Southeast Asian Development Center
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About Margarette

by | Feb 8, 2026

Margarette Gil

Youth Development Specialist

Margarette’s roots stretch back to the Philippines, but she’s been calling the Bay Area home since she was a kid. She studied psychology at the University of the Pacific and found her groove working alongside neurodivergent students. Big on mental health and living by the “ride the wave” mantra, she’s all about going with the flow. When she’s not hanging with her peeps or her pup Benjamin, you’ll often find her crafting—with her latest obsession being crocheting.

Judy Young

Executive Director

Forty years ago, when Judy's family first landed in America, SEADC was their beacon—hooking them up with the guidance, resources and sense of community they desperately needed. This organization wasn't just a helping hand. It was a launchpad for their future. Now, as SEADC's Executive Director, and over these last 15+ years, Judy's commitment to serving the Southeast Asian community, especially our youth, and increasing SEADC's impact has never been greater.

Jayden Tanaka

Youth Development Educator

Jayden (he/him) is a proud San Francisco native and Vietnamese and Japanese American. He graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in ethnic studies and rhetoric, where he fostered a passion for youth development through student-initiated programming for first-generation students of color. He is excited to serve the Southeast Asian community and other communities in his hometown, and to work toward building equitable opportunities for youth in the city. In his free time, Jayden enjoys watching and playing sports, making and drinking coffee, and tackling sewing projects.

Leslie Truong

Board Member

Leslie is a native San Franciscan, a proud daughter of immigrants, and comes from generations of refugees. She currently serves as the inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Manager at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Prior to working at Stanford Children’s in 2019, Leslie spent a decade in the Tenderloin as the Associate Executive Director with the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA. She is passionate about leading social equity initiatives and bridging opportunities for local San Francisco communities, and hopes to bring this passion as an SEADC Board member.

Kelly Nguyen

Board Member

Kelly Nguyen is a San Francisco Tenderloin native and a product of the nonprofit youth programs that helped shape his early life. Today, he is a hospitality entrepreneur operating multiple restaurants and entertainment venues throughout the Bay Area. Kelly is passionate about community building, cultural connection, and creating welcoming spaces that bring people together.

Jessica Gonzalez Reyes

Youth Program Educator

Jessica grew up in the Tenderloin neighborhood and went to City College. She loves being part of the community she calls home and enjoys connecting with people from all walks of life. Outside of work, Jessica spends time with her adorable maltipoo and loves collecting Smiskis and Sonny Angels.

Nujoud Alhilu

Bilingual Community Navigator

Nujoud is our incredible English/Arabic bilingual community navigator. Her journey is nothing short of amazing. She's got a background in industrial engineering and has racked up experience in QA, PM and OM. But what really sets her apart is her heart. She's all about lifting up others, using her skills and expertise to help folks reach their goals and live their best lives.

Andrea Chasko

Board Member

Andrea Vu Chasko is an accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience in talent strategy, organizational development, diversity, equity, and inclusion across both corporate and nonprofit sectors. She currently serves as Head of Talent and Culture at Nextracker Inc., where she leads global efforts to cultivate inclusive, high performing workplaces. Her career spans impactful roles at companies such as Nextracker Inc., JSR Life Sciences, PlayStation, HPE, Meta, and Google, where she has contributed to people-centered programs and organizational growth. Earlier in her career, Andrea also worked in the nonprofit sector supporting children with special needs and those on the autism spectrum, an experience that continues to inform her inclusive approach to leadership and community engagement.

A proud daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Andrea is passionate about advancing equity and expanding opportunity for underserved communities. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Andrea is honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the Southeast Asian Development Center and to support its mission of empowering Southeast Asian American youth, families, and communities in San Francisco.

Pauline Chan

Board Member

Pauline is the Principal at Pilot.com, where she leads CFO services for startups. Prior to joining Pilot, Pauline worked as a venture investor and investment banker, specializing in M&A and technology transactions with firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. She had also volunteered at Social Ventures Hong Kong, focusing on driving impact through social ventures. Pauline holds an MBA from Yale School of Management and an MSc in Marketing Data Science from Columbia University. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, fitness, cooking, dancing, and exploring new destinations with her network of friends and colleagues. Pauline is passionate about supporting immigrant communities and advocating for women and diverse founders in the tech space.

