이사회

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.

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.

Sarah Seraj, PhD is co-founder and CTO at A Better Force, where she conducts workshops and consults with companies on improving workplace culture by using the latest findings from the social sciences. In her data consultancy work, she uses data to answer social psychological questions and come up with best practices for companies. As a woman of color and an immigrant, one of the main goals of her work is to have more inclusive spaces for women, BIPOC, and other underrepresented groups by tackling systematic inequalities in organizations. Sarah got her PhD in Psychology from UT Austin in 2021. In her free time, Sarah likes reading, writing, playing games, and learning Japanese.

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.

Dao is a project manager in the Payment Network Operations sector at a leading FinTech company in Austin, where she has been an integral part of the team for 15 years. Over the years, she has taken on various roles, gaining expertise in customer service, banking operations, human resources, account management, and marketing operations. Her versatility and dedication have been key to her success.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Dao is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. For the past five years, she has championed her company’s Asian Resource Group, helping it flourish alongside fellow leaders. Her advocacy extends beyond the company, as she remains a dedicated supporter of AACHI and AAPI small businesses, passionately championing donations and community involvement.

In her personal life, Dao enjoys unwinding with Lifetime movies and indulging in guilty-pleasure reality shows. A bowling enthusiast with her own gear, she loves hitting the lanes when she’s not traveling or exploring Austin’s vibrant food scene with her husband and teenage daughter. Dao’s love for exploring new places and trying different foods adds balance to her life, both at work and at home.

I am a Supportive Housing Case Manager with Foundation Communities, a non-profit that provides affordable housing in Austin. The main focus of my work is to provide housing stability and work with clients to increase their quality of life and access to resources. One of my biggest passions in life is advocacy and the pursuit of social justice. I’m also enthusiastic about research and working with data.

In my free time, I like to read, travel, hike, and learn new hobbies like crocheting. I look forward to collaborating with AACHI and uplifting the Asian and immigrant community in Austin.

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.

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.