Diana Li

Diana Li

Policy and Communications Coordinator

Diana Li is a third-year student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she is pursuing a degree in English and Linguistics. She has worked with the UMass Asian-American Student Association since her first year on campus, and currently serves as secretary. Her passions include Asian-American advocacy, policy/communications, diaspora literature, and creative writing.

Hannah Ku

Hannah Ku

Regional Coordinator

Hannah Ku (she/her) is the Regional Coordinator Intern for the AAPI Commission. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021 with a BA in History, a minor in Chinese,
and a certificate in East Asian studies. Currently, she is a master’s student studying Asian American history, public history, and critical adoption studies.

Hannah is a transnational Chinese adoptee raised by a Korean immigrant family. She is incredibly passionate about AAPI activist efforts in both academic and public spaces. Hannah is extremely excited to work with the AAPI Commission and looks forward to aiding and advocating alongside the AAPI community in Massachusetts.

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Benjamin Wang

Benjamin Wang

Governance and Policy Coordinator

Benjamin Wang (He/Him) is the Governance & Policy Coordinator of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American & Pacific Islanders Commission. Benjamin identifies as a second-generation Chinese American and grew up in Northern Virginia. He graduated from New York University in May 2022, where he studied Political Science and minored in Creative Writing. He specialized in contemporary Chinese Political Philosophy and wrote his Senior Thesis, titled Internal and External Factors in the Evolution of “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”. Throughout undergrad he was also interested in and took a number of classes related to digital media and technology art. Benjamin is currently in law school at New England Law | Boston.

At New York University, Benjamin gained advocacy experience through his volunteer work with unhoused populations and tutoring for children from underprivileged communities. Currently at New England Law | Boston, he serves on the board of the school’s Asian Pacific Law Students Association chapter. In the past he has worked on both local and state campaigns in Virginia, as well as a local campaign in Georgia. He is passionate about community advocacy, public interest, and grassroots organizing. Outside of advocacy and law, Benjamin is interested in both general and academic trivia. He competed in College Quiz Bowl and can frequently be found at local bar trivia games.
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Ashley Shan

Ashley Shan

Youth Coordinator

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Ashley Shan (she/her) is the Youth Coordinator of the AAPI Commission. She is a first-year student at Williams College, prospectively double majoring in American Studies and Comparative Literature, with a concentration in Asian American Studies. Ashley is committed to promoting marginalized voices, specifically for youth, previously serving as the Chair of the Dallas Youth Commission and working to generate a diverse, representative curriculum with school districts. She is particularly intrigued by the intersection of community organizing, artwork, and trauma and diaspora studies.
Ashley is excited to join the Commission staff team to continue advocating for AAPI residents across Massachusetts, focusing on elevating the diversity of the Commonwealth’s AAPI youth.

Siale Vaitohi Teaupa

Siale Vaitohi Teaupa

Public Health and Pacific Islander Coordinator

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Siale Vaitohi Teaupa (she/her) graduated from Brigham Young University in 2018 with a B.S. in Physiology & Developmental Biology. Siale is a medical student at the University of Utah School of Medicine, but is currently taking a 1-year leave of absence to obtain a Master in Public Health degree at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As her MPH program emphasis is in Health Policy, Siale will be working with the commission to identify current needs in the AAPI community, specifically targeting health-related issues. Upon completion of the MPH program, Siale will return to medical school in Utah and apply to Internal Medicine residency programs.

As a Tongan and Latina woman, Siale is passionate about working in underserved communities. She lived in the Philippines for eighteen months as a full-time volunteer for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Siale later led a 1-month humanitarian trip in Guatemala. At home, Siale is active in the Polynesian community serving in many community organizations such as the Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition and Utah Polynesian Professionals where she has headed several outreach programs, especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Siale is also one of the creators and current President of Pasifikas in Medicine, an organization that mentors Pacific Islander students interested in pursuing medicine. She is passionate about health equity and increasing the number of students of color in the health sciences.

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Jennifer Best

Jennifer Best

Communications and Outreach Manager

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Jennifer Best (she/her) is excited to be joining the AAPI Commission as the Communications and Outreach Manager. She graduated from Tufts University in May 2022, where she studied Political Science, International Relations, and History. She specialized in migration, 20th century history, activism, and national security. She spent her senior year writing her Senior Honors Thesis in Political Science, titled Youth Activism: Who Becomes Involved in Youth Activism and Why? A look into the demographics and opinions of youth activists in comparison to older activists. She used statistical analysis to determine the effects that race, gender, education, and income had on participation in activism among 60,000 respondents, in addition to fielding a survey of former Ed Markey for U.S. Senate Campaign Fellows. Throughout her studies, she prioritized investigating and highlighting the real world effects of policies, regimes, and events on normal people, rather than just political elites.

