Board of Directors
President
Sue Yang is a dedicated disability advocate from Greater Minnesota with lived experience as a disabled Hmong American woman. Growing up in a first-generation Hmong American family, Sue did not fully understand what it meant to be disabled. In school, she often felt misunderstood, as she appeared “normal” and could do many of the same things as her peers. It wasn’t until after high school—when she attended a secondary transition school and reviewed her Individualized Education Plan (IEP)—that she began to fully understand and embrace her disability.
Passionate about disability justice, community engagement, and volunteerism, Sue has spent years advocating for accessibility, inclusion, and equity. She believes in leading by example, dedicating her time to outreach efforts, mentorship, and public service. Her advocacy includes supporting organizations such as Northpoint Health and Wellness Center and volunteering at events like the Minnesota Special Olympics. She has also served as a guest MC and speaker, using her platform to elevate disability awareness and rights.
In addition to her advocacy, Sue has been involved in disability-centered pageantry. She was crowned Princess Miss Amazing MN 2015 through Miss Amazing Inc., a program that empowers girls and women with disabilities. She later earned the title of National Queen 2017 with American Majestic Ms. Diversity Pageantry, which celebrates diverse abilities. As an ambassador, she continues to uplift and support others in finding their confidence and voice.
As a UHD Board Member, Sue brings her lived experience and passion for disability justice to the organization’s leadership. She is committed to advancing UHD’s mission by fostering meaningful dialogue, promoting equity, and strengthening community partnerships. Her dedication to advocacy, representation, and systemic change makes her an invaluable asset to the UHD Board.
One of Sue’s favorite quotes is, “Never judge a book by its cover,” a reminder to see beyond appearances and recognize the full humanity and potential of every individual.
Vice President
Mai Vang (she/her) currently working at Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division with the Department of Human Services as an ASL Social Security Advocacy and identities is Deaf and Hmong. She values her identities because she wants to represent herself and her identities are purposely to spread the awareness of who she is to the public. She recognized that not many Deaf people would identify themselves like she does. She is proud of her identities and that’s who she is. Mai was born as hearing then became deaf at the age of one year old. She is the only deaf in her family. Her main communication method is using American Sign Language (ASL). She deals with communication barriers in her family regularly. She learned sign language when she was in Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at preschool. She was fortunate to attend the D/HH program from elementary to high school. She was in most mainstream classes during her middle and high school with an ASL interpreter.
Before joining DHS, Mai worked as a learner advocate at ThinkSelf Adult Education Advocacy where she was working with Deaf adults to guide them with their independent living skills and provide support in the community. She was a former Deaf Mentor for Deaf Mentor Family Program, where she teaches hearing parents with Deaf child/ren American Sign Language and Deaf culture.
Mai graduated from Metropolitan State University with a Bachelor of Human Services.
She wants to spread awareness of the Deaf in Hmong community. Deaf are an underserved population and often are left out especially being Hmong. She strongly supports her Deaf community and has invested her time in Deaf community compared to other cultures because Deaf is the only community she has known since day one. Her understanding is that Deaf community is welcome to diversity of disabilities but more often wants to be inclusive of others in Deaf community.
Her main reason was to represent herself as a Deaf person in the Board Member for UHD. She often firsthand sees that Deaf isn’t inclusive of any Board member in any other organization. She believes in diversity and inclusiveness. She wants to share with the public that Deaf can be involved with any organization no matter what kind of disabilities they have. They deserve a chance to be part of it and invested in the organization. She is excited to make a network with the other Board members and be actively involved by sharing her thoughts as a Deaf person with disability. She wants to share her knowledge on communication accessibility, interpreter services, and many other resources. She hopes to gain by learning how Board members can work together
Secretary
Panou Xiong (she/her) is a mother, wife, colleague and a community member. As a mother, I am a caregiver and a provider.
She has dedicated years and hard work to social service agencies through her years of practice as a Department Supervisor, 245D Program with their DD/IDD individuals and now expanded that skill to MI/CD and MI/D. She is a supervisor of 48 clients and 22 staff. In this role, she has learned to not ponder too much on issues yet, be the one to find solutions.
Panou finds that to make change, you have to be a part of it. She wants to see the stigma of disabilities dismantled and to educate communities that their loved ones can live a happy and supported life.
Her expertise comes from what she lived with and what she experienced on a personal level as well as the skills she learned over the years from her professional work such as — person centered language, approaches to using motivational interviewing with people who are living with manic depression, having been diagnosed with a mental health illness, and more. She would like to uplift the notion that there are resources that can be shared with goals to compile a list of resources that can be shared to our community. To have trainings that can be provided to people as an avenue to help us work on dismantling the stigma of disabilities.
