Team - PABNEEG

Team

Meet our team

Executive Director

Yangmee Lor

Executive Director

As a survivor of both domestic violence and suicide, I am fueled by the pain of my past to pursue the goals of PABNEEG with unwavering dedication. Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of serving as a Board Member for several exceptional nonprofit organizations, including the Colorado Dragon Boat, Asian Chamber Foundation, National Lao-Hmong Memorial Foundation, and Asian Corporate and Entrepreneur Leaders, from which I have gained invaluable knowledge and insight. My deep-seated passion for establishing a solid foundation for our local Hmong and BIPOC community has been a constant driving force in my life.

I firmly believe that the actions we take today will shape the future of our community for generations to come. However, I am aware that I cannot do this alone. At PABNEEG, we are committed to creating a robust network and community that values trust and compassion. We celebrate diversity as our greatest strength and are thrilled to be a part of building a healthy Hmong and BIPOC community in Colorado. Diversity is our strength!

Pheng Lee

Co-Executive Director

Pheng Lee is an educator, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for educational and economic equality. He understands the connection between trusted relationships between students and adults and academic success. He founded Asian Unity, a youth-based decentralized organization that helped those living in extreme poverty in Southeast Asia receive the proper resources they need from their government.

Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, in 2020, Asian Unity shifted to become an AANHPI & Hmong social & racial justice movement with a mission to end hate crimes against the AAPI & Hmong communities in the United States. In his work with Asian Unity, he sees the impact that strong relationships have on the lives of youth.

As PABNEEG's Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, he is determined to build a community of caring adults who can end the opportunity gap that disproportionately harms Hmong, Black, Brown, and Indigenous students.

Board of directors

Mia Foster, B.A.

Chair

Mia Yang-Foster is a first-generation Hmong-American whose proclivity towards world history has led her to the realm of humanitarian advocacy within the Hmong community aimed at telling the stories of the veterans, the refugees, and the plight of their families. Mia is a Program Director overseeing the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program for one of the largest community-based organizations in her region, a small-business owner, and a Diversity and Inclusion Commissioner for the City of Elk Grove where she lives with her husband and their three sons. In her free time, Mia is a spiritual and physical health advocate and volunteers her time towards the resettlement of displaced people.

Nou Chee Thao, Cert.

Vice Chair

Nou Chee Thao is a Hmong-Thai biracial American, entrepreneur, domestic violence survivor, and a mother of 5 Hmong-Thai-Cambodian children. She sees that her Hmong and BIPOC Colorado community still face disparities in employment, educational achievement, and home and business ownership.

Like most mothers, applying and achieving a degree from a high-cost tuition college is out of the question. To combat this inequality of educational resources, Nou Chee is the driving force for PABNEEG to accomplish its mission of building a community eLearning platform for economic growth.

People's Advisory board (PAB / Helping)

The term "Pab" in the Hmong language encompasses various meanings such as providing help, aid, assistance, benefits, and relief.

When striving to establish a thriving Hmong and BIPOC community, our community members are our most valuable resource.

The People's Advisory Board serves as a non-binding strategic advisor to PABNEEG. Due to its informal nature, this advisory board allows for greater flexibility in terms of structure and management compared to the board of directors.

PAB