Anh Cao

Board Member

Anh is a passionate advocate for community empowerment with deep roots in the Bay Area and a strong connection to her Vietnamese heritage. Raised in Sunnyvale, California, Anh was profoundly influenced by her grandparents, who instilled in her a core appreciation for their cultural heritage and Vietnamese language. This upbringing reinforced a guiding principle for Anh: those who have been supported by their communities have a responsibility to give back. Anh brings with her a strong background in technology, business strategy, and innovation. After earning her degree in Business and Cinematic Arts from USC, she transitioned into the technology sector. Anh gained extensive experience in problem-solving and product development at Oracle and EverString, an AI-driven startup. Recently, Anh earned an MBA from UCLA Anderson where she developed her business skills in leadership and entrepreneurship, while dedicating extra time to equity focused programs. Currently, she enjoys her role as an Innovation Strategist at Dolby, where she leverages her expertise in strategic development and emerging technologies.

Monthanus Ratanapakdee

Board Member

Monthanus Ratanapakdee, a dedicated advocate for Asian-American equality and civil rights, was inspired by the passing of her father, Vicha Ratanapakdee, the Thai grandpa whose passing in 2021 catalyzed the Stop Asian Hate movement. She serves as a board member at SEADC and is the Founder and CEO of the Justice for Vicha Ratanapakdee Foundation, concurrently working at SFUSD Student Nutrition Service. Demonstrating unwavering commitment to addressing injustice, she is a proud graduate with an MBA in Business Administration and a BA in Economics and English Business Communication. Monthanus brings her passion, education, and experience to the forefront in the ongoing fight against discrimination. As a mother of two sons, she is driven by a profound sense of responsibility to create a better, more inclusive world for future generations.

My Nguyen

Board Member

My is a Vice President at JP Morgan Chase working with a portfolio of corporate clients providing advisory to corporate finance functions. With over 17 years in banking, My has worked with a number of global multinational companies where she learned a lot about corporate finance management and the importance of investments. Her studies are in Communications and Business Management. My is married and has two young daughters, and lives in San Francisco.

Webber Xu

Treasurer

Webber is a senior product manager in supply chain solutions at Apple. Prior to joining SEADC Board, Webber was the young alumni chair for the Brown University Club in New York. He was also involved in international development, helping to develop renewable power projects in western Uganda. He holds a BS in applied mathematics from Brown University and an MBA from Yale School of Management. Webber likes to read, enjoy the wilderness, and explore the world via any kind of transportation with his wife Erica and their corgi Kuma.

Jessilyn Ho

Secretary

Jessilyn is an attorney at Hanson Bridgett LLP where she advises public agency clients in transactional and advisory matters. She also maintains an active pro bono practice. She went to UC Law SF (formerly UC Hastings) for law school and the University of Southern California for undergrad. Jessilyn currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and her dog, Barley. While she misses her life in San Francisco, she remains connected to the City through SEADC. She enjoys discovering new favorite restaurants, playing board games, and going on long walks in the neighborhood with Barley.

Peter Tham

Vice Chair

Peter is a child of Vietnamese refugees and grew up in the Tenderloin. He was a youth participant in SEADC’s programming (when it was the VYDC) and is now an entrepreneur working in both real estate and several small businesses he started with his wife, Selina, who is also a youth of SEADC’s programming. After assisting with the acquisition of SEADC's permanent home, he has joined the board to continue his contribution to an organization that has given so much to people just like him.

Tuyen Ho

Board Chair

Tuyen brings a track record of resource mobilization and strategic partnerships from her 20-year career leading M&A and corporate development at venture- and private-equity-backed technology firms. She holds a BA in Economics from Stanford and a MPA from Princeton. A Vietnamese refugee, Tuyen translates her personal journey into championing programs that
give immigrant families the tools they need to thrive. Based in the East Bay with her family, she contributes to the community’s vibrancy as an entrepreneur and volunteer.

Chantrea Sngoun

Youth Development Specialist

Hailing from Cambodia, Chantrea is a huge fan of hitting the road for some adventure and diving into books, especially the ones about growing personally. For her, SEADC is the perfect spot to pitch in and give back to the folks in her community.

