About

Tracy Fung (she/her) is the Programs and Operations Manager at AAPI Data, bringing over a decade of international experience in youth engagement, climate change, education, health, and gender equity. In this role at AAPI Data, she oversees program execution and daily operations, ensuring the organization runs effectively and efficiently.

Before joining AAPI Data, Tracy served as a Project Coordinator at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany, where she led a multi-year initiative focused on empowering communities, especially youth, to take meaningful climate action. She has also worked in higher education and spent several years as an educator in Spain.

A Bay Area native, Tracy has spent the past decade living and working abroad in Spain and Germany. Passionate about travel and food, she enjoys discovering local flavors and hidden culinary gems wherever she goes. When she’s not exploring new restaurants, she loves spending time outdoors and is eager to reconnect with California’s nature and sunshine.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Asian American Studies from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in Sociology from Bielefeld University in Germany.

Janelle Wong (she/her) is Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland and a core faculty member in its Asian American Studies Program. From 2001-2012, Wong was in the Departments of Political Science and American Studies and Ethnicity at USC. She received her Ph.D. in 2001 from the Department of Political Science at Yale University.

Wong is the author of Democracy’s Promise: Immigrants and American Civic Institutions (2006, University of Michigan Press) and co-author of two books on Asian American politics. The most recent is Asian American Political Participation: Emerging Constituents and their Political Identities (2011, Russell Sage Foundation), based on the first national, multilingual, multiethnic survey of Asian Americans. She is a Co-Principal Investigator on the 2016 National Asian American Survey, a nation-wide survey of Asian American political and social attitudes. Her current research is on growing numbers of Latino and Asian American evangelicals and their role in U.S. politics.

Jennifer Lee (she/her) is Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, where she received her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees. She has been a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a Fellow at the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, a Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, and a Fulbright Scholar to Japan.

Lee is the author of four award-winning books, including The Asian American Achievement Paradox, The Diversity Paradox, Civility in the City, and Asian American Youth. She has also written op-eds for a variety of media outlets, including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Seattle Times, CNN, The Guardian, TIME, and Los Angeles Magazine, and has appeared on NPR, CBS News, Fusion TV, and Tavis Smiley.

She is a Co-Principal Investigator on the 2016 National Asian American Survey, a nation-wide survey of Asian American political and social attitudes. In her current project, she is studying how stereotypes affect Asian Americans, including their support for affirmative action.

Ninez A. Ponce, MPP, PhD (she/her) is Professor of Health Policy and Management in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and Principal Investigator for the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). CHIS is the nation’s largest state health survey, recognized as a national model for data collection on race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity and immigrant health.

She is a health services researcher most interested in reducing transaction costs levied on consumers and providers that produce racial/ethnic disparities. Her research areas in health disparities focus on promulgating health equity frameworks in research and practice, implementing population-based health surveys in diverse populations, and examining the intersection of social factors and health policy.

Dr. Ponce will serve on the Board of Directors at AcademyHealth from 2021-2023 and was recently appointed on the editorial board of JAMA Health Forum.  Her portfolio includes a mixture of scholarly work and real-time knowledge diffusion studies, with over 120 peer-reviewed publications, over 60 policy reports, and various creative data access tools to democratize health data. Her articles have been one of the most downloaded papers in Health Services Research and selected as top ten Editor’s pick for Health Affairs.

Dr. Ponce earned her bachelor’s degree in science at UC Berkeley, her master’s degree in public policy at Harvard University, and her PhD in health services at UCLA.  She is a naturalized citizen, married, 2 adult daughters and lives in Los Angeles.

Sara Sadhwani (she/her) is an assistant professor of politics at Pomona College specializing in American politics, racial and ethnic politics, and public policy. Her research has been published in scholarly journals such as the Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, California Journal of Politics and Policy, and the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. Her analysis of Asian American and Latino voting behavior has been featured in the Washington Post, Vox, NBC News, HuffPost and many others.

Prof. Sadhwani earned her doctorate in political science from the University of Southern California, where her dissertation was supported by a fellowship from the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation. She is a faculty fellow at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. She currently serves on the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission for the state of California, responsible for redrawing district lines for Congress, the state legislature and board of equalization.

