Chanida Phaengdara Potter (she/her/hers) is a Lao American 1.5 refugee, equity advocate, community strategist, storyteller and mother. She’s the founding editor of Little Laos on the Prairie and founding executive director of The SEAD Project. Born in a labor camp in Viengxai, Laos; Chanida found her permanent home in Minneapolis. She has worked 15 years in the nonprofit field on public affairs, community development and human rights advocacy. She has a Bachelor’s in Global Studies and Media Studies from University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) and a Master’s in Public Administration from Hamline University. Chanida’s work has been featured on Twin Cities Daily Planet, Asian American Press, The Uptake, Minnesota Public Radio, MinnPost, Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Voice of America; among others. She served on the board for the award-winning citizen journalism organization, Twin Cities Media Alliance and currently serves as advisory board member for Legacies of War.

Katherine Nguyen (she/her/hers) is a second-generation Cambodian and Vietnamese American born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota and has worked at The SEAD Project as the Operations Manager for 2+ years responsible for financial, administration, human resources, and events management. Previous professional and volunteer experience include a technical associate role for a Fortune 500 corporation and multiple leadership positions in student-led cultural based organizations. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Business in Management Information Systems and International Business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Katherine is a strong advocate for mental health awareness, womxn’s liberation, racial equity, and healing work.

Kia Lee (she/her/hers) is a first-generation daughter of Hmong refugees. She’s passionate about creating a more compassionate and equitable world. She’s a recent graduate from the University of Minnesota, with a Graphic Design BFA. During her undergraduate career, Kia was actively involved with her college community. She served as a board member of the Hmong Minnesota Student Association for two years and interned at nonprofit organizations such as Intermedia Arts and the University YMCA. When not designing, Kia enjoys facilitating spaces that encourage folks to learn about, celebrate, and critically reflect on their identity. She is currently a Community Designer at The SEAD Project.

Maddy Siriouthay is the daughter of Lao refugees, proudly born and raised in Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York. She describes herself as a writer, designer and creative technologist dedicated to social justice, education and community. She received her Bachelor of Journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism and her M.F.A in Design + Technology at Parsons School of Design. She founded Ovee, a sexual and reproductive health education start up which operates nationally and overseas, and she sits on the Board of Directors for the Laotian American National Alliance. Her previous clients include the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The City of New York and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Alicia Thao, daughter of Hmong refugees, is a singer-songwriter who is Tulsa-raised and Saint Paul-based. Her life and work is dedicated to pursuing growth, healing, love, and creation in everything she does. Thao looks forward to working with the SEAD family to help support our SEA youth through advocacy, vulnerability, and story-telling. In the future, she strives to gain more experience in racial equity work and mental health.

Janit (they/them/theirs) is a fat, queer, nonbinary Indigenous Khmu & Iu Mien artist, writer, storyteller, creator and ancestor-in-training. Their ancestral lineage stretches across the globe from Northern Laos and Southern China to the lands of the Ohlone peoples (East Bay Area, CA) where they were born, raised and currently call home. Through food, spiritual practice, writing and interdisciplinary art, they explore their relationship to their diasporic, Indigenous Southeast Asian identity while actively striving toward artistic and cultural preservation for their peoples.

Janit is honored to offer their skills and experience in healing work–firmly guided by their inherited familial roots in Indigenous spiritualities, shamanism + magic, and Khmu Catholic + Iu Mien Baptist mysticisms– as well as their background as an educator, facilitator, community advocate & organizer to the Safety & Healing Justice work of the SEAD Project. In their role, they look forward to collectively envisioning and manifesting a world where we can all thrive, be safe and be celebrated as our full, embodied selves.

Kat Eng is a second-generation Khmer filmmaker, multimedia artist, and organizer. She uses visual storytelling to support Southeast Asian communities in efforts ranging from labor issues and land struggles to fighting deportation. Her work has been featured in Al Jazeera America, Democracy Now!, and The Cambodia Daily.