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History
NQAPIA was formed out of a roundtable meeting of leaders of each of the nation’s LGBT AAPI organizations in 2005. Groups were engaged in tremendous work in their communities, but at the same time, faced many common organizational and organizing challenges. Leaders identified and developed collaborative projects that would alleviate individual groups reinventing the wheel.
NQAPIA was formed to support these groups and promote activism and advocacy at a national level and supported by the fiscal sponsorship of API Wellness Center until early 2010. NQAPIA is incorporated as a business entity in the state of New York, and received its 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the IRS in August 2010.
Mission
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), a national leader in the LGBTQ+ AANHPI* community, serves as a convener of community leaders and groups; prepares leaders to challenge systemic injustices; and advocates for LGBTQ+ AANHPI liberation across the United States and its territories.
* LGBTQ+ AANHPI : Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer + Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander
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Our Team
Rachel Figurasmith
(she/her)
Interim Executive Director​
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Rachel Figurasmith (she/her) is a seasoned nonprofit executive, disability inclusion consultant, and professional development facilitator. Rachel's leadership style focuses on centering equity in moments of transition, while supporting and stabilizing critical community organizations. Outside of her work at NQAPIA, Rachel leads Fat Torah, an organization devoted to fat liberation in the Jewish community; facilitates trainings with Support Center; and teaches graduate courses on neurodiversity. A queer mom of three, Rachel endlessly learns from her most difficult job of all: raising young children.
Reginald “Reggie” Gravely
(he/they)
Director of Advocacy & Organizing​
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Reginald K. Gravely (he/they) is a Black and Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) queer individual from North Carolina, and currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Reggie began organizing on his college campus around the issues of race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. After graduating, Reggie served two terms in the Peace Corps. The first being in the Republic of Moldova where he worked in community and organizational development, and the second being in the Kingdom of Tonga where he worked in English literacy facilitation. He then transitioned to Atlanta, GA where he served as the Membership and Programming Organizer, then Director of Programming at Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative, a local Black trans and queer led non-profit. During this time Reggie also obtained his Masters of Public Policy from Georgia State University.
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Reggie has many passions, but ultimately bringing communities together to collectively solve issues, celebrating one another, and making lasting change is ultimately what brings him to the work. In his free time, Reggie enjoys gardening, reading, thrifting, cooking, and sewing. He looks forward to learning pottery, playing the ukulele, and connecting with you!
Frederick Tran
(he/they/them)
Communications and Development Manager​
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Frederick Tran (he/they/them) joined NQAPIA as the Communications and Development Manager in June 2023. Prior to joining the NQAPIA, Frederick worked for the Sammons Center for the Arts, the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, PIVOT, the Dallas Vietnamese Radio, and Allies in Youth Development. They have recently served as a board member and Candidate Support Co-Chair for PIVOT, and a board member for the Mansfield Commission for the Arts. They are a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington (MAV UP!) and has a Bachelor of Arts in Critical Languages and International Studies with an emphasis in Russian.
In their free time, they enjoy hitting the Sunday matinee, tossing pennies in the pool, and living for the hope of it all. They live in Dallas with their husband Stephen, a small collection of orchids and bamboo plants, and a Norfolk terrier mix named Axel.
Mai Li O'Keefe
(they/them)
Programs Manager​
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Mai Li O’Keefe (they/them) is a non-binary Korean adoptee currently based in Portland, Oregon. While they have almost ten years of professional experience in retail buying/planning, community organizing has consistently served as an outlet for value alignment, skills development, and community building since relocating from the Midwest in 2018. Mai Li is a co-founder, board member, and active organizer for BIPOC Adoptees as well as a co-founder and mentor for Open Slopes PDX. They have also served as a consultant for Portland Youth Futures. All of their grassroots efforts have been rooted in mutual aid, narrative reclamation, and intersectional anti-oppression. After supporting the NQAPIA team as the Creating Change Asian American Institute Event Planner in winter 2025, Mai Li is excited to now serve the LGBTQ+ AANHPI community as the Program Manager.
When they aren’t taking care of to do’s on their computer, Mai Li gets the most joy out of activities such as skiing, bikepacking/touring, karaoke, sharing meals, and watching movies, balancing time together and in solitude.
Heidi Benrud Nybroten
(they/them & she/her)
Finance and Operations Manager
Heidi (they & she) is a mixed-race queer born and raised the Columbia River Gorge, but currently resides in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Heidi comes to NQAPIA with 7+ years of legal, operations, finance, IT, and human resources experience. Heidi jumped into movements for farmworker and migrant justice in the PNW in college, then moved into public defense legal work before landing in nonprofit advocacy spaces for LGBTQ+ communities. Outside of making sure people get paid, Heidi serves in a board advisory role for Healthcare Reparations Cooperative and trains community on skills for direct action. In her free time, Heidi hikes with their disabled dog, snuggles her chickens and cats, and pretends to be on HGTV by taking on way too many home projects with their spouse, Sophia.
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