MEET THE TEAM
Priscilla Huang
Priscilla Huang (she/her) is the founding executive director of the Center for Asian Americans in Action. She was a senior attorney at the National Health Law Program where she specialized in Medicaid policy, family planning and immigrant eligibility. Ms. Huang also served as a senior advisor to the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Prior to that, she worked in Washington, D.C. at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum advocating on a variety of federal policy issues impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.
Priscilla received her JD from American University, Washington College of Law, where she was one of ten Public Interest/Public Service Scholars. She currently serves on the boards of the Community Action Fund for Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties and the Women’s Foundation of California. Priscilla spends her free time trying to keep up with her energetic kids, who inspire her to fight for a more just and equitable world.
Executive Director
Thảo Ngô
Thảo Ngô is the Program Coordinator for the Center for Asian Americans in Action. Thảo first began working in community-based organizations in High School as an organizer, and continued her work throughout college advocating for predominantly Asian/American immigrant/refugee communities. Thảo is originally from Northern Virginia, and is excited to join the Center for A3 advocating for equitable policies in Orange County.
Program Coordinator
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Amy Chen
Amy Chen is a Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program, where she works on sexual and reproductive health law and policy, with a focus on maternal health. Previously she worked as a direct legal services attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid in Oakland for almost ten years. Amy is Taiwanese-American and grew up in Orange County, where she is now raising her three kids with her partner, who teaches at UC Irvine.
Bonnie Kwon
Bonnie Kwon is a policy officer for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). In this role, she contributes to the development and implementation of the foundation’s policy-advocacy strategy. Prior to joining WKKF, Bonnie held senior roles at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health, White House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and Restaurant Opportunities Center of Washington, D.C. Bonnie received her JD from the University of California, Berkley School of Law and BA from Brown University.
Cevadne Lee
Cevadne Lee, MPH, is a public health leader and researcher with extensive experience across academic and nonprofit sectors, currently serving as a faculty affiliate at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Her work centers on health policy analysis, data equity, and implementing interventions to advance health equity for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Previously, she served as the Health and Policy Director at OCAPICA and as the founding director for the Office of Community Outreach at the UC Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Throughout her career, Cevadne has bridged community-engaged research and community leadership to address systemic health disparities.
Courtney Chappell
Courtney Chappell, JD, has served over the past two decades in a variety of leadership roles in the nonprofit and public interest sectors advancing racial and social justice, including in the Obama administration, national and regional advocacy and grassroots organizations, and direct services. She recently served as the Vice President of Programs at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) where she spearheaded strategic programs to build deeper connections within and beyond the philanthropic sector and engaged in advocacy to transform systems and practices that will redistribute wealth in more equitable ways.
Mona Shah
Mona Shah, JD, MPH, is a seasoned policy and advocacy expert with an extensive background in health care and social issues at the federal, state, and community levels. Mona has served as the senior director of policy and strategy at Community Catalyst. vice president of public policy and external affairs for the Gender Equity Policy Institute and as director for the Health Funders Partnership of Orange County.