Panou has been appointed by the governor of MN to be a member of the mental health and developmental disabilities committee for the office of the Ombudsman.
Treasuer
Cameron Hallonquist brings both professional financial expertise and lived disability experience to his leadership. He currently works as a Senior Investment Risk Analyst at Columbia Threadneedle Investments in Minnesota, where he focuses on financial analysis, risk assessment, and data-informed decision-making.
Cameron is an autistic adult and lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD (Inattentive Type), anxiety, depression, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Diagnosed with autism at the age of three, he has spent much of his life advocating for neurodiversity awareness and disability equity. Cameron often describes his advocacy through the message “Different, Not Less,” a phrase that reflects his belief that neurological differences are valuable forms of human diversity rather than deficits.
Beyond his professional work in finance, Cameron has been active in disability advocacy and research. He has worked with the Autism Society of Minnesota and contributed to research initiatives through the University of Minnesota’s Institute of the Developing Brain, supporting greater understanding and inclusion for neurodivergent communities. His work centers on amplifying lived experiences, challenging stigma, and helping build environments where people with disabilities can lead and thrive.
Cameron is also a lifelong athlete and played collegiate lacrosse at the University of Minnesota, later competing on a semi-professional box lacrosse team. Athletics continues to be an important part of his life, teaching him discipline, resilience, teamwork, and the importance of showing up for others—values he carries into both his professional and advocacy work.
Cameron is passionate about strengthening inclusive leadership and building bridges across communities. He is committed to supporting UHD’s work to uplift Hmong individuals and families impacted by disability while promoting broader conversations about neurodiversity, accessibility, and disability justice. Through his financial expertise and advocacy, Cameron hopes to help create a future where disabled people are not only included, but empowered and valued as leaders within their communities.
Member
Passionate about advocating for social justice, Kong Lee (he/him) resides in the West Coast and is a Husband and Father to two kids – a girl and a boy.
Kong received his Bachelors of Arts in Social Work at the California State University of Fresno. He is Certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid and National Council for Mental Wellbeing with excellent communication and problem-solving skills, coupled with a solid understanding of social work principles and ethical standards.
Currently he is the Vice President for the Asian Social Work Organization at California State University of Fresno. He also worked and volunteered with the blind community at Valley Center for the Blind in Fresno, California.
Kong’s visual impairment connects him to the world of disability. It signifies his belonging to a marginalized population that encounters discrimination, oppression, and inequality. By serving as an advocate as a blind student on the CSU Fresno campus, pursuing higher education, and assisting individuals in finding available resources, he aims to contribute to breaking down this stigma.
A few of his objectives is to dismantle the stigma surrounding disability, making a positive impact in individuals’ lives, and send the message that being blind doesn’t limit your capabilities; it simply requires a different approach.
In this role, he wants to learn from others, speak up for the different needs of people with disabilities, and help make more people aware of disability issues in the Hmong community.
Member
Gaochi Vang (she/her) is a Hmong American woman, daughter, sister, friend, advocate, and writer. She holds all of these pieces close to her because they remind her that her family and friends ground who she is, that her voice has power, and that her words can be both written and verbalized into the universe for her own liberation. Each part of herself reminds her of the collectivist roots that she comes from and encourages her to use her individual light to move forward for and with her people.
Gaochi received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, minoring in Women’s Studies/Gender Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She is working toward her Masters of Science in Psychology, specialization in Social Psychology at Walden University.
She is a Peer Specialist Program Manager at Access to Independence with specialty in facilitating training and meetings; with hopes to support and lead discussions or sessions towards educating or bringing awareness to disabilities. She also works in the mental health field where she can connect the identities that people hold to their mental wellbeing.
Gaochi has had a complicated relationship with her disability in that this was never a part of the identity she would acknowledge. She avoided this part of her even even though she lived with this piece of herself every single day. Today, she has come to use her disability as another piece of herself that keeps her driven and motivated to use her voice and her individual power. This disability has reminded her that the world that she lives in was not made for her but she still has the ability to create a better world for those who she stands alongside and for those who come after her.
What excites Gaochi the most as a Board Member with UHD is working and sharing space with more of her Hmong people across the states. Where we do not have to explain ourselves, our existence, our lens of being people with disabilities. She hopes to gain more perspectives, resources, and opportunities to connect with each other; and she hope to give pieces of herself to UHD so that we can find innovative, efficient, and creative ways to educate the Hmong people about disabilities, to amplify the voices of Hmong people with disabilities, and to advocate for disability justice within and outside of our community.
