Mee Moua

Mee Moua became the first Hmong-American to be elected to a state legislature when in 2002 she won a seat in the Minnesota Senate. As Minnesota has the largest Hmong population in the U.S., Moua characterized her election as a watershed event for her community’s engagement with mainstream politics. After twice being reelected, she left the state senate to become vice president of strategic impact initiatives for the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a national health justice organization. Currently, she serves as the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which promotes civic engagement for Asian-Americans and other underserved communities. Moua has earned degrees from Brown University, the University of Texas, and the University of Minnesota. Updated 2013