Outstanding Americans by Choice

Liana Adrong, Executive Director, Montagnard Dega Association, Greensboro, NC

Liana Adrong was born into a family of nine children in Daklak, Vietnam. She arrived in Greensboro, NC in 1996, years after her father served with the U.S. Special Forces during the Vietnam War and was imprisoned for seven years. Coming from a refugee family, she values her Montagnard-Êđê heritage. It is extremely important to her to know her own community’s history and culture, and she is very passionate about the Montagnard Dega Association’s mission to unite and strengthen her community through traditional arts programs. Adrong is fluent in Vietnamese, English, Rhadê/Êđê, and had served as a Chair for the Greensboro’s International Advisory Committee. Adrong earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is a mental health first aider, and has an associate licensed in clinical social work and is a public notary.

As a social worker, she wears multiple hats: community liaison, researcher, interpreter, and advocate for elders and families to help them navigate social services and healthcare systems. She has experience in a community-engaged research project that found high rates of hypertension in her community, including young adults. Adrong is a cofounder of the Montagnard American Organization (MAO) and served as its president. MAO merged with Montagnard Dega Association (MDA), one of our state’s oldest refugee community-based organizations, where she serves as its executive director. At MDA, they assisted and referred hundreds of community members towards their journeys to becoming United State citizens.

Adrong plans to continue to advocate for social justice for those experiencing challenges in accessing healthcare and housing, and work tirelessly to help them overcome those challenges. Her life and work experiences have fueled her passion for social work and serving as a mentor to the youths in her community.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Associate Dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Flint, MI

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is the Associate Dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She is the founding director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative partnership of MSU and Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint, Michigan.   

A pediatrician, scientist, activist, and author, Dr. Hanna-Attisha was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. She has testified multiple times before the United States Congress, lectures at dozens of colleges and universities, and frequently contributes to national media outlets championing the cause of children in Flint and beyond. Dr. Hanna-Attisha is the author of the widely acclaimed and New York Times 100 most notable book, What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City. 

A first-generation Iraqi-American immigrant, Dr. Hanna-Attisha grew up in metro Detroit. With concentrations in environmental health and health policy, she received her bachelor’s degree and master of public health degree from the University of Michigan. She completed her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and her residency and chief residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.  

Rev. Eugene Cho, President and CEO, Bread for the World, Washington, DC

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Reverend Eugene Cho immigrated to the United States as a child with his parents. After pastoring local churches for nearly thirty years, Rev. Cho is now President and CEO of Bread for the World, a non-partisan Christian advocacy organization made up of individuals, churches, non-profits, and other partners, who work together to advocate for policy changes to end hunger in the United States and around the world by changing the policies and programs that allow hunger to persist.

Rev. Cho also founded One Day’s Wages (ODW) in 2009 and acts as the Board President. ODW is a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. The vision of ODW is to create a collaborative movement that promotes awareness, invites simple giving (one day’s wages), and supports sustainable relief through partnerships, especially with small organizations in developing regions.

Rev. Cho was recognized as part of the “The FD200” as one of 200 individuals who best embody the work and spirit of Frederick Douglas as part of the bicentennial celebration of the life and accomplishments of Frederick Douglas. Rev. Cho was also recognized as an everyday hero in the 2012 book “Everyday Heroes: 50 Americans Changing the World One Nonprofit at a Time” and was a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2017.

Rev. Cho is also the author of two books “Thou Shall Not Be a Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Engaging Politics” and “Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World?”. Rev. Cho and his spouse Minhee have been married for over 25 years and have three adult children.

Brigadier General & Deputy Commanding General Stephen L. A. Michael (Ret.), U.S. Army, Kansas City, MO

Stephen L. A. Michael was a brigadier general and deputy commanding general in the U.S. Army. He immigrated from Guyana, South America, in 1979 and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Infantry in 1988.

Michael spent 32 years leading light and airborne infantry formations, commanding at every level through brigade, and serving in a variety of leadership positions in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.

He first deployed to Somalia in 1992 and culminated his service as the Deputy Commanding General at the Combined Arms Center for Training. Michael has a diverse operational background: with 2-503 Infantry, he took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom I, where the battalion conducted a night combat parachute assault onto Bashur Drop Zone in Northern Iraq and helped secure the city of Kirkuk; he deployed to Ghana and Nigeria as part of JTF Liberia to help the Economic Community of West African States stabilize Liberia as President Charles Taylor was exiled to Nigeria; served as aide de camp to Lieutenant General Kip Ward, then the deputy commander for United States Army Europe and 7th Army - with General Ward, Michael deployed to Israel for 10 months as part of the inaugural Israeli-Palestinian Security Coordinator Mission, helping prepare the Palestinian Authority take control of Gaza; led 2-12 Infantry, in Al Doura, Baghdad as part of the surge; was the deputy director for the Pakistan-Afghanistan and Transregional Threats Coordination Cell, enabling the chairman of the Joint Chiefs’ best military advice on Afghanistan - Pakistan and Transregional Threats.

