NQAPIA Staff
Julia Rhee, Interim Executive Director
Khudai Tanveer, Membership Organizer
Conor Huynh, Program Assistant
NQAPIA Consultants
Patrick G. Lee, Grant Writer
Linda Le, Bookkeeper
NQAPIA Board of Directors
Shilpa Joshi, Renew Oregon, Portland OR – Co-chair
Milap Patel, Open Society Foundations, New York, NY– Co-chair
Navid Ladha, Khush-ATX, Dallas, TX
Cathy Chu, GSA Network, Los Angeles, CA – Secretary
Andrew Chou, Bank of America, New York, NY
Kim Nguyen, Polk Bros. Foundation, Chicago, IL – Treasurer
Chris Pinto, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, DC
Nicholas Kor, Bush Foundation Fellow, Minneapolis, MN
* Affiliations for identification purposes only.
NQAPIA Staff
Julia Rhee (she/her/hers) is the Interim Executive Director at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA). As a former community organizer, she brings over a decades’ worth of experience in both the public and private sectors from the SF Bay Area, Southern California, and New York City. Her leadership experience includes ten years of management experience on two LGBTQ nonprofit boards, digital strategy consulting, product management. She was most recently the Co-Chair of the NQAPIA Board of Directors and served as a board member for four years. Julia is currently finishing her MBA with a focus on Data Analytics.
As Interim Executive Director, Julia will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations, financial oversight, and development work for the organization as the Board initiates a national search for a permanent Executive Director.
Khudai Tanveer (they/them) is the Membership Organizer at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA). Their relationship with NQAPIA started as a mesmerized Creating Change API Institute attendant in 2015 and 2016 where they first felt held at the intersections of all of their identities. They then continued as an NQAPIA intern and fellow, and have now grown into being a critical voice for our national movement and hold deep relationships in the community.
They feel strongly about youth work, learning from those who came before us, and building a healthy/sustainable community for years to come with those that command the future with the lessons of those who came before us. Additionally, within the critical work of Queer & Trans API community building, Khudai has been vital in building space for the South Asian diaspora in our API spaces. They are currently working on relaunching DesiQ Diaspora Conference. Their other personal passions revolve around building accountability and restorative justice for our community and feel excited about doing that with NQAPIA. Their genuine hope is to grow and build with/for the API queer community.
Conor Huynh (he/him) is the Program Assistant at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA). He received his BS in Psychology and his minor in Asian American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. Previously, he was the Director of Programming with UMD’s Pride Alliance, a coalition of campus LGBTQ+ organizations, where he helped organize queer social events and community workshops. Conor believes that anything can and should be made into a spreadsheet. He resides in Washington, DC and enjoys indoor rock climbing, being bisexual, and living his pre/post-pandemic dreams in the Sims 4.
NQAPIA Consultants
Patrick G. Lee is NQAPIA’s Grant Writer. He got involved with NQAPIA after attending one of their Family Acceptance Workshops in 2016, where, for the first time, he met Asian immigrant parents who openly love their LGBTQ children. He also works as a documentary filmmaker, with current projects on queer Asian history, LGBTQ self-representation, and Asian American coming out narratives. Trained as a journalist, Patrick believes in the power of storytelling to foster community resilience and move people to action.
As a queer Korean American, Patrick serves on the core committee for GAPIMNY, which creates safe spaces for queer and trans API people, and for KQTcon, the inaugural LGBTQ Korean conference happening in April 2018 (www.kqtcon.org). He also helps produce a monthly pan-Asian drag show in Brooklyn, New York.
Former Board Members
Years denote when the individuals stepped off of the Board.
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2020
Julia Rhee, San Diego, CA – Co-chair
Stan Fong, Atlanta, GA – Co-chair
Kham Moua, SEARAC, Washington, DC
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2019
Moof Mayeda, Portland, OR
Sharita Gruberg, Center for American Progress, Washington, DC
Kevin Lam, AARW, Boston, MA
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2018
Vivian Fried-Chung, Palo Alto, CA
Eri Oura, Oakland, CA / Honolulu, HI – Co-Chair
Amanda Zhang, Harvard University, Madison, WI
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2017
Shivana Jorawar, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Washington, DC
Sasanka Jinadasa, Reframe Health and Justice, Washington, DC
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2016
August Guang, Providence Youth & Student Movement, Providence, RI
Almas Haider, Washington, DC
Aya Tasaki, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, NY
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2014
Bex Ahuja, Management Center, Brooklyn, NY
Anjan Chaudhry, CAAAV, Brooklyn, NY
Mandy Hu, San Francisco, CA
Alison Lin, Oakland, CA
Michelle Lee, Koreans United for Equality, Los Angeles, CA
Phillip Ozaki, Lambda Legal, New York, NY
Jayden Thai, University of Louisville, KY