Prior to academia, Sara worked for nearly a decade advocating for the rights of immigrants at social justice organizations such as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, and the California Immigrant Policy Center.

Inderpal Singh is a senior studying political economy with a concentration in U.S. inequality.

McKenna Seegmiller is a junior studying English.

Inderpal Singh is a senior studying political economy with a concentration in U.S. inequality.

Jadyn Miyahira is a senior studying data science.

Karina Sandhu is a junior studying media studies and cognitive science.

Smrithi Senthilnathan is a sophomore studying data science and political science.

Jamie Noh (they/she) is a Masters of City Planning (’26) candidate at UC Berkeley.

Karen is a first year MPP student originally from Canada but completed her undergrad at Cal. Karen is interested in economic policy surrounding income inequality and intergenerational wealth. In her free time, she loves to cafe hop, hike, and play board games with friends!

Karen is a first year MPP student originally from Canada but completed her undergrad at Cal. Karen is interested in economic policy surrounding income inequality and intergenerational wealth. In her free time, she loves to cafe hop, hike, and play board games with friends!

Tony Thai is a Master of Public Policy student at GSPP. He is originally from Southern California and has been living in Seattle for the past couple of years. Previously, Tony worked at The Seattle Times as a digital producer, where heworked on audience engagement, data visualizations, and managing the homepage. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and hanging out with his dog, Tofu.

Clarielisa Ocampo (she/her) is a PhD candidate at UC Riverside.

Akil Vohra (he/him) serves as the Director of Policy for AAPI Data, overseeing federal and state strategies to ensure collection, analysis, publication, and utilization of data to advance understanding and support of AANHPI communities.

Before joining AAPI Data, Akil was the Executive Director of Asian American LEAD, and previously served at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) for eight years.

At WHIAAPI, Akil led the team that guided federal government policy on a range of substantive areas including data, education, civil rights, bullying and harassment, workforce diversity, religion, language access, and My Brother’s Keeper. Akil also served as the principal liaison to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and has developed strong partnerships with community-based organizations, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and trade associations to advance this work. Akil also served as counsel at Muslim Advocates where he created and developed the national Muslim Charities Work Campaign to advocate for reforms on the USA PATRIOT Act and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA).

In addition to his work at AAPI Data, Akil serves on the board of the Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network.

Akil has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Irvine; and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. Akil is also a Rothschild Fellow, and studied international human rights law at the University of Oxford.

Akil is based in Washington, D.C.

Connie Tan (she/her) serves as a Senior Research Analyst at AAPI Data. Connie has a strong mixed-methods research and evaluation background, with a particular focus in education issues.

Connie’s graduate research focused on understanding youth development in the context of poverty and the immigrant experience. In her previous professional roles, she has led applied research and evaluation projects examining student success and equity in the California Community Colleges and California State University (CSU) systems and has worked in institutional research to support college-wide planning and decision-making. Connie also has experience working with various stakeholders to understand how the use of research and data can help inform policy and practice.

As a first-generation college student growing up in a Chinese immigrant family, Connie has been drawn to AAPI Data’s commitment to research and policy that affect diverse AANHPI communities.

Connie received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her master’s and doctorate degrees in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Connie is based in Southern California.

Fontane Lo (she/her) serves as the Deputy Director of AAPI Data, bringing more than 15 years of experience in applied research, strategy and community partnerships. She has built her career around a deep commitment to using data in service of marginalized communities – to amplify their voices and fuel their advocacy efforts.

Prior to AAPI Data, Fontane led evaluation and learning efforts at Blue Shield of California Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation. As a funder, Fontane has partnered with researchers to translate rigorous research into actionable change. She brings expertise in communicating with a diverse array of audiences through a blend of storytelling, strategic framing and creative data visualization.

In her career as an evaluator, Fontane has led a broad range of research projects and partnered with stakeholders across nonprofits, philanthropy and public agencies. She brings expertise in a breadth of issue areas, including systems change, economic mobility, political opportunity, public health, early childhood and organizational development.

Fontane has a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley where also received undergraduate degrees in Economics and Psychology.

Fontane is based in the California Bay Area.

Kevin Hirano (he/him) serves as the Deputy Director at AAPI Data, where he brings over a decade of experience in resource development and organizational strategy. In this role, Kevin supports the organization’s growth and sustainability, working to expand its capacity to produce high-quality research and data on Asian American, Native Hawaiian  and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities.

