Board of directors

Elexia A. Gonzalez Lowe, LCSW (she/they) is a social worker and psychotherapist in the Austin area. Elexia currently serves in a variety of roles as a psychotherapist in private practice, a diversity coach for individuals and organizations, an instructional team member for Columbia University in the City of New York School of Social Work, and previously as a psychiatric social worker at Ascension Seton Behavioral Health. Elexia holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in the City of New York and a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic and Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Elexia has an eclectic work history spanning over 22 years of experience including community outreach, organizing, and direct practice work with refugees, asylees, immigrants, survivors of interpersonal violence, and the insecure housing/ unhoused communities, conference planning and speaking for women’s empowerment, smart decarceration, and post-secondary school resourcing and live theater performance in a troupe that utilized the theatrical forms of Paulo Freire and Dr. Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed.

Previous to social work, Elexia worked in both corporate/for profit and social event production and planned and produced continuing legal education seminars for attorneys in Texas, worked as a grassroots lobbyist consultant for the American Cancer Society on public health issues, owned a boutique management agency in the entertainment industry working with notable live music venues, world musicians and art performers including Grammy winners and sponsorship from international brands, and managed a brand in the fashion industry featured in Forbes as a western boot designer and producer.

As the daughter of an Asian immigrant and as a 1.5 generation biracial, Asian-American, Elexia has experienced first-hand the challenges to accessing resources and inclusion in culturally-relevant services. Elexia is grateful for the opportunity to make an impact through her involvement at AACHI and collaboration with the passionate board of directors and AACHI stakeholders.

Phu is a highly-skilled, residency-trained, board-certified clinical pharmacist with 9+ years of practice experience. He has an extensive background in leadership roles, population health, chronic disease management and academia.

In addition to being a board member at AACHI, he currently serves as NAAAP Austin Chapter President and focuses on advocating for AAPI issues. Being a second-generation Vietnamese-American, it is important to him to continuously speak on topics affecting our community.

Phu is currently a key leader in development of a new pharmacy where he serves as Director of Pharmacy Operations as well as Pharmacist-in-Charge. He relies heavily on his background of quality improvement, finance, strategic planning, project management and team building to create success.

Phu has been an integral member in implementing population health initiatives to achieve clinical and fiscal outcomes. This is obtained by focusing on the Quadruple Aim of better health, better care, lower cost, and reducing burnout. Phu has been able to design, implement, and continually improve processes which led to enhanced STAR ratings for their value-based contracts.

Phu has developed pharmacist-led chronic disease state management processes that improved patient outcomes. Adopting a systematic approach, he developed protocols and drug monographs, facilitated strategic planning around quality improvement, and communicated to leadership opportunities and successes.

Phu is an avid cyclist having completed the Seattle-to-Portland Ride in 2019, spanning 206 miles and the MS150 in 2022, a ride funding multiple sclerosis research covering 150 miles from Austin to College Station, TX. He is also an aspiring home cook.

Melissa is a project manager, grant writer, and public health leader in the Central Texas area. She currently works as a Sr. Tech Project Manager for SXSW. Prior to joining SXSW, Melissa worked at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) coordinating both community health and IT projects. Melissa finished her Masters of Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Austin and graduated from her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas Austin. In her free time, she loves to listen to true-crime podcasts, travel, and visit her favorite coffee shops. She also started learning a form of martial arts called Tukong Moosul.

Distinguished as a strong leader in the area of technology company financial management, Mr. Moledina has over 20 years of solid financial management, consulting and analysis experience, with particular focus in the area of high-tech start-up financial operations establishment and management. In addition to his solid finance credentials, Ahmed also brought deep technical skills and expertise in the areas of software development, technical services, customer relationship management, vendor relations, business partner relations, cash management, credit management, and customer service, which further strengthened the significant foundation of seasoned business leadership and experience that he brought to Titan Solutions Group. Most recently he was
a founder and principal of SOAL Technologies, LLC. an IBM Advanced Business Partner firm serving the custom software development, staffing and licensed software needs of Fortune 500 clients including: AMD, Emerson, Qualcomm, State of Texas and others.

He was co-founder and principal of Titan Solutions Group, Inc., a Beacon Award winning IBM Premier Business Partner firm serving the custom software development, staffing and licensed software needs of Fortune 500 clients including: Federal Express (FDX), DR Horton, (DHI), American Express (AMEX), Progressive Insurance (PGR), Technical Olympic (TOUS), and others. At Titan, Ahmed developed and directed the strategy of the Licensed Software Division related to IBM, Microsoft, Kofax, etc. software and software services. Ahmed consistently motivated and drove Titan’s sales force and now SOAL Technologies’ sales force to exceed all Licensed Software Sales Goals set by vendors by over 300% for all previous years. He served on the IBM SMB Advisory Board as an advisor to IBM regarding its approach to the SMB market. Prior to Titan Solutions, Ahmed founded two other start-up technology companies, and was Lead Technical Analyst for Lotus Development Corp/IBM. Ahmed holds numerous industry and technical certifications and is certified by IBM as a Solutions Advisor.

Monti is a Licensed Professional Counselor who runs a private psychotherapy practice in Austin, TX. Monti attended the University of Texas at Austin where she earned her Masters of Education in Counseling Psychology. Monti has past experience working at SafePlace, Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, Rock Springs Hospital, and other sites. Monti is certified in complex trauma through the Neuroaffective Relational Model (NARM). Monti is interested in psychedelic therapies for mental health and how NARM can be the perfect therapeutic tool to help lead psychedelic assisted therapy sessions. Monti completed her certification in Psychedelic therapy through the CIIS program  at the Center for Psychedelic Therapy and Research in 2021. In her free time, Monti likes to spend time with her two kids, likes to learn to cook different types of cuisine, enjoys learning new skills, and likes to travel.

