Symposium on Hmong Americans

Professor Zhang Xiao, a Miao Chinese scholar, retired in 2017 as a professor of ethnology at Guizhou University after a distinguished career in academia. She identifies as a Miao or Hmong Chinese. She previously worked at the Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences from 1984 to 2007, serving as the director of the Institute of Ethnic Culture in 1999, and later led the Research Center for International Immigrants and Overseas Chinese at South China Normal University from 2016 to 2021. Currently, she is a research fellow at the Research Center of Visual Culture at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and has published several monographs.

Dr. Liang Yao is an Associate Professor at the School of Foreign Languages, Shenzhen Technology University, where he also serves as the Director of the Center for International Chinese Education. He is also a Guest Associate Professor at the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on Miao studies, religious culture, and modern Chinese literature, blending academic inquiry with personal cultural rediscovery. Having conducted extensive fieldwork on Miao religious practices, he has received National Social Science Fund grants for his work. Dr. Yao is dedicated to preserving Miao culture and language, mentoring students in Miao cultural research and literacy initiatives.

Dr. Vicky Xiong-Lor is an assistant professor in the Hmong Bilingual Authorization Program (BAP) and the Master’s in Multilingual Multicultural Education (MME) program.

Vicky was named CLTA's World Language Teacher of the Year in 2022 and recognized as Educator of the Year from her Hmong community by RISE Inc. With 27 years of experience as a Hmong bilingual educator in both elementary and high school, Vicky also served as an elementary school vice principal, and a Hmong language consultant for several DI programs in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Her research focuses on indigenous language revitalization and reclamation work, with a particular emphasis on the Hmong language, Hmong Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs, Hmong heritage programs, and the role of Hmong ethnic studies in healing intergenerational trauma among Hmong teachers and students. She served on the State Board of Education's Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and contributed to the Hmong History and Cultural Studies Model Curriculum through the Orange County Office of Education.

Dr. Dia Cha holds a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from Northern Arizona University, and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is a retired Full Professor of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies from St. Cloud State University and a former Research Associate with both the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Denver Science Museum. Currently, she serves as the CEO of Be Better LLC (Hmong Artisans), a marketplace that empowers Hmong women from remote villages in Laos, China, Thailand, and Vietnam by providing them with opportunities to sell their handmade arts and crafts globally. In 1994, Dr. Cha made history as the first Hmong woman to testify before Congress, speaking under the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, regarding Indochinese refugee issues. A year later, she organized the first Hmong National Development Education Conference, which continues to this day. In 2000, she became the first Hmong American woman to hold a tenure-track professor position at a U.S. public university. Throughout her career, Dr. Cha has received numerous national awards for her outstanding research, teaching, and service, as well as her advocacy for gender and ethnic equality. An internationally recognized speaker and consultant on Hmong culture, she is also an award-winning author of several books, including Queen of Needlework, Hmong American Concepts of Health, Healing, and Conventional Medicine, Dia’s Story Cloth: The Hmong People’s Journey of Freedom, Teaching with Folk Stories of the Hmong, and Folk Stories of the Hmong.

Brandon Xiong, a Fresno native, earned his B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. As the son of Hmong refugees who sought a better future in America, he carries their resilience and determination into his academic and personal pursuits. Brandon began his journey at Fresno State during the pandemic, and once campus reopened, he actively immersed himself in student life to make up for lost time. He has been involved in a variety of organizations, including Hmong American Ink & Stories, CineCulture, the Lao Student Association, and Classics, while also serving in multiple leadership roles on campus. His contributions include working as a Peer Mentor for TRIO Student Support Services, Peer Mentor for EOP Summer Bridge, Supervisor at the Writing Center, and Editor-in-Chief for the Asian Pacific Review.