Profiles in Courage: Recent Episodes
Voices of Asian America
Profiles in Courage is a podcast series hosted by featuring stories of path breaking AAPI leaders and allies. It is hosted by Voices of Asian America, an organization originally founded by Harvard undergraduates aimed at promoting AAPI civic engagement.
Ganesh Sitaraman teaches and writes about constitutional law, the regulatory state, economic policy, democracy and foreign affairs. He joined the Vanderbilt Law faculty in 2011 and was named to the New York Alumni Chancellor's Chair in Law in 2021. He was a longtime adviser to Elizabeth Warren and has been profiled in The New York Times and Politico for his work at the nexus of politics and ideas.
Alex Wan is the District 6 member of the Atlanta City Council, where he chaired the Finance-Executive, Zoning, and Utilities committees, and served as Council President Pro Tempore in 2015. He also serves as the executive director of Horizons Atlanta, a nonprofit that provides tuition-free summer enrichment programs to K-8 students in the metro Atlanta area. He has served as Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Emory University, and before that as Director of Development at Jerusalem House, Atlanta’s largest HIV housing provider.
Annika Sharma is an agented and published writer of romcoms. Her first book, a women's fiction novel called The Arranged Life, was published in 2015. She is currently working on a three-book romcom series called The Chai Masala Club focused on a fictional group of friends and their travails in love. She is also the host of a podcast called That Desi Spark, which explores stigmatized social issues from a South Asian, first-generation, millennial lens.
Grace Huang is the Director of at the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, where she works to advocate on behalf policies that support APIA and immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence. She also serves as a Commissioner on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders for the Biden Administration and as a Commissioner on the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Allie Cuerdo is an Emmy-nominated writer, director, producer and author. In 2019, their feature directorial debut ULAM: MAIN DISH became the first Filipino food documentary to achieve worldwide distribution on Hulu and Amazon Prime. Their first book AMBOY: Recipes From the Filipino-American Dream was named one of the 20 Best Books of the Year by Amazon. They were recently named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women In the World by the Filipina Women's Network.
We were joined on this episode by special guest host Michelle Mao. Ms. Mao recently played the role of Lisa Randall in the Netflix movie Metal Lords, a musical comedy written by Game of Thrones co-creator D.B. Weiss. In 2021 Michelle Mao also played the series lead in the pilot episode of the series All I Want Is Everything, directed by Allie Cuerdo. In addition to film and television roles, Ms. Mao sang in the hit song Never Over by BEAUZ, which achieved viral success in China.
Sumbul Siddiqui is a member of the Cambridge City Council, having previously served as Mayor of Cambridge from 2020-2024. As Mayor, she helped lead Cambridge through the COVID-19 pandemic. A lifelong resident of Cambridge, she continues to fight for her community by increasing housing equity, advancing racial justice, supporting local businesses, and improving Cambridge Public Schools.
Ai-jen Poo is a next-generation labor leader, award-winning organizer, author, and a leading voice in the women’s movement. She is the President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Director of Caring Across Generations, and Co-Founder of SuperMajority. She has led the effort to pass Domestic Worker Bills of Rights in 10 states and 4 cities and has brought over 2 million home care workers under minimum wage protections.
William Lee is a leading trial and appellate lawyer and intellectual property litigator. From 2004-2011, he served as co-managing partner of WilmerHale, becoming the first Asian American to lead a major American law firm. Between 1987-1989, he served as associate counsel to Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh in the Iran-Contra investigation. He was also in 2014 elected the Senior Fellow of the Harvard Corporation, the governing board of Harvard University.
Madalene Mielke is a nationally recognized civil rights leader. She currently serves as President & CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, which was founded by Secretary Norman Mineta and Delegate Robert Underwood and is dedicated to promoting APIA participation and representation at all levels of the political process.
When she was six months old, Stephanie Murphy’s family fled the communist regime in Vietnam. Following the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, she ran for Congress and won against a 12-term incumbent, becoming the first Vietnamese-American woman to serve. Despite being from a district divided amongst Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, she voted twice to impeach Donald Trump and served on the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.
Christine Chen is a co-Founder and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote). APIAVote’s mission is to work with local and state community based organizations to mobilize APIA communities in electoral and civic engagement. She is a member of the Election Assistance and Policy Standing Committee at the American Political Science Association.
Julia Chang Bloch is the first Asian American to hold the rank of Ambassador in U.S. history. She has had an extensive career in international affairs, beginning in 1964 as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia and culminating as U.S. Ambassador to Nepal in 1989. In 1998, she founded, and today continues to lead, the U.S.-China Education Trust, a program devoted to promoting American Studies in China.
Ariana Chaivaranon is a Thai-born artist, scholar, and museum professional. Ariana works to build meaningful connections between the public and world-renowned art collections, including the U.S. National Gallery of Art, the Beijing Palace Museum, UCCA, the Museum of Modern Art, the Hirshhorn Museum, Harvard Art Museums, and The Frick Collection.
Judy Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009, becoming the first Chinese American woman to serve in Congress. Representative Chu has chaired the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and also helps lead the Tri-Caucus, a joint effort with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. One of her proudest accomplishments has been to introduce and pass a Congressional resolution of regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
Gary Locke began his career in public service upon his election to the Washington State House of Representatives serving from 1983-1994. He was then elected as King County Executive, serving from 1994-1997. Since then, he has served as Governor of Washington State (as the first Chinese American to be elected governor in U.S. history and the first Asian American governor on the mainland), U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and most recently as America's envoy to China.
