Founder/Executive Director
​Annie Lam

Dr. Annie V. Lam is a nationally recognized leadership strategist, speaker, and founder of APIs Mobilize, with over 15 years of experience building programs and partnerships that open doors for people who were never meant to have a seat at the table.

As the daughter of Chinese refugees and a proud product of South Sacramento, Annie’s story began in the farm fields, working alongside her family from age seven. Those early experiences of labor, resilience, and family shaped her commitment to creating leadership pathways for underserved communities.

She began her career in the California State Assembly, advising two Asian American legislators on community and policy issues. She later founded California’s first API Legislative Staff Academy, helping dozens of staffers advance into leadership. Her doctoral research examined barriers facing Asian American legislative staff and continues to inform her cross-sector work.

In 2015, she founded APIs Mobilize, a nonprofit that helps AANHPI youth access college, understand how decisions are made, and grow as changemakers. Its legislative internships provide real-world policymaking experience, with programs in Southern California, the East Bay, and Sacramento, including the Sac Unity initiative, which fosters cross-racial solidarity.

Dr. Lam also leads Alchemizer Lab, a transformational leadership partner supporting organizations in cultivating inclusive and values-driven leaders. As a university lecturer and mentor, she continues to support the next generation of changemakers.
​
Dr. Lam's work has been recognized by the Sacramento Bee’s Inaugural Top 25 AAPI Change Makers, the Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, and as a 2025 AAPI Heritage Month Honoree by the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

She holds an Ed.D. in Organizational Change and Leadership, a Master’s in Public Administration from USC, and a B.A. in Asian American Studies from UC Davis. She’s also a proud mom to Vienna, who reminds her every day why it matters to build a world that’s more kind, and just.

Director of  Program 
Yee Xiong 

Yee Xiong is a community advocate and mentor who helps students build confidence, find their voice, and step into leadership with purpose. Grounded in Asian American Studies, she has spent her career creating spaces where Asian American Pacific Islander and BIPOC youth can connect their lived experiences to civic engagement, community power, and future opportunities.
​
Across nonprofit, government, and public service spaces, Yee has revived and scaled youth leadership programs, mentored emerging leaders, and helped people connect their identities and lived experiences to community action. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Asian American Pacific Islander LEAP Center at San José City College.

Yee is especially passionate about coaching youth to trust their voice, believe in their ideas, and gain the insight and encouragement they need to pursue the futures they want for themselves and their communities. Her work and leadership has been recognized by the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs.​