Meet Our Team

THU NGUYEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Thu Nguyen (she/her) serves OCA National as its Executive Director. A graduate from Rice University with degrees in Chemistry and Sociology, Thu found her way into the nonprofit sector through organizing Asian American students on campus and bridging partnerships between student groups and local Houston community organizations. She curated the first Asian American student art gallery at Rice, which pioneered the university’s annual underground Asian American art exhibition. Before OCA, she freelanced for non-profits and Asian-owned start-ups to do community outreach and social media marketing.

In her capacity, Thu oversees storytelling, relationships, and operations for OCA. She brings a unique understanding of grassroots organizing and design to her work in managing grants and fundraisers. She serves as the Chair of the Asian American Media Alliance and sits on the diversity, equity, and inclusion council for Charter.

With her spare time, Thu focuses on the intersection of advocacy with small businesses. She works 5-9 in hospitality, cosmetology, and zine-making. You can find her exploring how to spacemake via thudawin.org.

Thu can be reached at (202) 223-5500 ext. 5 or TNguyen@ocanational.org.

KEN LEE, CEO EMERITUS

Ken Lee (he/him) is a retired UPSer after 37 years. Ken started as a part-time employee while he was in college in 1971. Ken retired in 2008 as the Vice President of Security for UPS’s International and later U.S. Operations. He was the first Asian Pacific American (APA) to attain the title of Vice President and was one of the highest ranking APAs at UPS. A leading activist for Asian community affairs at UPS, Ken was a mentor and role model for other Asian employees and served on UPS’s corporate diversity committee.

Ken serves as the CEO Emeritus of OCA, an Asian advocacy organization that has had a long-term relationship with a number of large multinational corporations across the United States. Over the years Ken served in several other OCA capacities including the OCA Georgia Chapter President, OCA National EVP and OCA National President. In addition, Ken currently serves on the Comcast NBC Universal as Chair of the Asian Diversity Advisory Council, member of Charter Diversity Council and member of the AT&T Consumer Advisory Panel.

Due in part to his success in his career, his active role in the OCA, and his involvement with many community organizations in the Georgia area, Ken was selected by UPS to be the recipient of the OCA National Asian Pacific American Corporate Achievement Award. Ken was also honored by "Who’s Who in Asian American Communities”, Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business and LEAP’s Leadership Award.

Ken was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. He now lives in Henderson, NV with his wife Ashley and their daughter, Vincy.

Ken can be reached at KLee@ocanational.org.

KELLY XU TIAN, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION

Kelly Tian (she/her) has been with OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates for 15 years. Born and raised in Beijing, China, she moved to United States in 1996 with her husband. 

Currently, Kelly resides in Columbia, Maryland with her husband and younger son, who is a sophomore at Oakland Mill High School. Her older son is re-settled nearby her home. Kelly’s daily job is to oversee the OCA financial books and office day-to-day operating. Kelly also ensures the administration of the organization's invoices, revenue processes, and Tax Auditing. 

Kelly can be reached at (202) 223-5500 ext. 8 or KXTian@ocanational.org.

KENT TONG, SENIOR PROGRAMS MANAGER

Kent Tong (he/him) oversees OCA’s youth programs, including high school and college leadership and advocacy trainings, scholarships, and internships.

Kent was born and raised in the Greater New Orleans Area to Vietnamese refugee parents. An alumnus from Loyola University New Orleans, majoring in Studio Art and minoring in Film Studies, Kent dedicated his time outside the classroom to various Vietnamese-interest organizations. It's through his experiences as Executive Director of Camp Delta, President of the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations Gulf Coast, and President of the Loyola Asian Student Organization where Kent developed a passion in youth development and programming.

Prior to joining OCA, Kent was a volunteer staff member of The 2020 Project, 2017 Jubilee Project Fellow, and 2014 Disney College Program Cast Member. In his free time he enjoys watching movies in theatres, usually one or two every weekend, writing reviews on his blog, and baking Ted Lasso biscuits.

Kent can be reached at (202) 223-5500 ext. 9 or kent.tong@ocanational.org.

LADY MARIE BULILAN, CHAPTER AND MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Lady Marie Bulilan (she/her) serves as the Chapter and Membership Development Manager for OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. In this position, she acts as primary liaison with all OCA chapters to fulfill their potential to grow by supplying resources from the National Center, supporting initiatives for chapter growth through workshops, training, and programs, and maintaining membership records for each chapter. Lady also works to bring more members into OCA and build a stronger community to advocate for all AAPI’s.

Lady was born in New York, raised in New Jersey, and grew up in Florida. Though she originally studied nursing - a common track in her Filipino community - Lady decided to change her major and receive a Bachelor’s degree in History, focusing on American history, museum studies, civil rights, and social justice/inequality at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Lady would like to be a part of the movement towards building a National Asian American History Museum to create and curate exhibits that share the rich and strong history that AAPI’s have contributed to this country for centuries.

In her free time, she likes to watch feel-good movies and TV shows, discover music for her Spotify playlists, try out different recipes, and learn languages!

Lady can be reached at (202) 223-5500 ext. 2 or lady.m.bulilan@ocanational.org.

ANDREW PENG, COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

Andrew Peng (he/him) is a Communications Associate at OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. He works in collaboration with policy and programs staff to amplify key initiatives and is responsible for the development and implementation of OCA’s communications strategy. A San Diego, California native, Andrew is passionate about amplifying AAPI voices and improving the public engagement capabilities of the federal government, nonprofits, and civic organizations.