Jennifer has experience in advocacy both through campaigns and in government. She worked as a Policy and Communications Intern for MA State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven, where she wrote testimonies, created and executed communications campaigns, researched policy, worked on the budget, and much more. She has also worked on multiple Massachusetts-based campaigns, including the Hicks for District Six Boston City Council Campaign, where she was a Finance and Events Fellow, in addition to writing official policy platforms for the candidate. She also worked as a Field and Communications Fellow on the Ed Markey for U.S. Senate Campaign, where she spent many hours writing speeches and remarks for the Senator, hosted in-person and virtual events, and trained hundreds of volunteers. Jennifer will bring her knowledge of communications and advocacy through both intra-governmental and extra-governmental pathways to her work at the AAPI Commission.

When Jennifer is not working, you can find her involved in theater, cooking a new recipe, or curled up with a good book. She is excited to be joining such a passionate team and to continue advocating for AAPI communities in Massachusetts.

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Esther Hwi-Young Kim

Esther Hwi-Young Kim

Program & Research Director

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Esther Hwi-Young Kim (she/hers) is the Program & Research Director of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American & Pacific Islanders Commission. Esther identifies as a second-generation Korean American queer woman who grew up in southeastern Massachusetts on the land of the Wompanoag people. Her career journey involves wearing multiple hats as counselor, K-12 educator, and non-profit program coordinator, and she is proud to be a dedicated advocate for youth and community empowerment, with a particular focus on co-creating spaces of belonging and lifting up individual and collective histories of struggle and resistance.

At Tufts University, Esther focused her undergraduate studies on child development and ethnic studies coursework, and she wrote her family oral history as an entrypoint to begin researching how forces of migration, colonialism, systemic oppression, and trauma shaped the relational dynamics between her first-generation Korean immigrant family members and self. During this time, Esther was also introduced to grassroots community organizing via the Seeding Change National Fellowship Program for Asian American Organizing and Civic Engagement. As a Seeding Change Fellow, Esther interned at Chinese Progressive Association – Boston and co-coordinated the Chinese Youth Initiative’s summer leadership program.

After graduating from college and working internationally in K-12 education and program administration roles as part of the Fulbright Korea Commission, Esther proceeded to complete the Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Counseling program at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she developed her counseling skills and was selected by her peers and faculty to receive the 2018 Intellectual Contribution Award. For the past three years, she has worked as part of the Lexington High School counseling staff and also supported student-faculty collaborations related to DEI initiatives, ethnic studies, and responding to community needs in light of COVID-19. Esther is excited to work together with the Commission and its constituents to celebrate and promote the well-being of AAPI communities across Massachusetts.

Yasmin Padamsee Forbes

Yasmin Padamsee Forbes

Executive Director

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Yasmin Padamsee Forbes is an accomplished leader with a track record of delivering results in management positions across multiple countries and organizations. As the Executive Director of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, she has continued showcasing her strategic planning, management, and resource mobilization skills.

Yasmin’s passion for social justice, human rights, and climate change activism has driven her career. She has previously served in senior leadership roles with non-profits and the United Nations in Papua New Guinea, India, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and the United States. Her experience has given her a deep understanding of cross-cultural collaboration and the importance of building strong partnerships to
drive positive change.

In recognition of her outstanding work, Yasmin has been awarded numerous honors and awards, including the 2019 All-Star Award by the Harvard Kennedy School for her contribution to the film festival, “Pride and Progress”; Harvard also awarded her the 2018 Julius E. Babbitt Memorial Volunteer Award for exemplary public service.

Yasmin holds a Masters in Communications and Film production from New York University, where she received a scholarship, and a second Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University. She has served as the Harvard Alumni Representative in Myanmar and on the Alumni Board of Directors for the Harvard Kennedy School.

Yasmin is also actively involved in community service, serving as the Chair and Commissioner for the Cambridge Human Rights Commission. She is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, working with communities across Massachusetts to create a force for positive and sustainable change. Yasmin believes in the power of connection and collaboration to create a better future for all.

Bonnie Chen

Bonnie Chen

Development & Communications Coordinator

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Bonnie is the Development and Communications Coordinator at AAPI Commission. She is a current undergraduate at Brandeis University studying Sociology and Asian American Studies. In the past, she has worked with a community initiative dedicated to promoting arts programming and youth education and a literary organization nurturing Asian American and BIPOC writers. She is passionate about education, grassroots organizing, and migration studies. Bonnie is interested in the intersection of social justice, and arts and design as a means of inspiring and advocating for social change. In her free time, Bonnie loves exploring new eating spots and has a love for mango green tea.