Apurva is a J.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. She has held a number of research and clerk positions at the University and legal centers, including as a Peggy Browning Fund Scholar at the Global Labor Justice/International Labor Rights Forum, supporting workers along international supply chains, as an Equal Justice America scholar at the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project, a plaintiffs’ side employment litigation and legislative advocacy firm, and as a 2022 Fulbright Scholar. Apurva looks forward to supporting the Austin community’s overall wellbeing through AACHI.

Nina Ngai makes the ads (and articles) that you click on. With 15 years of experience, Nina has worked her way through the content marketing landscape – from print magazines to influencer marketing to podcast promotion. She has developed content campaigns for brands including American Express, AOL, Hulu, and Pier 1. Currently, she is a senior content strategist at Charles Schwab. When she isn’t auditing websites or planning editorial calendars, Nina enjoys scuba diving and hiking with her dog, Jedi.

Nina is thrilled to bring her can-do attitude to the AACHI board and to have a hand in amplifying its voice in the Austin Asian community.

Tejas is a policy analyst with the Sunset Advisory Commission where he looks for creative ways to improve state government through nonpartisan, objective evaluations of Texas state agencies. Previously, Tejas has worked for Saga Education via AmeriCorps, served immigrant & refugee communities through work with the Doctors Without Borders student chapter at the University of Texas at Austin, & has engaged local communities through martial arts & tennis. Tejas is excited to bring a diverse, analytical perspective to serving the Asian community.

I bring a balanced perspective with private sector, non-profit, and public sector experience. About three-fourths of my experience is related to financial management and contracting processes. Most of my positions have involved strategic decision-making, including ten years as an Assistant Director with the City of Austin. I was appointed to the City of Austin, Asian American Quality of Life Advisory in 2014 and served as a chair for a number of years. The organizations I’ve been involved with range from medical to engineering to housing and human services. Although I am currently retired, I want to continue to be of service to the community.

Min Choe is the CEO, Chairman, and Co-Founder at Tso Chinese Delivery, a delivery and take-out only restaurant concept in Austin, TX. Tso offers free delivery and has a no-tipping policy for fresh, high-quality yet affordable, Chinese-American food. After the success of the first Tso location in Central Austin, the second Tso opened in the fall of 2019 in North Austin and is scheduled to open locations three and four in 2021. Min’s primary role at Tso is to provide vision and direction for Tso to one day become America’s #1 choice for Chinese food delivery. He is also the CEO and Co-Founder of CKN Hospitality Group, which operates Donkey Mo’s Korean Fried Chicken, Roba Katsu & Teriyaki, 18 Fried Rice by Donkey Mo’s, and most recently, JJIM – Korean Braised BBQ.

He leads both teams by establishing core values that are centered on providing a benefit to the communities and employees they serve, while also building a company focused on growth and profitability. Min has always had the entrepreneurial drive opening his first business in appliance retail after graduating from UT Business School. He also opened several restaurant concepts with his wife, Jenna, before founding Tso and CKN Hospitality. With a penchant for giving back to the community and serving the underprivileged, Min loves getting involved with meaningful organizations that help improve the community he serves. He spends the rest of his time with his wife and three beautiful children, where they like to spend time together enjoying a delicious meal, or hitting some balls on the golf course.

With over 15 years of experience, Stef Shapira specializes in building creative communications campaigns for clients. She spent the first five years of her career in New York City working with entertainment and lifestyle clients, including Sia, Morrissey, The Moth, MakerBot, Internet Week New York, and more. While working full-time, she attended NYU to obtain a master’s degree in Food Studies.

With a focus on food & beverage, Stef held positions at the Food Network, Serious Eats and the Museum of Food & Drink in NYC before moving back to her home state of Texas. After living the agency life for five years in Austin, Stef branched out on her own to form Stef Shapira Consulting in January 2019.

Mr. Jung focuses his practice in the areas of employment based immigration and business law, including entity formation, construction, commercial transactions, commercial lease, and employment matters.  He has experience assisting clients from countries as diverse as South Korea, China, Mexico and France, in their efforts to invest and establish operations in Texas.  He assists businesses in navigating regulatory challenges and helps them avoid unnecessary risks.  Mr. Jung’s clients range in size from affiliates of Global Fortune 100 Companies to individual investors.  Drawing upon his experience as a former CEO in international business as well as his experience in the law, he provides cost-effective, real world solutions for his clients and continues to be long-term advisor to them.

Ramey Ko is the principal attorney of The Ko Law Firm, PLLC, a community-oriented firm serving small and family-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. He previously practiced housing and domestic violence law with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and the Texas Advocacy Project. In 2010, Ramey was appointed the first Asian American judge in Austin and served as an Associate Municipal Judge through 2013. He previously lectured in Asian American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and taught Business Law and Ethics to MBA students at the Texas Health & Science University College of Business Sciences.

From September 2010 to May 2014, Ramey served on President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which advised the Executive Branch on how to better serve the AAPI community. He also previously served on the Austin Public Safety Commission and chaired the Commission on Immigrant Affairs, and he is a founding member of the Austin Asian Behavioral Health Network. His prior board experience includes Six Square: Austin’s Black Cultural District and NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, and he is Chair Emeritus of the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative, Inc. Ramey loves cooking, trivia, and serving as Dungeon Master for his tabletop roleplaying group. He lives with his wife, Lauren Alexander, and their dogs, Mycroft and Peanut, and their cat, Frangipane.