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Born in a small country. Shaped by a family that showed me what resilience really looks like. Driven by a belief that public service should work better for everyone, especially for those who need it most.
Where I come from
Where I come from
I grew up in a very small town in Vietnam, where the rivers run slow and the people run deep. It was a small, quiet place that taught me two things early: that hard work is not optional, and that caring for others is not weakness.
I carry both of those everywhere I go. Into every research paper. Every training room. Every stage I stand on.
The teacher who never stood at a podium
The teacher who never stood at a podium
Long before I studied leadership in any classroom, I was learning its most important lessons at home from my brother, who lives with a disability.
He taught me that patience is not passive. It is the most powerful leadership skill there is. That real change takes time: the leader who last are the ones who slow down enough to listen and show up consistently.
He also taught me that meaningful work is never about credentials. It is about who you are able to help, and why you chose the path that brought you there.
Those two lessons have shaped everything I do.
My brother never stood at a podium. But he is still the best teacher I have ever had.
Grit
Grit
After nearly a decade building a career in Vietnam's private sector, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life: I moved to the United States, alone.
There were nights, too many to count, staring at books and articles feeling like I had walked into a puzzle with no picture on the box. The language was new. The systems were new. Everything required twice the effort just to keep up.
But I did not stop. I used those early mornings and quiet nights to build something that no classroom could give me: a researcher's discipline, a practitioner's instinct, and a resilience I could not have earned any other way!
This wonderful journey taught me 1 undeniable truth: GRIT is the key. Every obstacle, whether a language barrier, a cultural difference, or an exhausting night of coursework, was simply evidence of what I was made of.
Breaking into a new field
Breaking into a new field
Entering information technology (IT) as an Asian woman, an immigrant, and a minority meant earning my place in rooms that were not built with me in mind. It felt familiar. That was exactly the world my brother had navigated his whole life.
That parallel was not lost on me. And it gave me something no degree can teach: I know what it feels like to be underestimated, to work five times as hard just to be seen as equally capable.
That understanding is not a disadvantage. It is exactly what makes me effective at helping organizations navigate change with empathy and purpose.
Grounded
Grounded
During my MBA and doctoral research, I have been advising small business owners as a consultant at the SBDC for nearly 7 years. I work alongside entrepreneurs who are smart, motivated, and under-resourced. People who need practical solutions, not polished frameworks.
That experience keeps me grounded. It is why my approach to AI is never about selling sophistication. It is about finding what actually works for the people sitting across from me.
Where I am now
Where I am now
Today I am completing a Doctor of Public Administration at the University of La Verne, with research focused on GenAI readiness in local governments. My goal is straightforward: make sure AI adoption in the public sector is responsible, evidence-based and genuinely useful to the people it is meant to serve.
I advise leaders. I train city officials. I speak at national conferences. I publish practical articles that people can actually use.
And, I am just getting started.
My mission is not to talk about AI.
My mission is not to talk about AI.
It is to make it work for the people who need it most.
It is to make it work for the people who need it most.
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