Sandy Close, ACoM Executive Director, started her career covering China and Vietnam as an editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review in the mid-1960s. She became editor of Pacific News Service in 1974 and was a pioneer in developing youth media. In 1996, she founded New America Media, the first and largest collaboration of ethnic news organizations. Her work has received several awards, including a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award” and the 2011 Polk Award for Career Achievement. In 1996, a film she co-produced, Breathing Lessons, won an Academy Award for best short documentary. She founded American Community Media in 2017 to continue her work amplifying and elevating the voices of community and ethnic media.

Julian Do is co-director at ACoM, where he focuses on media industry advocacy, local news capacity building, sustainability opportunities, and special campaigns including inter-ethnic relations, COVID-19 pandemic misinformation, and journalism awards events. He has more than 20 years of experience in the media industry and another 15 years in semiconductor manufacturing, fund management, and international NGO project development.

Nakia Cooper Greene works at ACoM as Communications Director for Houston Community Media (HCM). She is a multimedia professional who’s worn many hats from the TV newsrooms, radio stations, print publications to government agencies. She is also the current president of the Houston Association of Black Journalists (HABJ).

Li Miao Lovett is the Project Manager for ACoM’s forthcoming initiatives in California. She is working with community organizations, ACoM’s team and reporting partners to launch an immigrant reporting project in the state’s rural areas. She previously served as policy lead in San Francisco’s City Hall on housing and tenants’ rights, education, small business, workforce and labor issues. A long-time educator and writer in the SF Bay Area, she has reported on environmental justice, economic and scientific developments for KQED, SF Chronicle, PRI, and Making Contact. Li is the author of In the Lap of the Gods, portraying mass displacement from China’s economic expansion.

Jongwon Lee is an attorney and journalist. Prior to law practice, he was a journalist for Kyunghyang Daily News in South Korea, and the managing editor of the Korea Daily Atlanta. His awards include MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellowship, Wells Fargo Small Business Reporting Fellowship, and National Conference on Citizenship Algorithmic Transparency Fellowship. He received B. A from Korea University and J.D from Georgia State University College of Law. He actively do volunteer for Asian communities in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sunita Sohrabji joined American Community Media at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and has organized and moderated several briefings on the health crisis and related issues. Sohrabji is a veteran reporter, most recently covering the Indian American community for India-West newspaper. She has received 15 local and national awards for excellence in journalism.

Christopher Alam is a Lebanese print and audio journalist, born in California’s Central Valley, with a passion for telling stories about the challenges facing vulnerable communities. His primary interests include covering local Bay Area politics, international affairs, police accountability, and immigration. Throughout his career, he has worked at KQED and KALW in San Francisco, and his written work has been featured in publications such as Variable West and Rusted Radishes.

Nguyen Lee works for ACoM as the Houston Community Media coordinator. She assists in event planning and administration. She is Vietnamese American and has a background in community work and organizing. She is also jointly part of the OCA – Greater Houston team as a Programs and Advocacy Lead, where she manages their citizenship work and a diversity, equity, and inclusion workshop series. Outside of her professional work, she is a huge BTS fan and is involved in organizing fan events and projects in the Houston BTSxARMY community.

Yesenia Razo serves as the Latin Outreach Coordinator and Social Media Manager for Houston Community Media, helping to amplify the voices of Latino communities and ensure they have access to vital resources. She holds an associate degree in Business Management and is the owner of “Yes JJ Media.” Razo is also actively involved with various nonprofits in the Houston area, assisting veterans to enroll in educational programs and organizing community-focused initiatives such as food drives for ethnically diverse communities.

Pilar Marrero is a journalist and author with long experience in covering social and political issues of the Latino community in the United States. She is the associate editor of American Community Media. Last year, she was part of a team of two that won the top prize at the Southern California Journalism Awards for *Ill Harvest: California Farmworkers and the Struggle for Health Care*, published by the multiple award-winning investigative news publication *Capital & Main*. Her book, *Killing the American Dream*, was published in 2012 by Palgrave Macmillan and in Spanish by Penguin Books.

Peter Schurmann is the online editor for American Community Media. He previously worked as communications coordinator for the conservation non-profit Earth Innovation Institute, where he helped coordinate an international team to develop and promote content related to issues of climate and tropical forest protection. Peter’s reporting has covered a wide variety of topics, from international affairs to education, health, and the environment. His work has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Nation, and National Catholic Reporter, among other outlets.

Dana Levine manages social marketing campaigns for ACoM. She handles media planning and ad placement. She is also the marketing event planner. She coordinates media outreach, media tracking and monitoring, as well as the production of post-event reports. Since November 2007, Dana has contributed her organizational talents on several major marketing campaigns for clients including Flex Your Power, California Teacher’s Association, Leadership Conference of Civil Rights, Bureau of Automotive Repair, Haas Jr. Fund, Census 2010 and 2020.​

Patricia Johnson worked with ACoM-predecessor Pacific News Service/New America Media from 2001-2014 on finance, development, and youth communications programs. In addition to supporting EMS newsletters and grant management, Patricia works as a financial planner for families and operates a nonprofit financial education program in Oakland, Ca. She holds an MBA from Yale and a BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley.

Nicole Chang is a media veteran with 25+ years in journalism and community service. At The Korea Daily, she led coverage on public issues and managed content across platforms. She organizes community events and supports underserved groups through volunteer work with Vision Care and Sharing Love in Korea. She holds an MBA from American Jewish University and a BA in Journalism from Cal State Northridge.

Jessica Martin works for American Community Media as the Communications Director. She manages briefings, projects, by working closely with clients, media, and interpreters. Jessica, an SF native received her bachelor’s of Arts in psychology from San Jose State University and her MBA from Cal State East Bay University.

Alexis Duenas works for American Community Media in Administration. She manages invoicing and works closely with clients, media, and interpreters on other ongoing projects. Alexis, a California native, received her Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Administration with an emphasis in Youth and Community Services from Humboldt State University.

Vansh Gupta works for American Community Media as a Marketing and Technology consultant. Vansh is the Managing Editor of Siliconeer, a Gen-Z South Asian-focused magazine based in the Silicon Valley. He also serves as the Chief Marketing Officer of Siliconeer Ventures Inc.

David Pham serves as Webmaster, Strategist, and Content Architect for the ACoM website. He also creates social media content for Instagram and TikTok and manages video content on YouTube. With over 20 years of experience in design, David brings a multidisciplinary skill set focused on transformation. He leads brand, UI, UX, graphic and multimedia design efforts for ACoM.