Kevin Xu is a second generation Chinese American. His family immigrated from Shandong province in the early 90s and settled in Northern Virginia soon after Kevin was born. After graduating from William & Mary in 2017 and working in public accounting, Kevin became concerned with the lack of Chinese American empowerment in the face of xenophobia from COVID and political scapegoating such as the China Initiative.

He started re-engaging with Asian American advocacy in the fall of 2020, helping William & Mary students pen a response to a Flat Hat editorial calling on the disbandment and monitoring of Chinese international students. Soon after, he was directed towards the works of Hamkae Center and other advocacy organizations. Some of his highlights from the advocacy front was assisting Hamkae Center with Lobby Day (including driving on snowy roads to pick up members), using his firm’s donation suggestion platform to direct $50,000 to Right to Be (in recognition of their work on training bystanders of Asian American attack prevention and their continual work on bystander training in general), pushing language access as a key constituent item at state representative town halls, and his work on Saddam Salim’s primary campaign as part of a rising tide of Asian American political representation in Virginia politics.

In his free time, he likes to listen to historical podcasts like the Age of Napoleon and Epic History TV, and learning more about black history and current events through books and live sessions (one of his prized possessions is a signed copy of “How the Word Is Passed” by Clint Smith).

ADAMS Compassionate Healthcare Network (ACHN) is a free primary care clinic for low-income, uninsured individuals. ACHN’s goal is to serve as the medical home for low-income, uninsured individuals by providing them access to healthcare providers (primary and specialty care) at no cost, access to low cost and free prescriptions and labs, as well as care navigation to obtain advanced services such as surgery through hospital-based charity care programs. Their organization focuses on providing healthcare access to uninsured individuals and families to help attain stable physical health as well as increase their literacy through educational information and engagement by providing access to patient portals.

A resident of downtown Herndon, Irene Shin has been involved in public service in Virginia since 2014. Outside of session, Delegate Shin works as Executive Director of a nonprofit organization that organizes communities to increase civic education and engagement across the Commonwealth.

Irene is the daughter of Korean immigrants and was raised in Burbank, California. Her father was a small business owner, and her mother, in addition to being a homemaker, served as a compassionate caregiver for individuals with health issues, assisting them in leading independent lives.

Irene understands the real-life implications of an inadequate healthcare system on families. In her 2021 election campaign, her top priority was to improve and expand Virginia’s healthcare system.

As a Delegate, Irene has worked diligently to make our government work better for families. Whether it is fighting for utility disconnection protections for the most vulnerable customers, securing greater support and access to resources for Virginians living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, cracking down on exploitative profiteering in our correctional system, or ending inhumane animal testing and breeding practices — Irene has stood up for her community’s values and priorities and for her constituents.

Irene is proud to serve as vice chair of the House Communications, Technology and Innovation Committee and as a subcommittee chair of the Virginia House Counties Cities and Towns Committee. She was also recently appointed to serve on both the House Health and Human Services Committee and the House Labor and Commerce Committee. Additionally, Irene serves on the Commission on Youth.