About

Our Mission

We cultivate healthy, long-lasting, and vibrant Asian and Pacific Islander communities through community-centered engagement, education, and advocacy. 

Our Vision

We want a world where Asian and Pacific Islander communities – and all communities of color – have full power to access good health and a healthy environment.

Get to know us

Our Team

API Forward Movement is driven by advocates who are passionate about health equity, the environment, food access, and social justice. Our core staff collaborates closely with community members, organizational partners, youth activists, researchers, and other local leaders on a daily basis. We believe in doing the work collectively!

NAEOMI CHIN, (SHE/HER)

COMmunity engagement coordinator

Naeomi is a Community Engagement Coordinator for the Food Roots Nourish team at APIFM. She is a recent graduate of California State University, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health…

DUKE CHOI,
MPH (HE/HIM)

Program Manager,
Sustainable SGV

Duke (he/him) works to ensure a healthier community through advocacy, community engagement, and service. In the future, Duke hopes to eliminate chronic diseases that continue to burden the population. Prior to joining APIFM, Duke worked in corporate wellness as a team lead…

KEVIN CORTES (HE/HIM)

Distribution Coordinator,
Food Roots Harvest

Kevin Cortes (he/him) is a Distribution Coordinator on the Food Roots team. He handles sales as well as the deliveries for the program. Every week, Kevin communicates with the local…

LOUISE "ISA" FONUA (SHE/HER)

program coordinator

Louise “Isa” Fonua (she/her) is a Community Health Worker at APIFM. Recently graduating with her Masters in Counseling from CSULB, Isa has always had a passion for community work. As a Community Health Worker, she has…

HENG LAM FOONG, MS (SHE/HER)

Co-Division Director

Heng Lam Foong (she/her) co-directs APIFM with Kyle Tsukahira. She brings to the organization over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management, community engagement and policy advocacy…

JUAN HOOS (HE/HIM)

Distribution Coordinator I,
Food Roots Harvest

Juan Hoos (he/him) is Distribution Coordinator I under APIFM’s CalFresh Health Living (CFHL) team. He collaborates with food rescue organizations such as…

PAMELA NG (SHE/HER)

community engagement coordinator

Pamela recently joined the team as a Community Engagement Coordinator and is excited to connect community members with the CalFresh program. Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English…

JEAN PARK (SHE/HER)

Program COORDINATOR, Sustainable SGV

Jean Park (she/her) is a Program Coordinator for Water is Life & Nature for All projects. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jean is inspired by community-led efforts and initiatives focused on…

BRANDON PHAM (HE/HIM)

WEST EJ CENTER FELLOW, Sustainable SGV

Brandon (he/him) is a fellow of the Western Environmental Science Technical Assistance Center for Environmental Justice (WEST EJ Center). The WEST EJ Center fellowship program works to empower students…

LEAH PEREZ (SHE/HER)

Program Coordinator

Leah Perez (she/her) plays a multi-faceted role at APIFM as a Community Healthcare Worker (CHW), Enroll LA team member, and early childhood educator. She joined the team during the pandemic since witnessing the magnitude of negative impacts within the Pacific Islander community…

FREDDY RAMOS (HE/HIM)

Program coordinator, CALFRESH HEALTHY LIVING

Freddy Ramos (he/him) is a Program Coordinator for APIFM’s CalFresh Health Living (CFHL) team. He is dedicated to addressing food insecurity in Los Angeles, CA. With a passion for social justice…

CECILIA SU'A (SHE/HER)

Program coordinator, sustainable sgv

Cecilia Su’a (she/her) is a program coordinator at APIFM with the Sustainable SGV program. Since graduating from UCLA in 2021, she has been actively involved in various non-profit organizations and social services…

ESTHER TAM (SHE/HER)

Program Coordinator,
Sustainable sgv

Esther (she/her) is a Program Coordinator on APIFM’s Sustainable SGV team for Clean Air SGV, Environmental Justice Summer Institute and Nature For All programs…

CHRISTOPHER TENORIO (HE/HIM)

Program Coordinator II,
Food Roots Nourish,
Community Health

Christopher Tenorio (he/him) is the Program Coordinator for Food Roots Nourish’s Community Health project at APIFM. Born in Guam and originally from the Bay Area, Chris found himself in Los Angeles in 2017 in order to…

KYLE TSUKAHIRA, MPA (HE/HIM)

