This is the third in a five-part series. Part one is here and part two is here.
Emily Tau, a Chinese American professional in Milwaukee, is marketing and communications officer at the City of Milwaukee’s Health Department, managing public information, media relations and community relations for the state’s largest public health department. She stepped into that role in the spring of 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, as the latest chapter in a career in strategic communications that goes back over 10 years. Most recently, she spent more than four years doing communications for VISIT Milwaukee and several other years working for marketing agencies. She earned a degree in public relations and theatre arts from Marquette University in 2010.
Ron Kuramoto has served as Executive Director of Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee since June 2021. For four decades, he has served in numerous nonprofit organizations in both the Southern California and greater Milwaukee areas. In the greater Milwaukee area, Ron has served as National Senior Vice President of Public Allies, Inc., as Director/Facilitator of the Future Milwaukee Community Leadership Programs of Marquette University, as a Founding Board Director of the Wisconsin Nonprofits Association, as a Board Director of Leadership Wisconsin, First Stage, Life Navigators, IndependenceFirst, and as a member of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. Ron also currently serves as President of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) – Wisconsin Chapter as well as an Executive Committee member of the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of Wisconsin.
Peter Tan is chief design officer at Strang, Inc and an architect with more than 30 years of experience designing award-winning commercial, civic and urban design projects. He grew up in Malaysia and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from Cornell University. He joined Smith Blackburn Shauffer Architects in 1987 and relocated to Madison in 1991, joining Strang in 1993. Over the years, he has volunteered with the Boy Scouts and West Madison Senior Coalition and served on the Madison Urban Design Commission, the board of Madison Region Economic Partnership and Advisory Council of Upper House.
Mayhoua Moua is the Executive Director of Southeast Asian Educational Development of Wisconsin, Inc (SAED). The organization reaches out to Southeast Asian refugees in the Milwaukee area and helps them adapt to life in the United States. The organization also assists refugees in finding access to health care, education, and employment. Moua was born in Laos during the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Her dad and uncle worked for the United States to rescue prisoners of war in Vietnam, so when communism came into the country in 1975 the family had to flee. The family fled to Thailand, lived there for a year in the refugee camps, and came to the United States in 1976 when she was 7 years old. As a child, she helped her parents adapt to the United States by getting an education and being their translator. She grew up in the Twin Cities, got married in her late teens, then moved to Appleton before settling in Milwaukee in 1991. At Milwaukee, she started working for the Lao Family Community, Inc. as a housing specialist. Then, she worked as an employment specialist helping Southeast Asians join the workforce. In 1993, Moua helped establish HAWA, Hmong American Women’s Association, Inc.
Yasir Kamal began as an American Family agency owner in 2009, working his way up to vice president of inclusive excellence, where he and his team lead efforts to develop and support the company’s strategy to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.. He is a Certified Diversity Executive and Accredited Small Business Consultant. He is a board member of the D214 Charity Committee, which supports treatment of childhood cancer, and Disability:IN Wisconsin.
Sae Yang is equity and inclusion coordinator for the Neenah Joint School District, a role she assumed in 2021 after six years as an educator in the Appleton Area School District. While at Appleton, she served as adviser to Appleton West’s Hmong Club and on the state’s English Language Arts Academic Standards Committee. She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from UW-Oshkosh in 2020 and her bachelor’s from the same university in 2014.
Goodson Vue is associate director of the University of Wisconsin PEOPLE program, which has enrolled more than 1,000 students on scholarships to UW-Madison. Vue, who is Hmong, coordinates the College Scholar program, supporting students through their time at the university. He was promoted to this role after eight years as assistant director and four years as an adviser. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and master’s degree in communications from UW-Whitewater.
Part 4 coming tomorrow!