Gaochi aspire to use storytelling to build on UHD’s work as a writer, specifically in hopes to share her personal lens of someone with a disability and to connect with others on our Hmong identity towards supporting and advocating for one another.
Member
Mao Yang (pronounced like the Chinese dictator) is a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, published author, and disability justice advocate with cerebral palsy. When she is not busy trying to dominate the world by using her voice to make it a better, kinder, more accessible, and inclusive space, she loves spending time with her family and friends. Mao adores all things pink, sparkly, and romantic. She also enjoys playing mobile games for money and tugging at people’s hearts with the stories she writes, often bringing them to tears. She is a Self & Community Advocate at L’Arche.
Mao believes that embracing diversity and striving for equal representation is a key pursuit. It involves acknowledging and accepting the inherent challenges that come with various identities. By striving for an environment of acceptance and understanding, we can create a society that not only recognizes but also celebrates the unique contributions of each individual. She is committed to giving every identity a fair chance as a testament to the progress that can be made when we are inclusive and supportive of one another.
Member
Mai Vang (Mi Ong Vang) (she/her) is a passionate advocate, strategist, and digital accessibility expert who brings both lived and professional experience to her role on the board of United Hmong with Disabilities (UHD). As a Sr. Accessibility Engineer and Sr. Accessibility Program Coordinator, Mai works to shift organizational culture by embedding accessibility into everyday workflows—beyond checkboxes and into the heart of systems. Her mission is rooted in the principle of “nothing about us, without us,” believing deeply that inclusion and justice must be woven into every level of society.
Mai’s connection to disability is multifaceted. She is a neurodivergent mother raising two neurodivergent children—one with AuDHD and the other with ADHD—and she is also a part-time caregiver for her mother, who lives with a chronic illness and uses a wheelchair. These personal experiences fuel her professional advocacy, reminding her daily that disability is not only a diversity issue but a shared human experience that touches all of us.
Through her board service, Mai is excited to bring her digital accessibility expertise to help elevate UHD’s digital presence, making it more accessible for Hmong individuals with disabilities. She also hopes to expand UHD’s offerings by supporting other Hmong organizations in becoming more accessible, inclusive, and legally compliant. She views accessibility not simply as usability—but as a matter of equity and justice.
Mai is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and is actively pursuing her WAS and ADS certifications. She is committed to using her skills, network, and lived experience to support UHD’s mission of visibility, education, and community accountability within the Hmong community.
Mai believes accessibility is a shared responsibility that must be rooted in anti-oppression work, cultural humility, and care. Her holistic approach weaves together storytelling, data-driven insights, and systems thinking to push for meaningful, lasting change. She’s honored to be part of UHD’s journey toward greater inclusion and disability justice.
Member
Mai Rowe (she/her) is a proud Hmong American woman, U.S. Army veteran, mother of three, entrepreneur, and community advocate whose life and work are deeply shaped by disability advocacy and inclusion. She grew up alongside two brothers who lived with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), an experience that instilled in her a lifelong commitment to accessibility, empathy, and supporting families navigating disability within the Hmong community.
Professionally, Mai works as a Construction Project Coordinator at Ryan Companies US, Inc., where she manages complex project logistics, documentation processes, and team coordination. Her work in the construction industry has sharpened her awareness of how accessibility is often overlooked in built environments, reinforcing her commitment to ensuring spaces are inclusive and thoughtfully designed.
In addition to her corporate career, Mai is an entrepreneur and founder of Just Mai Construction Concierge and Graceful Poppy Virtual Concierge, businesses that provide project management, administrative systems, and operational support to small businesses and creative professionals. She also founded Lost and Found: Travels with Mai, a travel brand focused on promoting inclusive and accessible travel experiences.
Mai brings strengths in project coordination, communication, systems building, and relationship development. Her lived experience growing up in a Hmong household navigating disability has also given her a deep understanding of cultural stigma, caregiving dynamics, and the importance of community-centered advocacy.
As a board member of United Hmong with Disabilities (UHD), Mai is passionate about helping normalize conversations about disability in the Hmong community, strengthening culturally responsive advocacy, and building bridges between families, systems, and resources. She believes deeply in creating spaces where individuals with disabilities and their families feel seen, supported, and empowered.
