Meet the Team
HaNhi L. Tran, Board PresidentHaNhi Tran is a Deputy District Attorney for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. As a community-based prosecutor, HaNhi focuses on crime prevention initiatives and serves as a liaison to the Vietnamese community. HaNhi grew up in the Little Saigon community in Orange County, California, where her working-class parents initially settled after fleeing Vietnam as boat refugees. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard University and her Law Degree from UCLA. While pursuing internships with international organizations and US agencies, she lived in Thailand, Cambodia, and Washington, D.C. After law school, HaNhi served as a C.V. Starr Lecturer in Law with the Peking University School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen, China, before she settled in the Bay Area. In addition to being actively involved with VAPW, HaNhi also serves as a Board Member for the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA) and the Northern California Chapter of the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association (NAPIPA). She also serves as a mentor through the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California (VABANC).
Kathy Truong, Board Vice PresidentKathy Truong is currently the Project Manager and Executive Assistant to Founders at 4-Good Ventures. She has 10 years of experience in executive support, consulting, policy, and communications for nonprofits and high profile elected officials in Silicon Valley. She handled strategic scheduling and high-level relationship management as Congressional Aide and Scheduler to U.S Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. Afterwards, she served as Policy Analyst to Supervisor Cindy Chavez at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Kathy has extensive knowledge on connecting local Vietnamese immigrant parents with young children to local resources through her work with the International Children's Assistance Network (ICAN), where she curated and led life skills workshops for 600 girls at-risk for human trafficking in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Kathy is a proud immigrant and Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI) CLP Alumni. She also serves on the Board of the Bay Area Asian Pacific American Legislative Staffers (BAAPALs). Kathy received her B.S. in Public Health Sciences from the University of CA.
Thao Nguyen, Board TreasurerA 20-year veteran of Comerica Bank's Commercial Banking Group, Nguyen is a Senior Vice President and Group Manager of the San Jose Middle Market Banking Team, responsible for managing and expanding an $800M+ portfolio of privately owned middle market businesses with revenues ranging from $30 million to $500 million in diverse industries, including food & beverage, contract manufacturing, building materials and value-added services. Nguyen is an experienced and dedicated professional with a proven track record in building deep and enduring client relationships and developing future leaders for the organization. Nguyen is a proud graduate of Comerica's Leadership Development Program and a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership's Development Program.
Stephanie Hoang, Board Secretary Stephanie Hoang is a Data Scientist at Adobe, for the Digital Imaging organization. In her current role, she specializes in data engineering, predictive analytics, and machine learning for the Photoshop and Lightroom products. She also has a background in corporate FP&A, most notably managing a $200M+ annual portfolio. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis, and her Master’s degree in Business Analytics from New York University.
Stephanie has worked with various Bay Area mentorship programs in the past, and is particularly interested in highlighting STEM career fields to the next generation of students. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she’s excited to continue serving her community through her board membership at VAPW
Stephanie has worked with various Bay Area mentorship programs in the past, and is particularly interested in highlighting STEM career fields to the next generation of students. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she’s excited to continue serving her community through her board membership at VAPW
Ashley Le, Board MemberAshley Le has worked as a realtor in California since 1999. She is heavily involved in global humanitarian and local community services, including: First Step for Families, Hearts for Humanity, Girls to Women Youth Development, Juvenile Hall, and Street Life Ministry. Ashley also supports seniors and disadvantaged and low-income families through programs such as bridge housing for the formerly unhoused, and food distribution efforts through food banks and food pantries. Ashley also serves on the surgery team of Project Vietnam Foundation, going on missions every year.
Alicia Luong, Program Lead - Scholarship ProgramAlicia Luong currently serves as this year's VAPW Scholarship Committee Chair. She began her journey with VAPW as a recipient of our community college transfer scholarship in 2020. From there, she continued her education at UC Berkeley, where she graduated with high distinction in 2022. Alicia's involvement with VAPW has come full circle, and she’s grateful for the opportunity to continue developing our impactful scholarship program to promote higher education access for first-generation students. Beyond her professional commitments as a Recruiting Coordinator at Forward, a health-tech startup, Alicia is deeply engaged in mentorship, serving on the Board of the Vietnamese American Roundtable.
Vivian Pham-Nguyen, Program Lead - Mentorship ProgramVivian is Business Development Representative at Luminary Cloud, a software startup specializing in advanced physics simulation and high-performance computing. She is responsible for expanding Luminary's influence, establishing, and nurturing strategic partnerships across key sectors, including aerospace, energy, automotive, and infrastructure.