Treva Obbard

Development Associate

Treva joins SEADC with experience in a variety of nonprofit communications and development projects. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she took a quick detour to Johns Hopkins University for a BA in writing seminars, then returned home to get to work supporting her community. A storyteller by nature and practice, Treva spends most of her days building up SEADC's community by sharing our client's inspiring stories. When not at work, Treva can be found enjoying time with friends and family, or cozily curled up with a cat and a good book.

Nietnimol Khay

Youth Development Specialist

Nietnimol (she/they) grew up just south of the Bay as a proud second-gen Cambodian American. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology, studying the social and structural factors that influence the health of our communities. Niet is now taking this passion and applying it towards uplifting youth, empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate the world around them. In their free time, you can find them baking, sketching, rock-climbing, or on the hunt for a sweet treat.

Nghia Huynh

Program Coordinator, Community and Wellness

Meet Nghia, whose name means being kind to others. He's all about spreading joy and boosting the well-being of the Vietnamese community in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Nghia is passionate about supporting the success of our entire Southeast Asian American community and ensuring they thrive here.

Margarette Gil

Youth Development Specialist

Margarette's roots stretch back to the Philippines, but she's been calling the Bay Area home since she was a kid. She studied psychology at the University of the Pacific and found her groove working alongside neurodivergent students. Big on mental health and living by the "ride the wave" mantra, she's all about going with the flow. When she's not hanging with her peeps or her pup Benjamin, you'll often find her crafting—with her latest obsession being crocheting.

Lea Garcia

Youth Development Lead

A proud Salvadoran American and San Francisco native, Lea is all about using her public health know-how to lift up the community—especially those who need it most—and push for a fairer, healthier world. Not only is Lea a first-gen college grad from San Francisco State University. She also loves to travel, craft cozy crochet creations, dive into books, and capture life through her lens in her free time.

Venus Meza-Duke Duong

Operations & Office Coordinator

Venus (she/her) has lived in multiple regions of California, but now she proudly calls the Bay Area home. Proudly Vietnamese and Mexican, with a strong connection to the Filipino community, she loves celebrating culture and tradition, and she is extremely passionate about helping Southeast Asian communities thrive.

A UC Irvine alumna with roots in the arts and humanities, she’s committed to championing diversity, social justice, and inclusion.

When she’s off the clock, you can find her trying out new food spots, reading about astrology, vibing at live music events, or digging for vintage treasures at the local swap meet.

David Cady

HR Generalist

David has been our HR and office specialist at SEADC since the start of 2023. Before landing here, David assisted English teachers in rural Japan and supported community college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Now, he’s all about backing our awesome SEADC crew and doing what he can to make sure our team has what we need every day to make a real difference in the Tenderloin and beyond.

John Baker

VESL/Life Skills Instructor

John's a true San Francisco native with Filipino-American roots. He's got an english lit degree from the University of San Francisco and a Great Books Certificate to boot. Teaching Common Core English Language Arts at private schools around the city has been his thing for years. He's all about Shakespeare, digging into science, caring for the environment, and diving into classical literature. With a heart for applied linguistics and adult education, John's ready to use his know-how to help folks in our community reach their goals and dreams faster.

Thao Bui

Service Navigation Lead

Thao has been a vital part of our agency for years, dedicating every day to uplifting the Southeast Asian community right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thao's got this incredible insight into cultural vibes, playing a huge part in how we tailor our services and stay tight-knit with the community. When not at work, you'll find Thao whipping up delicious meals, jetting off to new places, or organizing community events—all adding up to a serious passion for staying connected and active in the community.

Arra Dacquel

Program Manager, Youth Development

Arra's journey kicked off when she was just three, trading Manila's hustle and bustle for the Bay Area vibes. While growing up in Vallejo, she attended public schools and got real-life lessons helping at her dad's Filipino food stall. She's a UC Davis alum, where she majored in political science, and she was super involved in Asian American student life. After college, she found her calling working with kids, thanks to a stint with Jumpstart.

Over the last decade, she’s been fortunate to apply this passion towards her work with various nonprofit youth programs, including America SCORES, Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center and, now, SEADC’s after-school programs.  Outside of work, you'll often catch Arra rooting for our Bay Area sports teams, browsing farmers markets, acing trivia, or hanging out at family potlucks.

Tokla Teav

Program Manager, Service Navigation

Tokla hails from Cambodia, making the big move to America at the tender age of 5. These days, Tokla's all about shooting hoops on the basketball court, nurturing plants in the garden, or scouting out the newest food joints in town.