Chavi Khanna Koneru (she, her)
Executive Director, Chavi@ncaatogether.org
Chavi Khanna Koneru is co-founder and Executive Director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT). Koneru moved to North Carolina in 1989 and has spent the majority of her life living in the state, including attending college and law school locally at the University of North Carolina. This has allowed her to gain a deep, personal understanding of what it means to be Asian American in the South. Additionally, her legal background in voting rights law has given her the opportunity to interpret and enforce laws impacting the Asian American community, including during her time in the Voting Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she focused on language access for Asian American voters.
Ricky Leung (he, him)
Senior Director of Programs, Ricky@ncaatogether.org
Ricky is co-founder and Senior Director of Programs at NCAAT. Ricky grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and studied journalism and mass communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, concentrating in visual communication and design. He began his career in DC at National Geographic and at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, where he became more involved with Asian American grassroots organizers. Ricky returned to North Carolina in 2010 in hopes of bringing that Asian Amerian experience to his home state and worked at NC Policy Watch, a project of the North Carolina Justice Center, before joining NCAAT fulltime. In his free time, he snuggles with his puppy Charlie.
Sarah Yopp (she, her)
Operations Director, Sarah@ncaatogether.org
Sarah’s a native of eastern North Carolina where she studied Fine Arts at East Carolina University. Her background focuses on hospitality management and consulting, which is rooted in her desire to serve others. Sarah’s love and compassion for others drive her heart for social justice. Sarah enjoys spending her time painting, experimenting with new recipes, and collecting books she’ll never read.
Phian Tran (they, them)
Community Engagement Director, Phian@ncaatogether.org
Phian is an NC State alum from Raleigh with a background in community engagement. As an event curator, she specializes in combining efforts of young creatives, activists, and local organizations to propel collaborative initiatives for justice and equity. In her free time, she likes to play music and go to concerts.
Shruti Parikh (she, her)
Voter Engagement Director, Shruti@ncaatogether.org
Shruti was born in India, but immigrated to the US at a young age and grew up in the Midwest. She attended the University of Michigan, where she studied Mathematics and Art History and received her MS in Management from NC State. She has been an active volunteer in the Triangle community since moving to North Carolina in 1993. After the 2016 election, Shruti was inspired to become more involved in voter outreach and engagement specifically in the Asian community. As a mother of three young adults, Shruti enjoys cooking and sharing Indian food and culture.
Olivia Zalecki (she, her)
Youth Engagement Director, Olivia@ncaatogether.org
Olivia grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and attended North Carolina State University where she double majored in Political Science and Foreign Languages and Literature with a concentration in Mandarin. Olivia’s passion for advocacy started when she had the opportunity to work with various Asian American organizations including the Triangle Asian American Student Conference and OCA National-Asian Pacific American Advocates. Doing so gave her insight into the collective power of community. In her free time, Olivia loves trying all the amazing restaurants the Triangle area has to offer!
Dan Tews (he, him)
Field Coordinator, Dan@ncaatogether.org
As Field Coordinator at NCAAT, Dan helps with voter registration and engagement efforts drawing on his experience in grassroots fieldwork. He has worked for over a decade as an activist for social justice and environmental causes, with a special passion for working with those who are disenfranchised and historically underrepresented politically. He studied English Literature at The College of New Jersey. He lives in Raleigh with his rescue dog, Percy.
Gerry Lor (he, they)
Community Engagement Coordinator, Gerry@ncaatogether.org
Gerry grew up in Salisbury, NC, and graduated from UNC Wilmington with a BA in International Studies and Sociology. He started his advocacy and community engagement work in 2017 when he got involved in the Seeding Change National Fellowship in which he was able to work with the Southeast Asian Coalition (SEAC). His involvement with SEAC has allowed him to be engaged with Southeast Asian American communities across North Carolina to support voter outreach, citizenship workshops, and youth mentorship. He hopes to use his outreach and advocacy experience to better connect with the AAPI community at large in North Carolina. When he is not working or volunteering, Gerry enjoys hiking, listening to podcasts, taking care of his indoor plants, and karaoke.
Ziya Joy (they, them)
Youth Engagement Coordinator, Ziya@ncaatogether.org
Ziya Joy is a Duke alum with a B.A. in Migration, Human Rights, and Citizenship, a self-designed major that allowed them to study global migration and displacement through the lens of postcolonial theory, feminist theory, and critical race theory. They were born in Brooklyn, NY, to Bangladeshi immigrant parents, grew up in the Midwest, and found their way to Durham, NC, in 2015. Most recently, they worked as a Civic Engagement Coordinator with Muslim Women For. They are excited to continue building up youth and supporting them in dreaming up new pathways to liberation. In their free time, you can find them drinking coffee and cha, playing with their cat, and admiring the moon.
Vicky Cheng (she, her)
Development and Administrative Coordinator, Vicky@ncaatogether.org
Vicky was born in Taiwan, raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from Furman University (Greenville, SC) with a degree in English. She spent several years teaching courses and pursuing graduate studies in Victorian literature, women’s work, and theorizing bodies. While at Syracuse University, she was inspired to engage with organizing efforts for mental health awareness and student advocacy. After electing to leave the university space, she returned to North Carolina with a renewed interest in writing and actively working for social justice in the AAPI community. In her free time, she can be found exploring Raleigh’s art scene or walking her cat.