Leadership

Pronouns: she/her

My name is Rokaih Vansot. I was born in Cambodia during the Khmer Rough Regime. In 1980, my parents fled their homeland and came to the United States in search of religious freedom and opportunities for their children. Their struggles have taught me that there are many opportunities in America and the importance of education and seeking knowledge. I am one of the first in my family to achieve a Bachelor’s Degree and to continue my higher education to pursue a Master’s Degree at The Evergreen State College.

Every day, I strive to challenge myself to be the best version of myself and that’s what inspires me to volunteer and participate in community events.  I am currently employed at the Washington State Department of Transportation as a Senior Human Resources Consultant in the HQ HR Employee Relations Office. I am married to Yusos Osman and have two beautiful children, Tasneem and Audil. I love spending time with my family. I enjoy camping and outdoor activities. 

Area(s) of Professional Expertise: Human Resources

Ethnic Background: Asian

Language(s) Spoken: English, Cambodian

Teddy Dianah Kemirembe, She/Her pronouns: Born and raised in Uganda, Teddy comes from a walk of humble beginnings.

Teddy’s story is long but in short here is the version: Teddy has a master's in social work (MSW) from Columbia University School of Social Work. She has a passion in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hence has attained Certificate of Diversity Profession (CDP) and Certificate of Diversity Executive(CDE) from the Institute of Diversity Center (IDC).

Teddy has over twenty years in Social Work, working primarily with children and families and has tremendous experience in child welfare, working with children affected by developmental disabilities, and over 7 years working in emergency rooms as a social worker assisting patients with mental health and homelessness.

Teddy currently works with the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) under DSHS as their Community Engagement and Client connection administrator. She is a mother of two beautiful girls, 12 years and 8 years both with special needs. Her 12-year-old daughter is diagnosed with Autism and her 8-year-old daughter is diagnosed with Rett Syndrome.

Teddy loves drumming, gardening, and watching movies in her free time.

Amel Aouam Alsalman emigrated from Tunisia (North Africa) in 2016 and joined the Washington State Patrol as a procurement specialist in 2017. She currently works as a Procurement Program Manager with the Department of Health and Social Services. Amel has worked for almost 19 years in the private sector, leading and managing local and international projects.

Amel obtained her bachelor's degree in economics and her master's degree in macroeconomics at the University of Economics and Management of Tunis. Amel also holds a master's degree in business administration from the Mediterranean School of Business (MSB) in Tunis.

Amel has been a member of the Rotary Club since 2011 and is currently the Treasurer of her club, Olympia Capital Centennial, which is dedicated to community service with an emphasis on children's education and diversity. Amel was a volunteer at the Food Bank, Washington Performance Center, United Way of Thurston County, and an active member of the WA chapter of the National Institute of Public Procurement.

Amel is married, and in her spare time, she enjoys photography, hiking, dancing, and travel.

Janet Nambi Kiwanuka is training and development specialist at Department of Retirement Services (DRS). She is a Certified Life Coach dedicated to helping leaders create cohesive teams and drive productivity. Her expertise in leadership and coaching empowers individuals to cultivate self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and positive communication, resulting in highly effective leaders.

Janet's coaching abilities have helped leaders in areas such as Communication, Conflict Resolution, Employee Engagement, Managing Change, and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and Overcoming Burnout. Her dedication to personal and professional growth, coupled with her exceptional leadership experience, makes her an outstanding leadership development coach and consultant.

Janet has over 10 years of successful business management experience. She led a company that grossed 2 million dollars in income. Her leadership skills include Talent Management, Business Strategy Formulation and Implementation, Business Process Improvement and Administration, Sales Strategy Formulation, Financial Strategy Formulation, and Change Management.

Furthermore, Janet is a certified facilitator of Franklin Covey's Leadership and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Prior to venturing into entrepreneurship, Janet achieved Assistant VP Level in her first job at a U.S. based Bank. Janet has also designed a highly effective Positive Leadership Course tailored for new managers and leaders. Her expertise in leadership coaching and development makes her a valuable asset for empowering leaders and fostering growth within teams.

Gina is a matrixed Proactive Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR Consultant) member in the DSHS Office of the Secretary within that office's Equity Diversity, Access, and Inclusion unit. Her PEAR Consultant position supports the development of Equity, Diversity, Access, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDAIB), the agency's PEAR strategy, and the specific needs related to EDAIB and PEAR within the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) at Western State Hospital (WSH). All aspects of her work support the agency's mission to become an anti-racist organization that transforms lives and dismantles barriers for those we serve. She also serves as the EDAIB Administrator for both centers, the Civil Center of Excellence and the Gage Center of Excellence at Western State Hospital.

Gina came to America from the Philippines in 1987 as a mother of a 21-month-old toddler. As a young immigrant with limited English and a lack of education, Gina's first job was as a housekeeper for a retirement home in Skagit County. Gina's desire to finish college heightened when her daughter was accepted to attend the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle in 2004. Gina completed an undergraduate degree in human services in 2007 from the University of Phoenix, one year before her daughter graduated from UW. In 2010, Gina earned her first master's in health administration from the University of Washington, and in 2021, Gina earned a second master's specializing in industrial and organizational psychology from Grand Canyon University. She is currently writing her doctoral dissertation with a completion date of February 18, 2024. Gina holds certifications in Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Change Management. She is also a Certified Diversity Professional.

