Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Fund Advisory Board

When Richard moved to Tucson from New York in 2013, he was intent on doing something positive for his new community.  Since relocating, he served nine years on the Board of Catholic Community Services, including a two-year term as its President, ten years on the Tucson Medical Center Ethics Committee and, until the pandemic came along, as a hospice volunteer.  He looks forward to doing more through his service to CFSA and its constituents.

With over 25 years of dedicated experience in the field of psychotherapy, Dr. Steve Lee is a seasoned psychotherapist. He holds a Doctor of Behavioral Health and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona. As an immigrant from South Korea, his journey in mental health has been driven by a deep commitment to helping individuals navigate their unique challenges and achieve emotional well-being. Throughout his career, Dr. Lee has served countless individuals to regain their mental and emotional well-being. He works in both public non-profit and private clinical practice settings in Tucson, Arizona. 

Katerina Retwaiut (she/her) is excited to support the Tucson APIDA community as a proud Micronesian! Though she spent her early childhood in her Pacific Island home, Saipan, she has also come to call the desert home. 

Katerina brings a strong commitment and passion for serving the community. She got her start in the nonprofit field through AmeriCorps, which led her to earn a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management from the University of Arizona. Katerina has experience with volunteer management, marketing, program evaluation, and training facilitation. Currently, she works at Fostering Success at the University of Arizona, supporting students who’ve been in the foster care system or experienced homelessness. Additionally, she enjoys strengthening the community as an active member of the Junior League of Tucson and as a volunteer with Make-A-Wish Arizona. In her free time, you can find Katerina keeping up with the latest pop culture, taste-testing new coffee shops, enjoying live music and theater, reading, or scrapbooking.

Kimberly Wang (she/her) has been in Tucson, Arizona, since the early 2000s and is passionate and committed to serving the community. Kimberly graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and a Master of Public Health. Currently, she is a Public Health Program Manager at the Pima County Health Department, focusing on overdose prevention. She is a strong advocate of reducing stigma and increasing knowledge of mental health and substance use. In addition to the APIDA board, she also supports Southern Arizona by serving on SEAHEC’s board to improve rural health in Southeast Arizona.

In her free time, Kimberly enjoys going on desert trail runs and enjoying new foods.

Dr. Connie Chan is the Clinical Director at the University of Arizona Petersen HIV Clinics and a clinical pharmacist with over a decade of experience in infectious diseases, internal medicine and chronic disease management. She completed two years of postgraduate residency training and has practiced across hospital and outpatient settings, leading multidisciplinary care to improve outcomes for individuals living with HIV through optimized medication management and patient-centered care.  

A Chinese American born to immigrant parents, Connie is a trilingual provider fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin and is deeply committed to advancing culturally responsive care for underserved communities. She is also the founder of Chan Wellness Consulting, where she provides personalized medication review and health coaching. Her professional interests include cardiometabolic health and the integration of lifestyle medicine with pharmacotherapy to support long-term wellness. As a wife and mother of two, she is passionate about raising her children with a strong sense of cultural identity and connection, with an emphasis on Chinese and broader Asian cultural education. Shaped by both her personal health journey and professional experience, Connie is dedicated to fostering connection, promoting cultural education, improving health equity, and serving her community with empathy and purpose through her work with the APIDA Fund. 

Dr. Jeannie K. Lee is Associate Dean of Student Services and Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice & Science at the University of Arizona (U of A) R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine at the U of A College of Medicine-Tucson and a research associate and faculty at the Arizona Center on Aging. Dr. Lee has board certifications in pharmacotherapy and geriatric pharmacy and is a Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American Geriatrics Society. For over 25 years, she has worked to provide patient care in interprofessional teams, conducted research with older adults and underserved populations, mentored diverse students/professionals, and served the communities. As an immigrant Korean American woman, wife, mom, and teacher, she is passionate about fostering belonging and well-being, inspiring people to be courageous leaders, and serving with grace and gratitude.

Leslie Moe-Kaiser serves as President, OCA Greater Tucson, and as a member of the OCA National Board. She is a Past National President of OCA. As an Advisory Board member of the Center for Asian Pacific American Women, she actively participates in the Center’s governance. A major theme in Leslie’s professional life has been developing leadership and self-determination in women of color. Retired from a corporate career of developing Asian DEI forums and building State Farm’s coalitions with national DESI organizations, today she provides services to individuals and organizations on leadership development, funding strategies, and program development. 

Leslie is a Lifetime Member of the US Professional Tennis Association and is a Certified Pearl Specialist serving as President of Dynasty Pearls. She holds a PhD in Educational Administration and Foundations of Higher Education with teaching fields in Asian Art History and East Asian philosophies. 

Tom Pham has called Tucson home since 2021, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and continues his studies in the Biomedical Engineering graduate program. He served as President of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association pre-health chapter and founded the Asian Pacific American Student Council in response to a critical period for APIDA representation on campus.

Through his involvement with the APIDA Fund, Tom is committed to empowering emerging community leaders by helping them translate their aspirations into meaningful and lasting impact for the Southern Arizona APIDA community.

Kristie (she/hers) is a University of Arizona Alumni and proud queer Chinese American in her hometown of Tucson. She is excited to serve folks through an intersectional, inclusive lens. In her spare time, she spends her time listening to her favorite podcasts, making homemade yogurt, and embroidering her clothes all at the same time. She looks forward to uplifting and empowering the most marginalized voices in our community. 

Denise is an award-winning performance artist and director whose work has been presented in London, Vancouver, Tokyo, Helsinki and across the US. She also serves as the Program Manager of Artist Services at the Southwest Folklife Alliance.  

Amy Amoroso
aamoroso@cfsaz.org
(she/her/ella)

Amy Amoroso’s unique experience includes working with and for Native American tribes in natural and cultural resource conservation, teaching technical and environmental writing, and, most recently, as Development Director for a bi-national conservation nonprofit based in Tucson. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, a self-designed interdisciplinary major covering history, culture, and politics, and the contemporary experience of indigenous peoples, and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies with a focus on communications from Antioch University.

Amy’s experience includes serving on nonprofit boards, facilitating and bi-national and multicultural convenings, managing a tribally funded regional grants program, managing a tribal language reintroduction program, and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement programs and projects.

As Senior Community Impact Manager for CFSA, she supports the African American Legacy Fund, the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund, and the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Fund, along with supporting the evolving needs of our vibrant community as a member of the community impact team.

When not working, Amy can be found on stage with improv teams, in a coffee shop writing poetry, hiking in Arizona’s Sky Islands, or traveling the world with her husband, John, and son, Marco.