Jessica Tang is the President of the Boston Teachers Union, representing over 10,000 active and retired educators. She is the first person of color, first openly queer and first woman in over thirty years to serve in this role. Jessica serves as a Vice President of both the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts, and is also the first and only APIA member to serve on the American Federation of Teachers Executive Council.
Michael Nutter served as the 98th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. As mayor, he managed Philadelphia through the Great Recession, and the City's credit rating was upgraded to “A” by the three major credit agencies for the first time since the 1970s. He is also a past President of the United States Conference of Mayors, as well as the Pennsylvania Municipal League. During the Obama Administration, Mayor Nutter served on My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council. In 2020, he was elected to the Advisory Board of the African American Mayors Association and the Board of the Urban Institute. Now, Mayor Nutter is a frequent political commentator for CNN and PBS Newshour, and is a Senior Fellow and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program through Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Andy Kim a U.S. Congressman serving the 3rd District of New Jersey. He was elected in 2018, beating a Republican incumbent in a district carried by Donald Trump in 2016, while also becoming the first member of Congress of Korean descent in the Democratic Party. Before joining Congress, he worked as a career public servant, serving at the Pentagon, State Department, the White House National Security Council, and in Afghanistan as an advisor to Generals Petraeus and Allen.
Maria Robinson is a Massachusetts State Representative serving the Sixth Middlesex District. She was sworn into office in 2019, as the first Korean-American elected to the General Court of Massachusetts. Previously, she focused on regulatory issues relating to energy and air at the FERC, including leading the organization’s state Clean Power Plan campaign, which covered over two dozen states across the country. She interned with the U.S. EPA’s office of Water and with former U.S. Representative (now Governor) Jay Inslee.
Tackey Chan is currently a Massachusetts State Representative serving the Second Norfolk District. He was elected in 2010 as one of the first three Asian Americans ever elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he currently serves as Chair of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and as an appointee to the Massachusetts Asian American Commission.
From 2009-2012, Aneesh Chopra served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States under President Barack Obama, having previously served as Virginia's Secretary of Technology under then-Governor Tim Kaine. In 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He is currently CoFounder and President of CareJourney, an open data membership service for healthcare providers, payers and pharmaceutical market leaders.
Deepa Iyer is a South Asian American writer, strategist, lawyer, and racial justice advocate. She is currently a Strategic Advisor at the Building Movement Project and Director of Solidarity Is, a project that provides training, narratives, and resources on building deep and lasting multiracial solidarity. Her areas of expertise include the post 9/11 America experiences of South Asian, Muslim, Arab and Sikh immigrants, immigration and civil rights policies, and racial equity and solidarity practices.
Michael Nutter served as the 98th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. As mayor, he managed Philadelphia through the Great Recession, and the City's credit rating was upgraded to “A” by the three major credit agencies for the first time since the 1970s. He is also a past President of the United States Conference of Mayors, as well as the Pennsylvania Municipal League. During the Obama Administration, Mayor Nutter served on My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council. Now, Mayor Nutter is a frequent political commentator for CNN and PBS Newshour, and is a Senior Fellow and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program through Bloomberg Philanthropies. He is a life-long Philadelphian from West Philadelphia and holds a degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Andy Kim a U.S. Congressman serving the 3rd District of New Jersey. He was elected in 2018, beating a Republican incumbent in a district carried by Donald Trump in 2016, while also becoming the first member of Congress of Korean descent in the Democratic Party. Before joining Congress, he worked as a career public servant, serving at the Pentagon, State Department, the White House National Security Council, and in Afghanistan as an advisor to Generals Petraeus and Allen. He grew up in South Jersey as the son of Korean immigrants, and attended Deep Springs College, the University of Chicago, and Oxford University, where was a Rhodes Scholar.
Maria Robinson is currently a Massachusetts State Representative serving the Sixth Middlesex District. She was sworn into office in 2019, as the first Korean-American elected to the General Court of Massachusetts. Previously, she focused on regulatory issues relating to energy and air at the FERC, including leading the organization’s state Clean Power Plan campaign, which covered over two dozen states across the country. She interned with the U.S. EPA’s office of Water and with former U.S. Representative (now Governor) Jay Inslee. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Masters in Energy Law from the University of Tulsa.
Tackey Chan is currently a Massachusetts State Representative serving the Second Norfolk District. He was elected in 2010 as one of the first three Asian Americans ever elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he currently serves as Chair of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure. In 2003, Tackey received his JD from the New England School of Law and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar. He graduated from Brandeis University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics.
From 2009-2012, Aneesh Chopra served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States under President Barack Obama, having previously served as Virginia's Secretary of Technology under then-Governor Tim Kaine. In 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He is currently CoFounder and President of CareJourney, an open data membership service for healthcare providers, payers and pharmaceutical market leaders. He is also the author of a 2014 book Innovative State: How New Technologies Can Transform Government. Mr. Chopra earned his master's degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School in 1997 and his bachelor's degree from The Johns Hopkins University in 1994.
Deepa Iyer is a South Asian American writer, strategist, lawyer, and racial justice advocate. She is currently a Strategic Advisor at the Building Movement Project and Director of Solidarity Is, a project that provides training, narratives, and resources on building deep and lasting multiracial solidarity. Her areas of expertise include the post 9/11 America experiences of South Asian, Muslim, Arab and Sikh immigrants, immigration and civil rights policies, and racial equity and solidarity practices. An immigrant who moved to Kentucky from Kerala when she was twelve, Ms. Iyer graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School and Vanderbilt University.