Prior to joining OCA full-time, Andrew served as an intern at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Rutgers University’s Office of Leadership and Experiential Learning. In 2020, he was placed at the NAACP’s Washington Bureau through OCA’s 2020 summer internship program before working as a civic engagement communications intern at OCA National Center.

Outside of OCA, Andrew is the co-founder of The Yappie, a nationally-recognized publication that covers policy news and activism affecting AAPI communities. His coverage has been featured in Business Insider, Politico, PBS NewsHour, Yahoo News, and elsewhere.

Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in strategic public communication and political science from Rutgers University—New Brunswick. In his free time, he enjoys tweeting, photography, and eating soup dumplings.

Andrew can be reached at andrew.peng@ocanational.org.

HOJIN KIM, ASSOCIATE PROGRAMS MANAGER

Hojin Kim (he/him) serves as the Associate Programs Manager at OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. In his role, he oversees logistics for national events and programs, ensures their successful execution, and supports various departmental needs. A first-generation immigrant to the United States, Hojin brings a global perspective having been born in South Korea and raised in Japan at a young age. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in Global Inequalities and Responses from George Mason University in the Spring of 2021, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college in the U.S.

As an undergraduate, Hojin dedicated his time in advancing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) initiatives at George Mason University. He supported the establishment of the AAPI Studies Minor by managing social media outreach, engaging with student leaders from the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC), and facilitating focus groups to address student needs. Additionally, he co-founded a new chapter of an Asian-interest fraternity on campus, serving as chapter president and organizing educational events on AAPI history and issues, including fundraising efforts with other chapters in the region to address BLM and anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his free time, he enjoys singing at karaoke, exploring new places, eating Korean BBQ, and spending quality time with friends.

Hojin can be reached at (202) 223-5500 ext. 3 or hojin.kim@ocanational.org.

CAROLINE BUARON, ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Caroline Buaron (she/her) serves as the Associate Development Manager for OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates. In this capacity, she works alongside the national team to execute fundraising goals, stewardship programs, and executes the President’s Circle Initiative. A proud Filipina-American from New Jersey, Caroline hopes to be a part of the effort in disaggregating Asian American and Pacific Islander data in order to create and recommend policies that justly represent each distinct community.

As an undergraduate, Caroline has worked as a Voting Engagement Intern with North Carolina Asian Americans Together, a Census Intern with OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, and as a Field Intern for a congressional campaign. From 2018-2020, she established the first Liberty in North Korea at North Carolina State University where she and her team organized events to enhance refugee awareness. She has also spearheaded service events as Philanthropy Chair for the Filipino American Student Association at NC State, and served as Logistics Chair for the Triangle-Area Asian American Student Conference, where she coordinated financial and programming logistics for keynote speakers and workshop applicants.

In her free time, Caroline enjoys film photography, journaling, traveling with friends, and chasing sunsets. 

Caroline can be reached at (202) 223-5500 ext. 1 or caroline.buaron@ocanational.org.

SOCHEATA SUN, SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

Socheata Sun (She/Her) is a Senior Communications Associate at OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. In her role, she collaborates closely with the policy team to advance the organization’s objectives through strategic messaging and marketing. Her responsibilities include writing press releases and social media posts, creating promotional materials, managing social media accounts, and overseeing email communications.

Born in Cambodia and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, just east of Los Angeles, California, Socheata is a proud graduate of the University of California, Riverside. She holds degrees in History and Liberal Studies, with a minor in Political Science. Before joining OCA, she gained valuable experience as a communications intern and staff assistant for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where she contributed to advocating for the interests and improving the lives of Hispanic Americans. Socheata is passionate about continuing the fight for people of color during her tenure at OCA.

In her free time, Socheata enjoys catching up on her YouTube subscriptions, watching movies, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Socheata can be reached at socheata.sun@ocanational.org.

Most recently Eric was an APAICS Racial Equity Fellow placed in the House Financial Services working closely with the Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion. Having grown up in Irvine, CA surrounded by Asian American peers, Eric is excited to advocate and work for a community he has deep pride and fondness for belonging to.

In his free time, he enjoys cooking, volleyball, all things X-Men comics, long walks through DC and the occasional video game session.

Eric can be reached at eric.kim@ocanational.org.

LAHIRUNI DIAS AMARAWARDENA, OLGA MAY WONG POLICY FELLOW

Lahiruni Dias Amarawardena (she/her) is the inaugural Olga May Wong Policy Fellow, supporting OCA's national policy, advocacy, and organizing strategy and programming. She is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she is pursuing her Bachelor’s of Arts in Government and Politics - International Relations and a Minor certification in both Asian American Studies and History. As a student organizer with four years of experience, and as current Co-President of the Asian American Student Union, she believes that collective education and grassroots mobilization are key ways to accomplish wins for the AANHPI community and propel pressing issues to the national stage. To commemorate her work and contributions to the APIDA community, she was awarded with the 2024-25 Timothy J. Ng Scholarship in Asian American Studies. Outside of her academic and professional passions, Lahiruni enjoys her 14th year as a Bharatanatyam classical dancer at Nrityanjali Dance Inc., cooking new recipes for her friends, and watching foreign films.

Lahiruni can be reached at lahiruni.d.amarawardena@ocanational.org.