In addition to his work at AAPI Data, Kevin also serves as a Deputy Director at APIAVote, where he has played a key role in scaling the organization’s reach and impact. During his tenure, APIAVote has expanded its headcount from four to twelve and more than doubled its revenue generation, allowing it to increase its subgrant budget from $300,000 in 2020 to $3 million in 2024.

Prior to APIAVote, Kevin was a Major Gifts Officer at Open Society Institute (OSF) in Baltimore, MD—the Open Society Foundations’ only U.S.-based field office. There, he worked to advance transparency and equity in philanthropy while supporting initiatives focused on addressing systemic challenges such as drug addiction, incarceration, and educational barriers.

Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Kevin earned his B.A. from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. An avid home cook, passionate eater, and lifelong soul searcher, he enjoys pau hana—sharing great food and drinks with his wife and friends over laughter and meaningful conversations.

Nadia Almasalkhi is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Sociology at UC Berkeley.

Nicholas Turton (he/him) serves as the Director of Communications for AAPI Data, overseeing the development and implementation of communications strategies that support AAPI Data’s mission.

Nicholas has a diverse array of experience leveraging strategic communications as a powerful tool to shift the needle on pressing social and civic issues. Before joining the team at AAPI Data, Nicholas was a Communications Manager at The Trevor Project, where he oversaw rapid response efforts to combat anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric in the media; amplified intersectional polling and peer-reviewed research on LGBTQ+ young people; and led Trevor’s It’s Still Happening campaign, drawing attention to the continued prevalence of conversion therapy practitioners in the U.S.

Prior to that, Nicholas served as a Senior Account Executive at Fenton, a social change agency, working across a number of social justice issues. Notably, he served as the  communications strategy lead on the agency’s work to support Stop AAPI Hate’s media, messaging, and public relations efforts — which contributed to prestigious recognition and awards including TIME100, a Webby Award, and PRWeek Award.

Nicholas has a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Antioch University Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Nicholas is based in Los Angeles, CA.

Patricia Gasaiwai (she/her) serves as a Social Media and Web Design Specialist for AAPI Data, supporting the organization’s digital communications efforts.

Patricia is the youngest daughter to parents who come from the villages of Waitabu and Taveuni in the Fiji Islands — and was raised in Southern California. Outside of her work at AAPI Data, Patricia has a passion for content creation and social media platforms as vehicles for increasing representation of Pacific Islanders, and to shed light on important issues in the community. Her personal YouTube channel, which she created in 2018, has accumulated over 800k+ views and 18k+ subscribers.

Patricia received her bachelor’s degree in media and cultural studies from the University of California, Riverside. While there, Patricia received the Grace Jean Mee Yoo Unity Award  for her service and leadership to the university’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities. She also served as a Student Program Coordinator for Asian Pacific Student Programs (APSP) and President of the Pacific Islander Student Association (PISA).

Patricia is based in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.

Quennie Dong (she/her) is a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley.

Whitney Hadiwono Ibarra (she/her) serves as the Programs and Special Initiatives Coordinator at AAPI Data, where she supports the organization’s special projects, partnerships, and key programs, such as the inaugural DNA Fellows program.

Whitney brings to AAPI Data a diverse professional background across higher education, administration, special events, research and program development. Prior to AAPI Data, Whitney served as a Student Services Advisor at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, where she grew their undergraduate pharmaceutical program and developed new programs still in place today.

As a first-generation, Chinese-Indonesian American woman, Whitney has a strong passion for prioritizing AANHPI communities in her work. Whitney’s past research with USC’s Asian Pacific American Student Services (APASS) on Southeast Asian American students’ sense of belonging led to the establishment of the Southeast Asian Initiative at USC, which initiates  specialized programming for the Southeast Asian student population. Whitney also serves as the Special Interest Fund Coordinator for the NASPA Asian Pacific Islanders Knowledge Community (APIKC), where she coordinates with organizations and designs programs to increase funding for AANHPI professionals in higher education.

Whitney has a master’s degree in education in postsecondary administration and student affairs from the USC Rossier School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University, Fullerton.

Whitney is based in Riverside County, California.