CAAL Appoints ThaoMee Xiong as New Deputy Director

For Immediate Release
October 28, 2021

Contact
Julia Gay | julia@caalmn.org | (216) 744-4956

St. Paul, MN – The Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) announced this week the appointment of ThaoMee Xiong as their new Deputy Director. This appointment marks a significant milestone in the organization’s history, which was founded in 2013 by a small group of leaders and has since grown to a network of over 5,000 Asian Minnesotan leaders. 

Xiong began at CAAL on October 25 and will be responsible for guiding the organization into a new phase of growth and stability.

“We’re thrilled to have ThaoMee join our team. She has been an incredible leader within CAAL’s network since our founding. She has a passion for building solutions that work for communities and understands the systemic work that has to be done to create lasting change; her skills and experiences in the nonprofit and government sectors will also be an asset to CAAL as we continue to grow,” says Bo Thao-Urabe, CAAL Executive and Network Director.

ThaoMee Xiong is a legal and legislative expert, a change-manager, and movement builder. Growing up in a traditional Hmong family as a refugee girl in Wisconsin shaped her passion for pursuing issues concerning gender equity, racial justice, and immigrant rights. Prior to joining CAAL, Xiong served as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Office of Mayor Melvin Carter in the City of Saint Paul for 3 years. Previously, she held leadership roles at the Center for Health Equity at the Minnesota Department of Health and has international experience working for the International Organization of Migration and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

“Asian Minnesotans are critical to the vitality of this state and they are demanding voice and visibility in all sectors and all levels of government. After decades of legal and policy work, I want to ensure that CAAL continues to be a vehicle for the community to be seen, heard, and valued. I hope to contribute to building a movement in Minnesota that fosters the collective power of our culturally diverse Asian American community to lead and prosper,” says Xiong.

###

About Coalition of Asian American Leaders

The Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) envisions a State where all Minnesotans, regardless of background, are actively engaged and can achieve prosperity. Our mission is to harness our collective power to improve community lives by connecting, learning, and acting together. To learn more, please visit www.caalmn.org.