Host Committee
Thank you to our host committee for lending their time and expertise to help bring our 35th Anniversary Conference to life. We couldn’t do it without you!
NIKKI BROWN-BOOKER (she/her/hers)
Bio
Nikki Brown-Booker is the Program Director for the Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy. As a person with a disability and a biracial woman, she has devoted her work to advancing rights at the intersection of disability justice and racial justice. The daughter of a domestic worker who immigrated from the Philippines and a professional chef and a long-term SEIU member, Nikki was taught from a young age that justice is a human right. Nikki was the Executive Director for Easy Does It Emergency Services, a nonprofit that provides emergency services for people with disabilities and seniors in Berkeley, California. She has a master’s degree in clinical psychology, and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Nikki continues to organize with Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network, and helped pass the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.
SANDY HO (she/her/hers)
Bio
Sandy Ho began as the Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum in June 2024. She was most recently the program director of the Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF) at Borealis Philanthropy. Prior to her role in philanthropy, Sandy was a disability policy researcher at the Community Living Policy Center at Brandeis University. She was a member of the inaugural 2023 Obama Foundation USA Leaders program, and a 2022 Disability Futures Fellow supported by Ford Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
She is a co-partner of the Access is Love campaign that she leads with Alice Wong and Mia Mingus. In 2016 Sandy founded the Disability & Intersectionality Summit, a national biennial conference that is organized by disabled activists and highlights the lived-experiences of marginalized disabled people of color. Sandy was recognized by the White House in 2015 as a “Champion of Change.” She comes to disability community organizing and activism by way of youth mentoring for young women with disabilities. Sandy came to the DIF in 2021, and helmed a $4 Million annual grantmaking strategy for disabled-led organizations building power to dismantle ableism across the U.S. At the DIF she spearheaded Joy Grants, and the launch of the $1 Million DIFxTech Fund, further expanding pathways to inclusion and thriving disability futures. Sandy is a visionary whose commitment to disability communities and grassroots organizing centrally inform her values within and beyond philanthropy. Core to her values is the belief in disability justice, rights, and inclusion as powerful tools and ways of being that are essential to all social movements and civil sectors.
She earned her Master in Public Policy from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Sandy lives in Oakland, CA where she can be found birding, reading by Lake Merritt, and spending time with her communities.
KATHY IM (she/her/hers)
Bio
Kathy oversees the Foundation’s Journalism and Media program, which supports the foremost institutions of public service journalism, documentary storytelling, and participatory civic media. During her tenure, MacArthur has contributed to numerous impactful and award-winning investigative reports and documentary films. She also led the Journalism and Media program’s work to center racial equity and dramatically increase the number of grants awarded to organizations led by and serving communities of color. Between 2023-2024, Kathy led the Foundation’s exploration and development of a local news funder collaborative, which culminated in the launch of Press Forward and the creation of a new Big Bet program in Local News at MacArthur.
Kathy is a recognized leader in philanthropy and media and the author of several editorials and essays about press freedom, media diversity, and the connection between media and democracy. She is currently the Chair of the Advisory Board for the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, a member of the Harris Council of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Studies, a Board Member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a member of the European Journalism Funders Forum Steering Committee, and a member of the Advisory Board for the Media Forward Fund for the DACH countries. She was previously a Board Member of Media Impact Funders, the Center for Asian American Media, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.
Kathy earned her Master’s in Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago and her Bachelor’s in Government Studies from Smith College.
SONIA MATHEW (she/her/hers)
Bio
Sonia Mathew is the Director of Partnerships and leads engagement with grantmaking partners including the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago to leverage the power of collective giving and broaden the scope of organizations that McCormick supports. Sonia serves as a connector between partners, their grantees, and the Foundation’s grantmaking, to support joint efforts to deepen our impact in Chicago communities. Previously, Sonia served as a Program Officer in the Democracy Program at the Foundation, where she directed the youth civic engagement strategy and managed the Democracy Schools Initiative to strengthen the state’s civic education system.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Sonia’s career was grounded in both the classroom and the nonprofit sector. She spent almost ten years as a social studies teacher in Chicago and her experience with nonprofits included work with Urban Teacher Residency United, Mikva Challenge, and Public Allies Chicago. She completed her BA in Political Science at the University of Michigan and her MA through the Social and Cultural Foundations in Education Program at DePaul University.
KU'ULEINANI MAUNUPAU (she/her/hers)
Bio
Kuʻuleinani Maunupau (she/her) serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Native Hawaiian Philanthropy, a nonprofit PSO (Philanthropy Serving Organization) dedicated to bridging the philanthropic sector with Native Hawaiian communities. Previously, she was the Executive Director of KAʻEHU, where she successfully managed 64 acres of coastal wetlands.
