If you do not see the application form below,
If you do not see the application form below,
Empowering generations of API women in the Central Valley since 1980



Empowering Asian and Pacific Islander women in California’s Central Valley to lead, advocate, and thrive.
We uplift API women and girls through leadership development, mentorship, and opportunities to advance gender equity and social justice—locally and beyond.
Our Story
As an all-volunteer organization, Central California Asian Pacific Women (CCAPW) remains a dynamic space for new leaders and ideas to emerge. The current board of directors reflects the diversity of the API community in the Central Valley, with both emerging and seasoned community leaders possessing a wide range of professional experience both locally and statewide. These women are committed to strengthening the organization as vehicle for API women’s empowerment in the Central Valley.

![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Over 40 Years of Investing in API Women’s Leadership
Central California Asian Pacific Women (CCAPW) was founded in 1980 and continues to thrive as the only pan-Asian women’s organization addressing the needs and concerns of API women in the Central Valley. Over the years, CCAPW has diversified across cultures and generations, with a multiethnic group of young, middle-aged, and elderly women have emerged in the past few years to lead the organization. We are also proud that we are beginning to reap the fruits of our labors in that several past scholarship recipients have now advanced in their professional careers and have become re-engaged with CCAPW as board members, funders, volunteers, and speakers. We hope to continue to build on this momentum and continue to be a crucial resource and support network that crosses generational and ethnic lines.
Since 1980, CCAPW has awarded more than $400,000 in scholarships to women and girls pursuing higher education, and this year, awarded its highest annual scholarship total of $36,000.
The scholarship funds are raised every year from grants, individual donations, and revenues from special events. A majority of our scholarship recipients are from low-income, refugee families and are among the first women in their families to attend college. We are extremely proud to see our investments return in these young leaders who come back to the community and cite CCAPW as part of their early success.
To promote sustainability and to bridge the gap between young and old, the organization has successfully recruited a younger generation of emerging leaders with deep roots in the Central Valley. We hope to build on our rich history of women leaders and continue to recruit and retain a broad cross-section of leaders from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Our Board of Directors
Meet the women leading CCAPW with vision, integrity, and deep ties to the Central Valley.

President: Joanne Lai,
Licensed Psychotherapist
(Term began: 2022)
Joanne is a psychotherapist. She specializes in mind-body approaches in the areas of trauma, stress-related struggles, relationship challenges, and cultural issues. Her main passions are supporting women to find safety and comfort in their own bodies, reconnect to their authentic selves, and reclaim their voices. As a Taiwanese and Chinese-Thai female immigrant growing up in Asian and Western countries, Joanne has a unique perspective in her work with the Asian community and with the clients she serves. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new foods, traveling, being in nature, and spending time with her family and pets.

Vice President: Dr. Varaxy Yi Borromeo,
Associate Professor, California State University, Fresno
(Term began: 2021)
Varaxy is an associate professor of Higher Education Administration and Leadership at Fresno State. She also serves as the Director of the Research Center and is a core faculty member in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership. As a first-generation Khmer American graduate and faculty, Varaxy is committed to advancing knowledge to serve racially minoritized communities, specifically Southeast Asian American (SEAA) students. She appreciates the collectivism within her Khmer community and how we show love for each other through food and nourishment.

Treasurer: Maybo Heu,
Nurse Practitioner
(Term began: 2021)
Maybo is a Nurse Practitioner in the Central Valley and is honored to serve on the CCAPW Board of Directors as the Treasurer. She is a first-generation Hmong American woman who believes in empowering AAPI women through higher education. Maybo’s other community work includes collaborating with local community-based organizations to advocate for health and wellness in the AAPI community.

Treasurer: Dr. Ahran Koo
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Art Education, California State University, Fresno
(Term began: 2023)
Ahran is an associate professor of art education at Fresno State. As a first-generation Korean immigrant artist and art educator, she promotes the efficacy of art to address cultural and social awareness. Locally and globally, she focuses on Asian art and culture, socially engaged and community art, and critical multiculturalism, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration through civic engagement, and advocates culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogy.