Mai approaches her work with empathy, curiosity, and a commitment to inclusive leadership—working toward a future where disability is embraced as part of the rich diversity of the Hmong community rather than something hidden in silence.
Staff
Co-Executive Director of Partnership and Strategy
Cynthia Yongvang (she/her) is a disabled Hmong woman, wife, and a passionate advocate for social justice and disability rights. Based in Washington State, she is a philanthropist, creative artist, and leader in her community. As the Executive Director of the United Hmong with Disabilities (UHD), Cynthia plays a pivotal role in advocating for the rights and inclusion of Hmong people with disabilities on a national level. She is also the co- founder, CEO, and President of the Hmong Impact Giving Network, a national philanthropic organization dedicated to uplifting the Hmong community through strategic collective giving.
Cynthia’s creative talents shine through her work as the founder and CEO of the CYNTHIA YONGVANG™ brand, a textile and fashion company inspired by her rich Hmong heritage and global cultures. Her artistry and advocacy are deeply intertwined, reflecting her commitment to cultural preservation and empowerment.
With over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Cynthia has held numerous leadership roles, including as the former Executive Director of the Hmong Association of WA and the Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment, an immigrant and refugee women and girls’ organization. She has been instrumental in various initiatives, such as founding the Hmong Women’s Giving Circle in MN, leading the formation of the WA Hmong Farmers Cooperative during the pandemic, and serving on the Regional Food System steering committee at the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC). Her work has had a lasting impact on both the Hmong community and broader immigrant and refugee communities.
Cynthia’s dedication to community service extends to her involvement on multiple boards and committees, including the United Communities of Laos, a coalition of Hmong, Lao and Khmu organizations, the Advisory Committee of Disability and Philanthropy Forum, the Empowering to Thrive’s Hmong Men/Boys Conference Planning Committee, the Hmong National Development Leadership Symposium, and the Disability Inclusion Fund’s Grantees Convening Planning Committee. She was also a 2018 Fellow from the Community Leadership Institute at Puget Sound Sage in Seattle.
Through her diverse advocacy roles, Cynthia Yongvang continues to champion the rights of marginalized communities and inspire others to lead with compassion and creativity.
Co-Executive Director of Operations & Programs manager
Pa Nyia Vang is a devoted wife, mother of six, and passionate advocate dedicated to empowering her family and community. As a parent to three children with special healthcare needs, complex medical conditions, and disabilities, she brings a deeply personal perspective to her work in disability and healthcare advocacy. Identifying as neurodivergent, Pa Nyia has navigated her own lived experiences—including PVD-related vision impairment leading to blindness, treated depression, and PTSD—challenges that have only deepened her commitment to supporting others on similar journeys.
A visionary creative, Pa Nyia expresses her advocacy through sustainable mixed-media visual arts. As a writer, poet, and humanitarian, she weaves powerful narratives that reflect the resilience and triumphs of the disability community. Through her art and words, she fosters connection, healing, and social change.
For over 15 years, Pa Nyia has been a steadfast champion for the rights of children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHN), disability communities, and Disability Service/Support Workers (DSWs). She has served in leadership roles across various boards, committees, and councils, including the Saint Paul Public Schools Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC), the Minnesota Department of Health’s CYSHN Stakeholder Advisory Team, and the grassroots initiative Hmong Supporting Needs (HSN), which she founded to uplift and empower Hmong families navigating disability systems.
Her expertise and lived experience have made her a trusted voice in advocacy. As a Parent Navigator and Community Advocate, she provided invaluable guidance to families navigating complex healthcare and education systems, fostered cultural competency, and empowered others through self-advocacy. Her insights have been sought after at conferences hosted by organizations such as Saint Paul Public Schools, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the Hmong Health Care Professionals Coalition.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to public health and community empowerment, Pa Nyia was honored with the Ramsey County Public Health Award in 2015. Through her leadership, advocacy, and artistry, she continues to be a driving force for equity, accessibility, and social justice.
Beyond her professional and advocacy work, Pa Nyia is a creative spirit who finds joy in deepening connections with her loved ones. She is an avid streamer, content creator, and video gamer, enjoys the peace of nature and gardening, and expresses her creativity through her studio shop, Atelier Páaj. A thoughtful and introspective INFJ-A empath, she actively engages in personal growth, exploring essential skills in effective communication, relationship-building, and servant leadership.
With a heart rooted in justice and a voice that uplifts others, Pa Nyia Vang remains a dedicated advocate, artist, and changemaker, committed to building a more inclusive and empowered future.