Rising Tides: Voices of Asian America

Jessica Tang is the President of the Boston Teachers Union, representing over 10,000 active and retired educators. She is the first person of color, first openly queer and first woman in over thirty years to serve in this role. Jessica serves as a Vice President of both the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts, and is also the first and only APIA member to serve on the American Federation of Teachers Executive Council. 

Michael Nutter served as the 98th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, where he managed Philadelphia through the Great Recession. He is also a past President of the United States Conference of Mayors, as well as the Pennsylvania Municipal League. Mayor Nutter is now a frequent political commentator for CNN and PBS Newshour, and is a Senior Fellow and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program through Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Maria Robinson is a Massachusetts State Representative serving the Sixth Middlesex District. She was sworn into office in 2019, as the first Korean-American elected to the General Court of Massachusetts. She focuses on regulatory issues relating to energy and air and has lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Clean Power Plan. Prior to joining the State House, she worked at the U.S. EPA’s Office of Water and with Governor Jay Inslee.

Tackey Chan is currently a Massachusetts State Representative serving the Second Norfolk District. He was elected in 2010 as one of the first three Asian Americans ever elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he currently serves as Chair of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and as an appointee to the Massachusetts Asian American Commission.

From 2009-2012, Aneesh Chopra served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States under President Obama, having previously served as Virginia's Secretary of Technology under then-Governor Tim Kaine. In 2013, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He is currently Co-Founder and President of CareJourney, an open data membership service for healthcare providers, payers and pharmaceutical leaders.

Deepa Iyer is a South Asian American writer, strategist, lawyer, and racial justice advocate. She is currently a Strategic Advisor at the Building Movement Project and Director of Solidarity Is, a project that provides training, narratives, and resources on building multiracial solidarity. Her areas of expertise include the post 9/11 America experiences of South Asian, Muslim, Arab and Sikh immigrants, immigration and civil rights policies, and racial equity and solidarity practices.