With over 30 years of experience in grant writing and fundraising, Maunupau has been instrumental in designing, implementing, and coordinating community-centered and culturally-grounded programs throughout Hawaiʻi. In 2023, she was honored with the prestigious Stars of Oceania Award for her contributions to Global Moana Agriculture and Community/Village-based Development. In November 2024, she was recognized as a National Philanthropy Day Awardee for her achievements as an “Outstanding Professional Fundraiser.”
Maunupau’s work spans local, state-wide, national, and international initiatives, collaborating with government, community, and educational organizations. Her efforts have significantly strengthened the capacity of Native Hawaiian organizations, indigenous communities, and nonprofits.
STEVE HOSIK MOON (he/him/his)
Bio
Coming soon!
CHRISTINE MUNTEANU (she/her/hers)
Bio
Christine Munteanu (she/her/hers) is the Affinity Funds program manager for The Chicago Community Trust.
In this role, Christine works with the Trust’s Affinity Funds (African American Legacy, Asian Giving Circle, Disabilities Fund, LGBTQ Community Fund, Nuestro Futuro, and Young Leaders Fund) as a strategic thought partner to elevate and support their work. Christine was introduced to the Trust through the Affinity Funds, first as a grant recipient and then as a member of the grant making committee of the Asian Giving Circle.
Prior to joining the Trust, Christine worked at Northwestern University’s Multicultural Student Affairs office, providing programming, advocacy, and advising for Students of Color, LGBTQIA students, and Native and Indigenous students. She also has worked at the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), a national Asian American civil rights organization, where she supported anti-hate, education, and leadership programs. Christine continues to serve as the chair for the JACL Chicago Chapter’s scholarship committee, and as an advisor for JACL Chicago’s Kansha Project.
Originally from New Jersey, Christine has called Chicago home since 2008, when she moved to the area to complete a year of AmeriCorps Service at City Year Chicago. She received her BA in Neuroscience and Behavior from Wesleyan University, and an M.Ed in Youth Development from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
HUONG NGUYEN-YAP (she/her/hers)
Bio
Huong Nguyen-Yap joins NCG as its Vice President for Equity and Justice, where she will be leading the organization’s internal and external efforts towards racial equity. This includes leading initiatives to bring NCG into closer alignment with its vision for racial equity and collaborating with the team to drive transformative change within the philanthropic sector.
She most recently served as senior program director at Women’s Foundation California, leading the foundation’s grantmaking and convening strategy to advance racial, gender, and economic justice. Her work in philanthropy also includes time at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR). Before working in philanthropy, she spent a decade working in community, with a specific focus on working with and building power for young people. After transferring from De Anza College, Huong earned her BA in Asian American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and Master of Social Work from San Jose State University.
When she’s not working, Huong enjoys spending time with friends and family often sharing a meal, traveling, and watching sports. Huong currently calls Oakland home where she lives with her husband and two young kids. Huong also spends her time as an active member of the Hella Heart Oakland Giving Circle and an advisor to the Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Project.
ALEX OISHI (he/him/his)
Bio
Alex Oishi was originally from Seattle in the cloudy Pacific Northwest, formed by the beautiful nature and community that surrounded him there.
A transplant to the Midwest for college, he has enjoyed calling Chicago home for the last 3 years. He loves to spend his time surrounded by friends and family, enjoying the outdoors, and working to help foster a more equitable world for those around him.
Alex’s Causes: LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Racial Justice
TAVAE SAMUELU (she/her/hers)
Bio
Tavae Samuelu (she/her/hers) is the daughter of a pastor from Leulumoega and a nurse from Saleimoa. Rooted in fa’a Samoa, she is a storyteller who empowers people to own their narratives, articulate their healing, and resource our movements.
Tavae was born and raised on Tongva Territory, in what is presently known as Long Beach. She left home to attend UC Berkeley where she majored in Ethnic Studies. After college, Tavae took a job as the District 5 Field Organizer for Jean Quan’s Oakland Mayoral Campaign which allowed her to grow her movement building skills and learn how to impact local institutions. When the campaign concluded, Tavae took her organizing abilities to various Bay Area nonprofits and eventually made her political home at the RYSE Youth Center. She credits her time on unceded Ohlone land for her political consciousness.
In 2017, Tavae returned home to Long Beach to serve as the Executive Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), where she advocated passionately for Pacific Islanders locally in LA, statewide in CA, and nationally. During her five-year tenure, she saw the importance of sustainable leadership and the ways that anchored care can bolster an organization during and after crises.
Tavae recently joined the Asian Pacific Fund as the Director of Community Initiatives & Grantmaking. In addition to that, she serves as a board member for Pacific Islanders In Communications. During the pandemic, she learned that her most important title is Aunty Vae.
SOPHY YEM (she/her/hers)
Bio
Coming soon!