FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Diana (she/her) is the Founder/Executive Director of AAWPI. In 2023, Diana was named by POLITICO as “one of the 40 most powerful people shaping race, culture, policy and politics,” alongside Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris; POLITICO called her "nothing short of a change agent." She has also been a featured speaker at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. and at several colleges, including Salem State University where she gave the annual convocation address.

In 2020, Diana was the first Political and Organizing Director for She the People, a national network of women of color working to transform our democracy. Diana was also a former candidate for the Massachusetts State Senate. She carried the city of Boston and outraised her seven opponents in the race. Diana graduated from Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (Cohort 6)

Darlene Vu (she/her) is AAWPI’s first Chief Operating Officer. She is the one who makes everything work by overseeing operations, hiring and finances for the organization. As a 2015 AAWPI alum, Darlene has since co-facilitated two State House Fellowship classes and co-led AAWPI’s national expansion to Georgia, Pennsylvania and additional states in the coming years where AAPI voices and votes can make the difference.

Prior to AAWPI, Darlene worked at the Massachusetts State House, where she served as a legislative aide in both the House of Representatives and the State Senate. Notably, she served as a campaign manager for Cinda Danh, an AAWPI alum who was the first Asian American woman to run for Lynn City Council. Afterwards, Darlene was an Associate at Dewey Square Group, a preeminent public affairs and lobbying firm.

Born and raised in East Boston public housing by her single, immigrant father, Darlene understands the importance of access, opportunity, and inclusive democracies. Her commitment to uplifting women of color has led her to serve on the Board of Directors of the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Women into Leadership (UWiL) Program, where she continues to support women’s representation in government, politics, and public policy.

Darlene also served on the revisioning committee for the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy (GLPP) graduate certificate program. She is also a member of the 2023 Anna Faith Jones and Frieda Garcia Women of Color Leadership Circle through the Boston Women's Fund, a selective program for women and gender-expansive leaders of color. Darlene graduated from UMass Amherst with a BS in Public Health.

CHIEF PROGRAMS OFFICER

Victoria Huynh (she/her) is a Community Organizer and has more than 18 years of experience working within international, immigrant, and refugee communities in the state of Georgia. In the most recent role, Huynh served as a Senior Vice President/Chief Officer of External Affairs at one of the largest AAPI nonprofits in the Southeast. In October 2022, Huynh formed the Georgia AAPI Hub to support the capacity building of AAPI nonprofits in Atlanta.

Victoria’s experiences in her limited English proficient (LEP) Vietnamese Refugee household fuels her passion for community building, strategic planning, and policy work within the immigrant spaces. Victoria actively advocates on the local and national level for equitable language access, meaningful civic engagement, protections of immigrant rights, and the enhancements of vital social safety net services and programs. Most recently, Huynh fundraised more than $1,000,000 in 2021-2022 to support vital grassroots AAPI initiatives in Georgia.

From 2013-2018, Victoria served as an appointed member of the National Regional Health Equity Council. In 2015, 2017, 2022, and 2023 the Georgia Asian Times recognized Huynh as an honoree of the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia. In 2020, the Southeast U.S. Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce named her an outstanding AAPI in the Southeast and was named a sHERO by the Center for Asian Pacific American Women and OCA at a National AAPI Womxn’s Conference. Huynh recently ended her three-year federal appointment with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel. Victoria currently serves as a federal appointee with the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (PACAANHPI).

MASSACHUSETTS STATE DIRECTOR

Aubrey Tang (she/her) was one of AAWPI's inaugural National Civic Impact Innovators in 2022 and was able to help revive Asian Community Development Corporation's (ACDC's) Chinatown Backyard in Boston Chinatown through her project. She is currently a PhD Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Dartmouth College and spends her days researching different metal alloys for renewable energy technologies. By night (or weekends), she is also the Co-Founder and President of The Chinatown Project, a grassroots organization dedicated to documenting Boston Chinatown as it continues to evolve. Her team's passion for this cause has led to interviews with over 25 business owners, residents, and local leaders as well as production of several long-format series investigating the food, culture, and people in the neighborhood. Most recently, they were recognized as one of Boston's Most Influential Community Organizations by GetKonnected!. Ultimately, their goal is to preserve the culture, history, and people of Boston Chinatown through visual media and serve as an easily accessible digital archive for all things Boston Chinatown.

In the future, Aubrey hopes to combine her passions for materials science and social justice to develop technologies or products that can benefit and support marginalized communities.

PENNSYLVANIA STATE DIRECTOR

Claire So was a former AAWPI Pennsylvania Fellow, and now serves as the Pennsylvania State Director. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Claire’s family are refugees from Vietnam and immigrants from Hong Kong. She received her BS in Early Childhood Education from Boston University and her MA in Literacy from Teachers College, Columbia University. A former early childhood educator, she has taught kindergarten and first grade. Currently, she is a fifth-year PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education in Literacy Studies. As a community organizer, Claire works primarily with the No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity Group (NACS), which is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-generational group of people across Philadelphia, in support of the Save Chinatown Coalition. She is also part of the core team at the Ginger Arts Center in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.

GEORGIA STATE DIRECTOR

Monica (she/her) was a 2024 AAWPI GA fellow who evolved her commitment to AAWPI by coming aboard as GA State Director. She is a Georgia native and 2nd generation Cambodian-American. Her love for the community and passion of sharing her culture has led her to hold many other roles as well. As of 2024, she is the President for the Cambodian-American Association of GA (CAAG), Vice President for the Asian Pacific American Council of GA (APAC), and the Atlanta Chapter Co-Lead for her workplace’s Asian Pacific American Employee Resource Group (APAERG). Due to her volunteer work, Georgia Asian Times recognized Monica as an honoree for the 2024 “25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia”.

Having graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in Management Information Systems and a minor in Japanese, she currently works in the STEM industry as her full-time job.