms and workshops, and helped build a leadership team to provide a sustainable and safe space on campus for Queer persons of color. She also has extensive experience working with underrepresented youth working in youth leadership and STEM programs. In her free time, she enjoys reading, building basic apps, and taking her two Pomeranians on a nice walk.