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Board
Board
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he/him
Akil Vohra serves as the Director of Policy for AAPI Data, overseeing federal and state strategies to ensure collection, analysis, publication, and utilization of data to advance understanding and support of AANHPI communities.
Before joining AAPI Data, Akil was the Executive Director of Asian American LEAD, and previously served at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) for eight years.
At WHIAAPI, Akil led the team that guided federal government policy on a range of substantive areas including data, education, civil rights, bullying and harassment, workforce diversity, religion, language access, and My Brother’s Keeper. Akil also served as the principal liaison to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and has developed strong partnerships with community-based organizations, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and trade associations to advance this work. Akil also served as counsel at Muslim Advocates where he created and developed the national Muslim Charities Work Campaign to advocate for reforms on the USA PATRIOT Act and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA).
In addition to being on the board of Hamkae Center, Akil serves on the board of the Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network.
Akil has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Irvine; and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. Akil is also a Rothschild Fellow, and studied international human rights law at the University of Oxford.
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Chris is working toward his PhD in social welfare where his research focuses on how tax credits and other public policies affect families and individuals. Chris previously worked at The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis (TCI), where he led TCI’s tax policy research.
Chris attended college and graduate school in the great state of Indiana. He was born in South Korea and identifies as a transracial and transnational Korean adoptee.
she/her
Jeanna Lee is a native Floridian who moved to the DMV area in 2012. She attended American University Washington College of Law to pursue immigration law and criminal law. She currently works as federal contractor and works onsite at the Federal Aviation Administration. Before becoming a member of the board, she became involved with Hamkae Center starting in 2015.
She is the proud pawrent of two shih tzus, Miso and Mimi. During her free time, she enjoys swimming, painting, reading, gardening, and going to the movies.
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Katie Zhang (张艾妮）is a second generation Chinese American born and raised in Henrico, Virginia. Katie joins the Board after interning for Hamkae Center in the New Leaders Collective program (2020) and for the Policy & Communications Team for the 2021 General Assembly. During Katie’s internships, she organized to expand Medicaid access and lobbied for translation support for immigrants in Virginia.
In her free time, Katie crochets cat hats and tries to make compost on her balcony.
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Kevin Xu (徐恺文) is a second generation Chinese American, with parents hailing from Shandong Province. He hopes to empower Hamkae Center to make an impact on Virginian Asian Americans through community building and legislative advocacy.
Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife and cat, exploring different cultural festivals, and playing the latest games on Steam.
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Kylie is a proud first-generation college student who grew up in a multiracial family, born to her mother who immigrated from the province of Masbate in the Philippines and her father from Tacoma, Washington. Having built her career in higher education and the non-profit sector, Kylie is passionate about facilitating inclusive, equitable, and just spaces and cultivating community and has extensive experience in racial justice advocacy. She serves as Director of People and Culture at the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (CAPACD) to manage diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives and lead culture-building for the organization. Having first connected with Hamkae Center in 2017 through Asian American youth leadership partnerships, she is proud to continue serving Hamkae Center in any way she can.
Kylie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from James Madison University and a Masters of Arts in Student Affairs Administration from Appalachian State University. In her free time, she enjoys DC nature walks, perfecting Filipino food recipes, or exploring the local pizza scene with Pizza Club DC.
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Sara is a young and aspiring activist who, at 20 years old, graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to joining the Hamkae Center as a board member, she worked at various nonprofit organizations and political campaigns, such as The Hub Project, For Our Future, Supermajority, and Need To Impeach to name a few. She recently canvassed for Asian Americans for Change Action Fund during the 2022 midterm elections.
Sara currently works in Washington, D.C. for an advertising agency. Outside of the office, Sara can be found at the gym, socializing with her peers, playing video games, or reading a good (comic) book.