Towards the end of his career, Michael served in the Indo-Pacific, as deputy commander for Operations, 25th ID; the G-3/5/7 for U.S. Army Pacific, and the Deputy J5 for the Indo-Pacific Command. Michael has consistently said that his story cannot be told anywhere else but in ‘these United States of America.’ His legacy, he believes, is his wonderful family and the soldiers and leaders that he has served, loved, and led.

Michael is married to the former Sandra Stanford of Georgetown, Guyana, and they are proud parents of Vaughn, Shane, Sean, and Chanel. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, Michael holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and was the Senior Service College Fellow to Columbia University for FY 2011.

Esther Olavarria, Former Deputy Director for Immigration, White House Domestic Policy Council, Miami, FL

Esther Olavarria has worked in the immigration and refugee field for decades at numerous non-profit organizations and at the highest levels in the federal government. She was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the United States in 1962 with her family, where her parents sought protection and opportunity in their newly adopted country. Her parents’ experience leaving their home country and starting new lives in the United States inspired Esther to pursue a career of service on behalf of immigrants and asylum seekers.  

Olavarria began as an immigration attorney in 1989 in Miami, Florida, working at various non-profit legal organizations representing asylum seekers and immigrants, including the Haitian Refugee Services, Legal Services of Greater Miami, and the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, which she co-founded. Moving to Washington, DC in 1998, she served for nearly 10 years as Senator Edward Kennedy’s immigration counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she worked on a broad range of legislative initiatives, including the DREAM Act and many efforts to enact common sense immigration reform. Joining the Obama Administration in 2009, Olavarria served in senior positions at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she helped craft numerous administrative and legislative initiatives.  

While in Washington, Olavarria also held positions at the Immigration Hub; the Center for American Progress; the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency; and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. After serving on the Biden-Harris Transition Team, Olavarria joined this administration as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council for Immigration.  

Olavarria holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Florida and a juris doctor degree from its law school. She was featured in in the documentary series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories from filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini.  Olavarria left the administration in February 2022 and currently lives with her family in Miami, Florida.

Anna Zaibel Blau, Executive Director, International Women's House, Atlanta, GA 

Anna Blau is the Executive Director of International Women’s House (IWH), a position she has held since 1998.

Blau, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, came to this country as a small child from war-torn Europe after the second World War. As a result of her own refugee status, she became interested in the plight of others who arrived in the United States to pursue a life free of violence.

For more than 45 years, Blau has served refugees and immigrants. Before coming to IWH, she was the executive director of a vocational and career development agency and assisted displaced refugees who came to the U.S. due to civil wars within their countries or facing religious or political persecution.  

Since 1997, under Blau’s leadership, IWH has served more than 12,000 victims of domestic violence – another area which unfortunately Blau knew about first-hand through an earlier abusive dating relationship.

She has spoken nationally on human trafficking and statewide on domestic violence.  She is the recipient of numerous awards for her work, including the national Doris Buffet Bryant Award and the highest award given in Georgia for service to victims: The Eagle Award from the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Oglethorpe University and both her master’s and PhD from Georgia State. Blau is married and has one adult son.

Fernando Valenzuela, Former Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher, Los Angeles, CA

Fernando Valenzuela is one of the most influential figures in Los Angeles Dodgers history. The left-handed pitching sensation from the small town of Etchohuaquila in Navojoa, Mexico, launched “Fernandomania” in 1981 with one of the most dominant starts for a rookie to begin a season in Major League history.

Valenzuela’s dominance re-energized the Dodger fanbase and created a multi-generational, multi-cultural impact that will live on in LA for years to come.

Valenzuela, at age 20, was the surprise 1981 Opening Day starter and shut out the Houston Astros, beginning a run of eight consecutive wins — five by shutout. He is the only pitcher in Major League history to win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award honors in the same season. Valenzuela also helped lead the Dodgers to a World Series championship in 1981.

Eleven of Valenzuela’s 12 starts at Dodger Stadium in 1981 were sold out and attendance increased by an average of 9,000 fans whenever he pitched in road games. He became a cultural icon in the Latino community in the United States and a hero in his home country.

“El Toro,” the master of the screwball, played 17 Major League seasons, including 11 with the Dodgers from 1980-1990 where he was a six-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner for his prowess with the bat, and a Gold Glove Award winner.

His 173 victories and 2,074 strikeouts are the most for any Mexican-born Major Leaguer.

In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as a Spanish-language broadcaster. Also in 2003, he was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, which is committed to preserving the history and profound influence that Hispanic players have had on the world of baseball in the United States. He continues to broadcast games for the Dodgers, and in 2022 he had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.

Estefanía Rebellón, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Yes We Can World Foundation, Los Angeles, CA

Estefanía Rebellón is the co-founder and Executive Director of Yes We Can World Foundation, a female-led nonprofit organization that believes every child has the right to education and safe spaces regardless of their location, current legal status or economic background. Yes We Can World Foundation created and operates the Yes We Can Mobile Schools program. The program is recognized as the first full-time bilingual education program for migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. This innovative program addresses the academic and emotional needs of refugees, migrants and children in transit. Since July 2019, the Yes We Can Mobile Schools program has provided over 2 million hours of bilingual education and has directly impacted the lives of over 1,000 children. The program serves as a keystone bridge program for refugee and migrant children entering and integrating into the United States.

