KGA Board

Shiu Ming Cheers, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Neighborhood Legal Services

Barbara W. Kim
Associate Professor
Department of Asian and Asian American Studies
California State University, Long Beach

Preeti Sharma
UCLA Ph.D Candidate for Women's Studies
and
Communication Associate
South Asian Network

Lisa Fu
Consultant

Lian is a 1.5 generation refugee from Oakland, CA. She grew up in the Bay Area and has spent over a decade working in low-income communities of color. Lian started out as a youth organizer on the Kids First! Campaign and has since worked for funding for youth programs, fought for educational and health justice, volunteered and trained for numerous GOTV efforts with the Alameda County Labor Council, and most recently fought for workers' rights regionally and internatinally. In 2007, Lian helped Migrant Forum in Asia organize the very first regional, migrant domestic workers' assembly in Asia. Lian believes in fighting for our self-determination as women, as workers, and as creators of knowledge and culture in our communities. She was also the former director of the Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program (MAAP) at the Center for Third World Organizing (CTWO). When Lian is not working, she enjoys yoga, dog training, and cooking with her partner.

Sophya is a 2nd generation Khmer American living in Long Beach, CA. She is a founding member of Khmer Girls in Action. Sophya has been involved with KGA for over 10 years and has seen the organization grow in many different ways. Her commitment to herself and her community is to work with young women on the issues of immigrant and refugee rights and reproductive justice. She believes in empowering communities to lead and fight for social justice through community organizing and movement building. Sophya believe that young people bring a different energy, purity, and perspective into the work and enjoys every moment smiling, laughing and learning with them.

Ashley Uyeda is a fourth generation mixed race Japanese American who joined KGA in July 2008. Originally from the Bay area, she received her Bachelor's Degree in American Studies at UC Santa Cruz before moving to Los Angeles. In school, she worked with a student-led outreach and retention center for students of color to support them in accessing and succeeding in higher education. A Public Allies-Los Angeles alumni of 2007, Ashley worked with Southern Californians for Youth supporting Los Angeles based Youth Organizing organizations. Through her work experience, her passion and commitment to youth and social justice has been cultivated with a particular focus on empowerment and leadership development of low-income youth of color. Ashley believes that youth of color are essential and critical to building our movements for social justice, and enjoys working with them because on their energy, honesty, and hope for the future.

Justine is a Southern California native with many roots.   Born in the Philippines and raised in the Inland Empire, she later went to school in Orange County before working in Los Angeles & Long Beach. She graduated from UC Irvine in 2010 with degrees in International Studies and Literary Journalism.  While in college she was involved with the Filipino student organization, Kababayan, and was part of the student movement for affordable education.   After college she joined Public Allies LA, an Americorps program that provides individuals with personal and professional development and training to lead in the nonprofit sector.  While at Public Allies Justine was placed with Khmer Girls in Action and has stayed ever since.   She loves building power and sisterhood with other young women, and believes that community organizing can lead to a just and healthy world with self-determination for all people.  In her free time Justine is active in the Filipino American community and pursues independent journalism projects.