Sasha W., Desi Queer Helpline Project, Madison WI
monna wong, API Equality – Northern California, San Francisco, CA
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2013
vanessa coe, San Francisco, CA
I Li Hsaio, Invisible to Invincible (i2i), Chicago, IL
Aries Liao, Q-WAVE, New York, NY
Joy Messinger, Invisible to Invincible (i2i), Chicago, IL
Alan Ratliff, Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Oakland, CA
Ryan Shen, Q-WAVE, Flushing, NY
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2012
Rekha Bachwani, Portland, OR
Mala Nagarajan, Creative Collaborations, Rockville, MD
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2011
Lance Dwyer, API Wellness Center, San Francisco, CA
Sel Hwahng, IGLHRC, Brooklyn, NY
Karl Kimpo, Chicago, IL
Asha Leong, Co-Chair, Washington, DC
Rakesh Modi, Trikone, San Francisco, CA
Tawal Panyacosit, API Equality, San Francisco, CA
liz thomson, Invisible to Invincible (i2i), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
NOTE: NQAPIA Incorporates in 2010
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2010
Trisha Barua, Chaya, Seattle, WA
Sarav Chithambaram, Queer Asian Pacific Alliance, Boston, MA
Jun-Fung Chueh, Community Health Awareness Council, Mountain View, CA
Alain Dang, API Equality, San Jose, CA
Loren Javier, Lambda Legal, Los Angeles, CA
Gopi Kannabiran, Indiana University, LGBT Student Services, Bloomington, ID
Kit Yan, Good Asian Drivers, QAPA, New York, NY
Tom Yang, Pacific Northwest Queer API Alliance, Seattle, WA
Former Board Members whose terms ended in 2009
Eileen Cheong, Audre Lorde Project, Brooklyn, NY
Ray Hsia, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, New York, NY
Sam Van, Philadelphia Queer Asians, Philadelphia, PA
Urooj Arshad, Advocates for Youth, Washington, DC
NOTE: NQAPIA Transitions from an Unincorporated Association with a Steering Committee to a Tax-Exempt 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation with a Board of Directors in 2009
Former Steering Committee Members who stepped off in 2008
Pabitra Benjamin, Rights Working Group, Washington, DC
George Cheung, Cheung & Lopez, Seattle, WA
Doreen Wong, Asian Pacific Islander Lesbian and Bisexual Women and Transgender Network (APLBTN), Los Angeles, CA
Alex Fukui, Gay Asian Pacific Support Network (GAPSN), Los Angeles, CA
Mary Quant, QWAVE, New York, NY
Hrishi Sathawane, Trikone- South Bay San Jose, CA
Former National Organization Working Group 2007
Alain Dang
George Cheung
Pabitra Benjamin
Glenn Magpantay
Mala Nagarajan
Rebecca Sawyer
George Robert
Hrishi Sathawane
Ben de Guzman
Suresh Dianand
Alain Dang
Karl Kimpo
Koko Lin
Pauline Park
Jamie
NOTE: NQAPIA Transitions from an Unincorporated Association with a Steering Committee to a Tax-Exempt 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation with a Board of Directors in 2009
Former National Convening Planning Committee 2006
Jun-Fung Chueh, LGBT Resource Center, UC-Davis
Rebecca Sawyer, Asian Pacific Islander Queer Sisters, Washington, DC
Pauline Guillermo-Togawa, Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Coalition, San Francisco, CA
Hrishi Sathawane, Trikone, San Jose, CA
Pabitra Benjamin, Action Wisconsin
Nikhil Aziz, Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association, Boston, MA
Robert Bernardo, Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, San Francisco, CA
Ben de Guzman, Asian/ Pacific Islander Queers United for Action, Washington, DC
Karl Kimpo, Invisible to Invincible, Chicago, IL
George Cheung, Cheung & Lopez, Seattle, WA
Diana Ming Yin, Exoticize My Fist!, Oakland, CA
Glenn D. Magpantay, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York
NOTE: Roundtable of LGBT API Organizational Leaders agree to found a national organization that become NQAPIA in 2005
Former National Convening Planning Committee 2005
Jun-Fung Chueh, LGBT Resource Center, UC-Davis
Rebecca Sawyer, Asian Pacific Islander Queer Sisters (APIQS) – Washington, DC
Manish Vadiya, Trikone
Stephan Sastrawidjaja, International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
Khushbu Srivastava, Princeton, NJ
Pabitra Benjamin, Action Wisconsin, WI
Nikhil Aziz, Political Research Associates and Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association
Willy Wilkinson, Transgender Law Center and Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Coalition (APIQWTC) – Oakland, CA
Ben De Guzman, Asian/ Pacific Islander Queers United for Action and National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium – Washington, DC
George Cheung, Cheung & Lopez, Seattle, WA
Diana Min Yin, Exoticitize My Fist
Glenn D. Magpantay, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York
Former QAPL Planning Committee 2004
Jerome Zorrilla
Luna Yasui
John Won
Weiben Wang
Sel Wahng
Irene Villaseñor
Irene Tung
Patty Tumang
Raj Shekar
Pauline T. Nguyen
Frank Mok
Glenn D. Magpantay
Yan Li
Kevin Lee
Doug Lee
Clay Ming Kwong Dollarhide
Alan Khoo
Stephanie Hsu
Ariel Herrera
Kris Hayashi
Monroe France
Mathilda deDios
Trishala Deb
Debanuj Dasgupta
Alain Dang
Conrad Chu
Jih-Fei Cheng
Chris Chen
Nick Chan
Christine Bacareza Balance
Former NQAPIA Staff
Glenn Magpantay, Executive Director – 2020
Sasha W., Organizing Director – 2018
Tia Adams, Program Assistant – 2018
Tracy Nguyen, Conference Coordinator – 2018
Pabitra Benjamin, Organizing Director – 2014
Ryan Viloria, Conference Coordinator – 2015
Mia Nakano, Website/Tech Consultant – 2015
Ben de Guzman, Co-Director of Programs – 2013
Fayzan Gowani, Immigration Coordinator – 2013
Mala Nagarajan, Co-Director – 2012
