Meet the Team — Viet Rainbow of Orange County

Staff

Uyen Hoang, MA, MPH
Executive Director
(she/they)

Uyen Hoang (she/they) hails from Garden Grove, CA. Her first encounter with VROC was through the fight for inclusion during the 2013 Tet Parade exclusion while being a student at UCLA. In 2016, they became a scholarship recipient and continued to be involved with VROC through organizing and volunteering. Uyen currently serves as Executive Director for VROC. They hold an M.A. in Asian American Studies and a M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences from UCLA and is a proud dog mom to two adorable dogs.

**Minji Kim, MSW**

**Program Manager**
(she/they)

Minji Kim (she/they) was born and raised in Orange County. In her undergraduate years, they became involved with on-campus advocacy regarding Ethnic Studies, student resources, and department accountability. Through community-based internships, they developed skills in community organizing and advocacy, identity-based programming, and providing education regarding civic engagement; this is how Minji also came to learn about VROC. She now serves as VROC’s Program Manager. Minji holds their Bachelor’s degrees in Asian American Studies and Psychology and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work degree at Cal State Fullerton.

**Julie Kim**

**Grants & Operations Manager**

(she/her)

Julie Kim (she/her) grew up in Orange County, California, and Seoul, Korea. She currently serves as VROC’s Grants & Operations Manager. Julie’s background includes corporate budgeting, project management in R&D, and non-profit operational work focused on AAPI community care and educational equity. Transitioning into the art world as a fine artist manager, she handled business development, sales, and artist representation. She has also engaged in community organizing and advocacy with Korean American artists, creating projects exploring identity, community, and justice. Julie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

**Ivy Hang, MEd**

**Sr. Program Coordinator, Education**

(they/them)

Ivy or Ái Vy (they/them/theirs) hails from Santa Ana, CA where they long to be more involved in the queer Vietnamese community of Orange County. Before their move back home, Ivy earned their Master of Education in Human Sexuality Studies while working at a non-profit in Philadelphia, in the hopes of bringing their experience to their current role as VROC’s education coordinator. Some of their interests include relationship anarchy and asexuality, gender expression and fashion, and the decriminalization of sex work. You can find them roller skating around Orange County, shopping for zines and knick-knacks, playing video games, and trying to win the hearts of everyone’s pets.

Paula Vo, MS

Sr. Program Coordinator,

Mental Health & Well-being

(she/her)

Paula Vo (she/her/hers) was born and spent most of her life growing up in Garden Grove, CA. During her college years, she worked as a peer health educator on campus, connecting people to opportunities and lowering barriers and accessibility to resources. Through various roles and connections she made while in college, Paula found her passion for building a community of belonging and empowerment by educating, advocating, and raising awareness on mental health and overall well-being. Paula has her Bachelor's in psychology and her Master's of Education in Higher Education and now serves as VROC's Sr. Program Coordinator, Mental Health & Well-being and hopes to continue being a mentor and a resource for everyone she meets.

Board of Directors

**mads lê**

**Board Chair**

(no pronouns)

mads lê grew up in Pomona, CA, a city teetering at the edge of Los Angeles' urban sprawl and spills into the Inland Empire. mads has worked alongside and within Vietnamese and broader Southeast Asian organizing networks over the last five years in both Los Angeles, CA and Philadelphia, PA. mads has expertise in workshop facilitation/development, movement strategizing, youth political education, and civic engagement. Now at UCLA, mads is committed to developing an archival praxis rooted in community love and care.

Angela-MinhTú Nguyễn, PhD, MA
Board Secretary
(she/her/hers)

Angela-MinhTú Nguyễn was born and raised in Little Sài Gòn, Orange County, CA. She is an associate professor of psychology at California State University, Fullerton, where she studies the intersecting identities, racial positionality, and refugeetude of U.S-born Việt Americans and other Southeast Asian Americans. She also facilitates Vietnamese Circle Time, an immersive language experience with arts and crafts, singing and dancing, stories, and games for young children. She earned a PhD from UC Riverside, an MA from CSU Long Beach, and BA from the University of San Diego. In her spare time, she enjoys bike rides and hikes with her wife and children.

Marcus Tran Degnan, MABoard Treasurer (He/Him/His) — **Marcus Tran Degnan, MA**

**Board Treasurer**

(he/him/his)

Marcus Tran Degnan works as a grant associate at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ensuring grants meet proper legal, audit and internal compliance requirements. Previous to this role, he worked in development at both the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and Equality California. Marcus holds a B.A. in English from the University of Florida and an M.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA. Originally hailing from the swamplands of Central Florida, Marcus has a wide exposure to a variety of social impact opportunities with a particular focus on Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities.

Daniel Nguyen, MSWBoard Member (He/Him/His) — **Daniel Nguyen, MSW**

**Board Member**

(he/him/his)

Daniel Nguyen was born and raised in Santa Clara, California, which is now known as a part of Silicon Valley. He is a People Engagement Specialist professional who is passionate about helping individuals thrive to be their most authentic selves. Daniel has developed impact-driven programs for underrepresented employees and communities at for- and non-profit organizations. He is committed to a variety of issues including HIV/AIDS, LGBTQIA+ civil rights, mental health, affordable housing, and climate change. Daniel holds a Master of Social Work at USC and BA in Asian American Studies at UCLA.

T.K. Lê, MA
Board Member
(she/her/hers)

T.K. Lê (she/her) is a multi-genre writer and adjunct professor who grew up in Westminster, CA. She received her M.A. from UCLA in Asian American Studies, is an alum of the VONA Voices summer writing workshop, and was a 2019 PEN America Emerging Voices fellow. Her writing has appeared in *Strange Horizons, Uncanny Magazine*, and in the W.W. Norton anthology, *Inheriting the War*. She also teaches writing workshops and has partnered with organizations such as Khmer Girls in Action, the Segerstrom Community for the Arts, and AHRI. She loves the outdoors and even more than that, she loves cats.

Thu Tran, MPH
Board Member
(she/her/hers)

Thu Tran (she/her) is a proud Vietnamese American born in Vietnam and resides in Santa Ana, CA. Thu is currently a Project Manager at a non-profit organization in Orange County that helps Vietnamese immigrants to navigate and utilize community health resources. She has led various health programs to help increase the knowledge and awareness of health for Orange County residents to ensure their well-being through culturally competent outreach, mental health prevention, developmental disability services, and informational dissemination on COVID-19 and flu vaccination. With her Master’s in Public Health, she focuses on reducing the health disparities in the Vietnamese community and aims to serve the community with a passion.

Former Board Members

Hieu Nguyen

Ian Ai Truong Phuc Van Cong

Cathy Lam

Lucy Ngo

Ha Nguyen

Hai Nguyen

Peterson Pham

Joee Truong

Joey Tran, MSW

James Huynh, MA, MPH