Rebellón was a refugee from Cali, Colombia, whose life was changed forever at the age of 10 when she and her family were forced to flee their home due to death threats by the Colombian rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Rebellón and her family moved to Miami, FL, where they were granted asylum, later becoming permanent residents, then U.S. citizens after ten years. 

Becoming a U.S citizen marked a pivotal moment in Rebellón’s life, as it solidified a permanent future in the United States. A future embraced by American ideals, values and the rights and protections of our freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Rebellón quickly embraced the idea of the American Dream and the responsibility that comes with being a first-generation American.

With this in mind, Rebellón set out to pursue a career as an actress in Hollywood. Rebellón moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue her already budding career as an actress. Her work includes a role on the television show “Jane the Virgin,” hosting red carpet coverage for multiple Spanish media outlets, and multiple features in national commercials and films. She starred in and codirected the film “On The Other Side,” which focuses on the story of Lupe and her migration journey to the United States. As an up-and-coming actress and humanitarian Rebellón is a champion and advocate for authentic Latin representation in the media and entertainment industry.

Before cofounding and creating Yes We Can World Foundation, Rebellón served as an advocate and activist for the #MeToo Movement and the Women’s March. In 2021, Rebellón was recognized as a “Hero of the Pandemic” by the Los Angeles Times for leading efforts at Yes We Can World Foundation to provide thousands of personal protective equipment kits for migrant children and their families. Rebellón has also been recognized as an Unstoppable Woman by Telemundo/NBC, a Local Hero by Zoomin, and has been nominated for the Alfonso Garcia Robles Humanitarian Award by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México for the defense, promotion, protection, and guarantee of human rights for immigrant people who are in a condition of vulnerability.

Rebellón’s work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, TIME for Kids, and Global Citizen as well as in numerous ethnic media outlets.

Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director, AAPI Equity Alliance, Los Angeles, CA

Manjusha P. Kulkarni (Manju) is the executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance (AAPI Equity), a coalition of over 40 community-based organizations that serve and represent the 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County. In March of 2020, Manju co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, the nation’s leading aggregator of COVID-19-related hate incidents against AAPIs.

In 2022, Manju was one of five individuals awarded the Racial Equity Award by Bank of America for her service breaking down systemic racial barriers and creating economic opportunities for Black, Latino, Asian American and Native American individuals nationwide. In 2021, Manju was recognized by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential individuals and by Bloomberg/Business Week as one of 50 individuals “with the ability to move markets or shape ideas and policies” with the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate, Cynthia Choi and Russell Jeung. Cynthia, Russell and Manju also were awarded the 2021 Webby Social Movement of the Year.

Manju’s work has been featured in the New York Times, CBS News, and CNN, as well as in numerous ethnic media outlets. Manju is a member of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board.

Prior to working at AAPI Equity Alliance, Manju served as the executive director of the South Asian Network, one of the nation’s oldest community-based organizations advancing the health, safety, and well-being of South Asian Americans. While there, she received the White House Champions of Change award from President Barack Obama for her dedication to improving health care access for Asian American communities. Manju holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law.

Teresa Romero, President, United Farm Workers, Keene, CA

In 2018, Teresa Romero became the first Latina president of the United Farm Workers (UFW) and first immigrant woman to head a national labor union. She was born into a large family of Spanish and indigenous Zapotec ancestry in Mexico City and grew up in Guadalajara. Her father, who worked for a tortilla machine manufacturer, and her mother, a homemaker, made sure that all six of their children were educated.

Romero came to the United States in her 20s and settled in California’s San Fernando Valley. The 1986 immigration bill signed by then-President Ronald Reagan provided a path for her to become a lawful permanent resident, and later, a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Romero achieved success with her own construction management consulting business and she also managed a law firm that assisted farmworkers and others with immigration and compensation claims. When the 2008 financial crisis occurred, Romero took what was supposed to be a temporary job as an assistant to the president of the UFW. Co-founded in 1962 by Cesar Chavez, the California-based UFW is the nation’s oldest farmworkers labor union.

During her time with the UFW, the union achieved key victories in California, including the creation of state standards protecting farm workers from extreme heat, and the first state law in the country securing overtime pay after eight hours of work. Romero also successfully fundraised to build a modern, nearly 11,000-square foot facility in Salinas, CA, to better serve union members and educate the public about the UFW’s history and work.

Romero has also made comprehensive immigration reform one of the union’s top priorities, along with addressing a lack of healthcare options that has become acute as farmworkers are critical to maintaining America’s food supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Romero is leading the UFW’s efforts to advocate for protections for agricultural workers across the country. The union is providing farmworkers with public health information in Spanish and indigenous Indian languages, as well as meals and food boxes and personal protective equipment.

Romero is also leading an effort in California to make it easier for farm workers to vote in union elections, modeling legislation after California’s successful efforts to make it easier for more Californians to participate in local, state, and federal elections.

Romero served on the Biden 2020 transition team along with Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, and 13 others.