As a Bay Area native, she maintains a keen interest in the diverse experiences and challenges of first and second-generation Vietnamese women. Eager to contribute to positive change, she is enthusiastic about further developing the mentorship program to have a meaningful impact on as many students as possible.
As a Bay Area native, she maintains a keen interest in the diverse experiences and challenges of first and second-generation Vietnamese women. Eager to contribute to positive change, she is enthusiastic about further developing the mentorship program to have a meaningful impact on as many students as possible.
Lindsey Pho, Program Lead - Social EventsLindsey Pho is an attorney at Mesner Reeves LLP. She represents individuals and businesses in corporate transactions and litigation matters. She received her undergraduate degree from UCLA, and attended the University of San Diego for law school, where she graduated with a concentration in Intellectual Property.Lindsey is committed to serving her community and is an executive board member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and Co-Chair for the Mentorship Committee for the Vietnamese American Professional Women Association. While she was working as a third year associate, she completed her 200-hour yoga training, and has been an instructor ever since.
Ann A.P. Nguyen, Advisory Board MemberAnn Nguyen is an attorney and partner at the full service law firm of Messner Reeves LLP. She has extensive experience representing individuals, businesses, and national and international corporations in transaction as well as litigation matters, with a special focus in the areas of business, employment, trust and estate. Ann earned her bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis, and her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. During her junior year at UC Davis, Ann studied abroad at the Universidad de Complutense in Madrid, Spain. Always passionate about giving back to the community, Ann has volunteered countless hours and served on various professional and non-profit boards, including her current service on the Boards of Directors for the Asian Law Alliance and the Vietnamese American Professional Women Association.
Diane M. Le, Advisory Board MemberDiane Le is a professional manager with an extensive background in high-tech, real estate and limited liability partnerships. She is currently a Functional Manager at HP Incorporated. Diane is also the managing partner for several limited liability partnerships where she has fiscal responsibilities. She was the co-founder of the Nguyen Foundation, a non-profit organization addressing women’s cancer issues. She is also a member of the Professional Business Women of California and the Asian Business League. Diane holds a B.S. in Information Systems and MBA from Santa Clara University.
As an immigrant and mother of two, she understands the challenges Vietnamese American women face in becoming young professionals and is passionate about uplifting the next generation. She has worked tirelessly to gain the support of the public and private sector in order to keep the VAPW mission alive.
As an immigrant and mother of two, she understands the challenges Vietnamese American women face in becoming young professionals and is passionate about uplifting the next generation. She has worked tirelessly to gain the support of the public and private sector in order to keep the VAPW mission alive.
Laura Phan, Advisory Board MemberLaura Phan is the Assistant Superintendent, Business Services Division of Oak Grove School District. Prior to the current position, she served in the same capacity at San Mateo-Foster City School District, Alum Rock Union School District, and Mount Pleasant School District. She has more than 15 years of experience in school business management. Laura is a California Certified Public Accountant with diverse experience in auditing and consulting, and a former owner/operator of two different businesses. Laura has a special interest in supporting the advancement of disadvantage women and children. Laura is a founding member of the Vietnamese American Professional Women's Association. As a founding member of San Jose Friends of Mai Tam, Laura is one of the team leaders in the annual fundraisers providing support to Mai Tam House of Hope to house, educate, and care for orphaned and abandoned children infected with HIV/AIDS in Vietnamese. Locally, Laura holds leadership positions with the San Jose East-Evergreen Rotary, the Northern California School Business Executives, and the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
Cindy Vu, Advisory Board MemberA long time Bay Area resident with deep roots in the Vietnamese-American community and a graduate of Santa Clara University, Cindy is now an entrepreneur and philanthropist dedicated to promoting charitable and social programs, and works to expand business opportunities for Bay Area entrepreneurs and investors. With a background in engineering, business, and real estate development, her professional experience has earned her leadership roles in several real estate investment groups in charge of multi-million dollar projects. To give back to the community that has given her so many opportunities, Cindy mentors and supports organizations like VAPW, helping to promote young Vietnamese-American female professionals. Her philanthropic activities include working with San Jose Friends of Mai Tam to support Mai Tam House of Hope in Vietnam to house, educate, and care for orphans infected with HIV/AIDS.