Secretary: Michelle Fabros
(Term began: 2024)
Michelle is a psychology instructor at Fresno City College, where she co-runs a psychology lab that provides research training and mentorship for SCCCD transfer students. As a 2nd-generation Chinese-Filipina, her grandparents emphasized the importance of education. She has a master’s degree in General/Experimental Psychology and is pursuing a PhD in General Psychology: Cognition & Instruction. Her dissertation research focuses on the academic achievement of Southeast Asian American college students. In her free time, Michelle enjoys traveling, dancing with the Fresno Polynesian Club, and spending time with her family.

Board Member: Dr. Vicky Xiong-Lor
Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Multilingual and Multicultural Masters in Education Program and Hmong Bilingual Authorization Program
(Term began: 2022)
Vicky has a passion for preserving languages for future generations. Her work in Hmong language reclamation has been instrumental in developing Hmong language, literacy, culture, and history standards and Hmong-centric ethnic studies curriculum for Hmong teachers nationwide. Vicky is also a member of the National Hmong Educator Coalition and serves as a Hmong language consultant and is a Hmong-centric ethnic studies curriculum leader where she works with teachers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and California under the non-profit organization, MN Zej Zog. Vicky is the Coordinator for the Hmong Bilingual Authorization Program where she prepares future Hmong teachers to teach in the dual language immersion programs and is also the Coordinator for the Masters program in Multilingual and Multicultural Education at Fresno State.

Board Member: Jenny Banh, PhD
Associate Professor, Asian American Studies and Anthropology, California State University Fresno
(Term began: 2024)
Jenny is an keynote speaker, memoirist, curriculum developer and Associate Professor at California State University, Fresno in Anthropology and Asian American Studies. She received her Anthro BA from UCLA, her Cultural Studies (public Policy focus) MA from Claremont Graduate University, and her Anthro MA & PhD from the University of California, Riverside. Her research focuses on Asian American/Asian studies, cultural anthropology, and Asian female characters in popular culture. Her current research is on Asian restaurants, barriers/bridges to SE Asian college students, and a Hong Kong transnational corporation. She is the author of “I Have an Accent in Every Language I Speak!”: Shadow History of One Chinese Family’s Multigenerational Transnational Migrations." (Genealogy Journal) and “Workers’ View on Indigenization of Theme Park: A Case Study in Hong Kong” (International Journal of Business Anthropology). She previously has published in and co-edited Anthropology of Los Angeles (2017) and American Chinese Restaurants (2019).

Board Member: Dr. Mai See Xiong
Clinical Manager, Fresno Hospice
(Term began: 2024)
Dr. Xiong has been a Registered Nurse since 2014. She earned both her ASN and BSN through Brigham Young University-Idaho. Her background in nursing includes Medical Surgical, Oncology, Hematology, and Hospice Care. She completed her Master’s in Nursing Education with a Certificate in Gerontology and Doctorate in Nursing Leadership at the University of Utah. Dr. Xiong is currently a Clinical Manager for Fresno Hospice and is an Adjunct Faculty for Arizona College of Nursing for the Murray, Utah and Aurora, Colorado campuses. Dr. Xiong’s program of research is focused on enhancing the diversity in the nursing workforce to mirror the diversity of the community. Dr. Xiong has shown a passion for teaching and gerontology.
Board Member: Summer Connery
(Term began: 2025)
Bio Coming Soon

Board Member: Diana Chandara
(Term began: 2025)
Diana Chandara (she/her) is a 2nd-generation Lao American queer woman from Fresno, California. She is the Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies Instructor and DEIA Coordinator at Clovis Community College. In addition to teaching, her service and practice orientation include being a part of the AANHPI Workgroup as well as a representative on the SCCCD Chancellor's Task Force on Protecting Vulnerable Students. Through the partnership between Laotian American Community Fresno (LACF) and the Fresno Unified School District (FUSD), Diana serves in an advisory role on creating Lao supplemental resources. She’s a PhD Candidate in Culture and Teaching at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her research interests are in identity development of Southeast Asian Americans, culturally relevant/sustaining pedagogy, and Asian American femininity and feminism. She has been published in Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality in Education, AAPI NEXXUS, and others. Diana believes in education as a form of liberation and radical hope for communities. While she has lived in other places, it is her dream come true to return to and collectively nourish the Central Valley.
2025 Advisory Board
Dr. Audrey Tan, Physical Therapist (Term began: 2025)
Ya-Shu Liang, Program Director, Fresno Clinical PsychD Program, Alliant International University (Term began: 2025)
Ziang Her, Owner, Ziang Enterprises LLC (Term began: 2025)