Bo Thao-Urabe is Senior Director of Capacity Building and Organizational Learning, and provides leadership for infrastructure building programs that combine grantmaking and capacity building strategies to advance social justice. She also serves on the senior management team at AAPIP.
Bo immigrated to the United States as a refugee child with her family post the Vietnam War, and the lived experiences of war, immigration, poverty, and gender-based violence have driven her to continuously develop community-center, asset-based approaches that ensure communities are fully able to participate in, contribute to, and shape our democracy. Bo’s extensive community building experiences include serving as executive director for the Women’s Association of Hmong and Lao in Minnesota and Hmong National Development in Washington, DC; working for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis to ensure New Americans have access to capital and credit; and assisting the State of Minnesota improve services to limited English and underserved populations.
Bo co-founded Hmong Women Achieving Together, Sisterhood Laos, and the Building More Philanthropy with Purpose Giving Circle. Bo has been awarded the Newsmaker Award from the Minnesota Women’s Press, Impact Award from Hmong National Development, and the Courageous Woman Award from Augsburg College. Bo currently serves on several local and national nonprofit Boards.
Bo, in her own words: If you had a super power, what would it be? I know I am not a super human, but I try very hard to be a Super Mom to my two-year-old daughter Emi.