Co-Division Director

Kyle Tsukahira is currently a Co-Director at Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement (APIFM). Kyle has over nine years of experience in leading community-based programs focused on health equity, food access, and environmental justice for Asian & Pacific Islander (API) communities in Los Angeles…

AMELIA VERNON (SHE/HER)

program coordinator

Amelia (she/her) is passionate about working to improve health equity and provide quality care for underserved communities. Since graduating from UCLA, she has worked with various Pacific Islander COVID-19 response…

LYNA VUONG,
MA (SHE/HER)

PROGRAM MANAGER,
FOOD ROOTS NOURISH

Lyna focuses on culturally responsive programming centering on healthy food access, nutrition education, healthy cooking, and community gardening. She leads farm-to-school initiatives…

 

JE-SHOW YANG (HE/HIM)

PROGRAM MANAGER,
Sustainable SGV

As the Senior Policy Coordinator of the API Forward Movement’s Sustainable SGV program, Jeshow Yang works to empower local residents to positively impact the SGV communities. Collaborating with the residents and elected officials, he focuses on…

Advisory Board

Our highly active advisory board provides vision and fundraising support across our work. Their energy and dedication help drive us!

RANKO FUKUDA

CHAIR

Passion for APIFM: Ranko has been a long-time supporter of APIFM’s work and is especially passionate about access to local, fresh produce by API families. She has learned a lot from APIFM’s continued…

JOCELYN ESTIANDAN

VICE-CHAIR

Jocelyn Estiandan, MPH, serves a Health Program Manager of the Integration Unit within the Office of Planning, Integration, and Engagement at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH)…

YIMIN TEO

SECRETARY

Passion for APIFM: I first knew about APIFM’s amazing work on improving food access through Food Roots Harvest – which is an area I am especially passionate about…

JESSICA JINN

Jessica is currently a climate advisor with the Natural Resources Defense Council and works intimately with the City of Los Angeles on vehicle electrification and mobility projects. Prior to this,…

KATHRYN LEE

Passion for APIFM: Kathryn was introduced to APIFM through the Board Leadership Program (BLP) and was immediately drawn to the organization’s mission. She loves that APIFM provides such a wide…

MICHAEL NGIM

Passion for APIFM: Michael is passionate around health and an active lifestyle. He believes the API community in the Los Angeles area should have access and support to achieving a…

AVISHA PATEL

Passion for APIFM: Avisha shares APIFM’s passion for promoting wellbeing for all by providing access, education, and opportunities…

SREE PONAMALA

Passion for APIFM: I was introduced to APIFM through the Board Leadership Program (BLP). I loved the mission of this organization which serves the community by…

DAPHNE TAN

Passion for APIFM: Daphne is excited to be a part of APIFM because of her passion for health and wellness as it contributes to active living. She strongly believes in…

LESLIE TOY

Passion for APIFM: I first was introduced to APIFM through its Community Supported Agriculture program and loved the fresh produce and ability to support local Asian farmers. I’ve also been…

ALEX TSAO

Passion for APIFM: Alex recently learned about APIFM and immediately resonated with the mission to help uplift API community…

MARIANNA YAMAMOTO

Passion for APIFM: Marianna is drawn to APIFM’s mission to support API communities to live healthy and abundant lives…

SISI ZHANG

Passion for APIFM: I love that APIFM introduces healthy living and sustainable life skills to our community. It’s such necessary and critical work that often gets overlooked…

Donors & Supporters

This work would not be possible without the generous support from people who believe in the work we do. We thank you!

  • Over 45 individuals who give monthly to support APIFM’s work in the community!
  • Beim Foundation
  • Butterfly Equity Foundation
  • California Community Foundation
  • Chinatown Firecracker Run
  • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
  • City of Hope – Community Benefits
  • Community Catalyst
  • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
  • Liberty Hill Foundation
  • Resources Legacy Fund
  • The California Endowment
  • The Greenlining Institute
  • Weingart Foundation
  • California Air Resources Board
  • California Department of Food & Agriculture
  • California Environmental Protection Agency
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
  • US Environmental Protection Agency
  • Active San Gabriel Valley
  • Asian American Pacific Islander Equity Alliance
  • Council for Watershed Health
  • Nature for All
  • California State University, Fullerton
  • California State University, Los Angeles
  • Garvey Elementary School District
  • KYCC Kids Town Preschool
  • Occidental College
  • Pepperdine University
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of Southern California