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 is a designer based in Saint Paul, MN. She is a graduate from the University of Minnesota with a graphic design BFA. As a daughter of refugees, she is passionate about creating a more just and compassionate world through design. She is currently an AIGA Diversity & Inclusion Committee Member and a cohort member of Springboard’s Creative Community Leadership Institute.

Pachia Xiong (she/her/hers) is a first generation daughter of HMong refugees. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Advertising, a minor in Multimedia Communications, and a certificate on Critical Hmong Studies. She has been freelancing for 2.5 years with nonprofit organizations based in Washington DC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. She is also the cofounder of an online shop called Villainous Flower and Creative Director at Hey Billy. With her works, she hopes to use art as a universal language to connect with others, whether that be visual, verbal, physical, written, or anything—utilizing social media in the forefront of dispersing these tools.

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.

Angela So (she/her/hers) is the daughter of Cambodian refugees based in Houston, Texas. She has five years of nonprofit experience, focusing on the intersection of arts, education, and community engagement. Angela received her Bachelor's in English from the University of Houston and her MFA in Creative Writing from The Ohio State University. Her prose has been published in Glimmer Train, Day One, and The Pinch, and she's received writing fellowships from Kundiman, Vermont Studio Center, and the Houston Arts Alliance. She currently serves on the Kundiman Junior Board and DiverseWorks Artist Advisory Board.

Tri (he/she/they) has provided enthusiastic labor for many BIPoC led small businesses, mission-led orgs, and political initiatives almost as long as he's had a driver's license, which itself wasn't until he started internships at 21 years old. Tri counts themselves among the new generation of baby Leftists trying to share the gospel of building strong communities beyond our profit-driven economies. Tri loves punk music, craft beer, a good piece of children's literature, and building up his new Leftist, APIDA, Midwest region focused podcast, GLAMMUMP. You can learn more about Tri through her podcast at facebook.com/GLAMMUMP.

Nicole Tu-Maung (she/her/hers) is a first generation Burmese-American, born and raised in New York state. She holds a BS in environmental science from Cornell and an MS in environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nicole is passionate about intersectional environmental and climate justice. She has experience as an environmental educator and communications consultant in Yangon, Myanmar. She also freelances as a writer on environmental topics affecting Southeast Asia and its diasporas.

Daniel (D.P.) Tran (he/him/his, they,them,theirs) is a queer Vietnamese-American writer of mixed genres born and raised in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and is SEAD’s Cultural Arts Education & Engagement Producer. From films and fiction to poetry and plays, his style includes the fusing of science with social cultural commentary and philosophy offering a unique perspective on how art is understood. He understands one must use all forms of knowledge to describe, and showcase all ideas to their maximum potential. Daniel’s goal is to amplify voices and encourage radical change by staging necessary platforms for artists, and communities of color. He believes knowledge is artfully displayed and is accessible through the power of storytelling. His poem “Curiosity” was the winner of the 2020 Button Poetry Video Contest in the category of Multimedia.

May Lee-Yang (she/her) is a writer, performance artist, and teacher who often uses pop culture and humor to interrogate race, gender, and identity. Her theater-based works include The Korean Drama Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity and Confessions of a Lazy Hmong Woman. She has been featured on CNN’s United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell and spoken at TEDx Minneapolis. Her work has been supported by grants from the Playwright Center McKnight Fellowship, the Bush Leadership Fellowship, the Jerome Foundation, the National Performance Network, the MN State Arts Board, The Loft Literary Center, and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. In 2016, she received an Ordway Sally Award for Arts Access. She is a founding member of F.A.W.K. (Funny Asian Women Kollective), a group that uses comedy to combat the invisibility and dehumanization of Asian women’s stories. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota.

Chann Kong is a 2nd generation Cambodian American from Saint Paul, MN. She works as a Network Architect Engineer and has a Bachelor's in Network Management. She identifies as a queer person of color and hopes to bring a unique perspective with her leadership skills. Chan wants to help amplify the voices and stories of LGBTQIA Asian Americans and the larger Southeast Asian communities of marginalized identities and communities. In her spare time, Chan loves to cook and spend quality time with her family.

Saroeun Earm currently serves as a Board of Directors on the Southeast Asia Diaspora (SEAD) Project and Aeon, an organization that works on making homes affordable. She works in the field of philanthropy in the Twin Cities. Saroeun has a wealth of experience focusing on social and economic justice for marginalized communities locally, nationally, and internationally. She holds a Master’s degree in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in sociology from St. Olaf College.