Gina began a professional career in health administration in 2004 and later found her true calling in EDAIB when she transitioned from for-profit hospital employee to state employee in 2018 with Western State Hospital. Gina is determined to create an environment more inviting to the marginalized population. As a mentor and coach in the workplace and community, she embraces all and welcomes everyone into her circle of change to experience a safe space and belonging. Empathy, humility, servant leadership, gratefulness, passion, and openness to listen and learn are a few of the qualities that Gina could offer to the DSHS community and beyond, especially here at the Washington Immigrant Network.

Aside from her EDAIB passion and life-long learning, Gina enjoys volunteering with Filipino American non-profit organizations, especially at the Nurture Center in Lakewood, WA. She also enjoys kayaking, cooking traditional Filipino cuisine, traveling, occasional golfing, facetiming with her grandson Cypress, and spending time with her husband, Mike.

My name is Le (Ivy) Huynh. I'm currently a senior Budget Analyst at the Department of Enterprise Services (DES). I started my State career with the Department of General Administration (GA) back in 2008 while I was in school to obtain my 2nd degree. Later, I also worked with the Department of Information Services (former WaTech), Liquor Control Board then came back to DES in 2012 when GA, DIS and other 3 agencies merged into DES. During my state career, I have held several roles in the agencies' Finance offices with the focus in accounting, finance and budgeting. Prior to my career with the State, I managed a restaurant in downtown Olympia for my in laws.

I have a bachelor degree in Economics major in Hotel Management from Van Lang university (Vietnam) and an Associate in Business degree focus in Accounting and Finance from South Puget Sound Community College.

I migrated to the US in 2004. I was also the third generation of immigrant in Vietnam as my grandparents also migrated to Vietnam from China and Cambodia during WW2. So life in US as an immigrant is not really new to me 😊 and I consider myself lucky as I can see and experience things under so many different perspectives.

I live in Lacey with my husband, my son (10) and my daughter (12). In my free time, I love to travel with my families, cooking, singing, meeting new friends, spending time outdoor doing activities such as hiking, camping, etc.

I speak Vietnamese, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, and English.

Joanne Lee is a Deputy Assistant Director for the Equity & Employee Development Division at the State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services. Joanne is a 2023 Excellence in Washington State Government Leadership Award recipient.

She previously held the position of Learning Consultant, Principal for the City of Tacoma. In addition, she worked as a Leadership Development Learning Design and Delivery Professional for the State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services. With over 20 years of experience in various workforce development roles, Joanne has extensive expertise in developing, supporting, maintaining, and expanding professional technical education partnerships to meet industry needs through customized training programs.

Joanne has a wealth of experience working with diverse adult learners, providing training and support ranging from one-on-one consultations to large-scale workshops, seminars, and training sessions for various workforce populations. She has also served as a Chair at the Washington Immigrant Network (WIN), Leadership Development Lead for Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders Empowerment Network (HAPPEN), and as a Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Seattle SHRM.

Joanne earned her Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from the University of Phoenix. She holds a Master of Arts in Instructional Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from California State University, San Bernardino. Alongside her passion for fostering relationships with community-based organizations, businesses, and industries, Joanne actively promotes partnerships for the workforce and continuing education. Currently, she is a member of the Business faculty at the Seattle Colleges. On a personal note, Joanne loves to travel with her family.

Area(s) of Professional Expertise: Learning/Training Facilitation and Development, Business Development, Leadership Development, College Professor

Ethnic Background: Immigrant born in the Philippines

Language(s) Spoken: English and Tagalog

Christina Pourarien (she/her) is an Information Technology Services Division Executive Operations Manager for the State of Washington Employment Security Department (ESD). After graduating from Central Washington University, she began her state service career in 1999 at the Washington State Lottery. She has worked at General Administration (currently known as Department of Enterprise Services), Department of Retirement Systems, The Evergreen State College, Department of Social Health and Services, Department of Licensing and Labor & Industries before joining ESD in January of 2022. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Employee Resource Group at ESD.

Christina was born in Great Falls, Montana moved to South Korean with her family when she was six months old, and returned to the United States as a young child in the early 1980s. Her father proudly served in the US Air Force and her mother is originally from Korea. She attended public school in the North Thurston School District in Lacey, Washington. She had the privileged to be the first one in her family to receive a formal college education from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She and her husband Cody have a teenage daughter, Sima.

Area(s) of Professional Expertise:
Human Resources, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Classification and Compensation, Recruitment, Coaching, Career Planning, Facilitation, Organization Change Management, and Conflict Resolutions

Ethnic Background:
Multi-racial – Child of first generation Korean immigrant parent.

Language(s) Spoken:
English, and conversational Korean