Staff

Chanchanit (Chancee) Martorell

Founder & Executive Director

Born in Thailand and raised in Los Angeles, Martorell studied political science and public law at UCLA where she received her B.A. and her M.A. in Urban Planning with a specialization in Urban Regional Development/Third World Development. She also studied Humanities at Chiang Mai University in Northern Thailand in 1988. 

Engaged in social activism for the past 35 years, Martorell is currently the Executive Director of the Thai Community Development Center, a non-profit organization she founded in 1994 in an effort to improve the lives of Thai immigrants through services that promote cultural adjustment and economic self-sufficiency. Her experiences leading to the founding of Thai CDC include work as a planner, as an aide to Congressman Mel Levine and work with other local and state legislative offices. She also created and taught the first Thai American Experience course offered as part of UCLA’s Asian-American Studies curriculum in 1992. 

During Thailand’s military coup of 1992, she mobilized the Thai community in Southern California to protest the atrocities committed by the military junta against civilian demonstrators in Bangkok, demanding a peaceful return to democracy for Thailand and its people. After the Los Angeles Civil Unrest in 1992, she co-authored the Mid-City Plan for the Coalition of Neighborhood Developers which sought to address the lack of economic resources in an inner city area of Los Angeles. The pivotal event also led her to documenting the demographics and social and human service needs of Thais in Los Angeles for the first time in a landmark community needs assessment study as a way to advocate for more resources in underserved communities. 

She has written on the topics of ethnic competency, the Thai immigrant community, Asian poverty, community economic development, urban revitalization strategies, human trafficking, and global capitalism. 

She is known most notably for her work on over a half dozen major human rights cases involving over 2,000 Thai victims of human trafficking who were discovered working in conditions of slavery in the United States. Her tireless advocacy on behalf of the victims and the success of each case has made her a leading expert and sought after spokesperson on the serious issue of modern-day slavery. She taught a course entitled “Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery” at the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures. 

Because of her deep commitment to creating positive change, she has also become a leading practitioner in the field of community development engaged in ongoing affordable housing development, small business promotion and neighborhood revitalization projects. Two of the projects undertaken by Thai CDC under Martorell’s leadership include the development of affordable housing through the rehabilitation of one of Hollywood’s historical edifices, the Halifax Apartments, and the development of Palm Village, an affordable senior housing project in Sun Valley. 

In 1999, under her leadership, Thai CDC played a pivotal role in the eight-year long community organizing campaign which raised community consciousness and led to the designation of the first Thai Town in the nation right here in East Hollywood. The designation of Thai Town allowed the community to define itself and its place in history. For Martorell, the designation of Thai Town was the first step of a multi-faceted, economic development strategy to revitalize a depressed section of Hollywood while enriching the City’s cultural and social fiber. 

Dedicated to social and economic justice, she actively serves in a variety of capacities in a number of community/immigrant/labor rights organizations with local, national and global concerns, including the Los Angeles Food Policy Leadership Council, the Los Angeles Promise Zone Leadership Council, the California Community Foundation Council on Immigrant Integration, the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, the Labor Community Services Program, and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. She is also the co-founder of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program, the Rotary Club of Thai Town, the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, and the Asian Pacific Islander Human Trafficking Task Force. Committed to heightening awareness of Thai arts and culture, she also sits on the board of the Thai Community Arts and Cultural Center and serves as an advisor to the Thai New Year Day’s Songkran Festival Corporation. Formerly a member of the Convention to Eliminate all forms of Discrimination Against Women Task Force, she was part of a campaign that succeeded in the performance of a gender analysis by the City of Los Angeles of its personnel. 

In December 2021, she was the featured speaker at the launching of the Asian Pacific Islander Interest Group of the American Planning Association.

The Pacific Oaks College conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Social Work to her on October 30, 2021 where she was also a commencement speaker before their graduating class.  

She was a Fellow in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy in 2020 providing mentoring to graduate students at the school.

She was also a Fellow in the Business Alliance for Local Living Economy between 2016 and 2017. 

In 2012, she received a Special Invitation to the White House on Combating Human Trafficking.

The California State University of Northridge Women and Gender Studies Department presented her with the Phenomenal Women Award on November 3, 2012 where she was also a commencement speaker. 

On June 29, 2012, she was bestowed the Royal Decoration of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn from His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej for her tireless service to the Thai community abroad. 

She also received written honors from Congresswoman Karen Bass that were included in the Congressional record for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2012. 

She served on the Union Bank Community Advisory Board for three years between 2008 and 2011 and was chair in her last year. The members help guide the bank in its community reinvestment activities and outreach efforts in low and moderate income communities. 

On September 28, 2005, she was confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council as Commissioner for the Central Area Planning Commission upon being appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and later by Mayor Eric Garcetti. She ended her service as commissioner in 2013 after serving her second term as Vice Chair. 

In 2001, the California Wellness Foundation selected her as a Violence Prevention Initiative Fellow. 

She is also a recipient of a number of awards and honors, including the Rotary Club of Thai Town Community Service Award, KCET/PBS SoCal Local Hero Award, the Museum of Social Justice Social Justice Award, the Thai New Year’s Day Founder Award, UCLA Our Stories, Our Impact Award, Lotus Festival Community Service Award, Artists Against Oppression Award, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Award presented by Los Angeles Councilmember David Ryu, Asian Pacific American Institute of Congressional Studies Award, Organization of Chinese Americans Award, Thai Association of Southern California Outstanding Service Award, Asian Americans For Equality Dream of Equality Award, Assemblyman Mike Eng Inclusionary Award, Assemblyman Kevin De Leon API Heritage Month Honoree Award, State Senator Curren Price Sheroes Award, Thai Association of Southern California Exemplary Leadership Award, Kasertsart University Alumni Association of USA Advocate Award, KCET Unsung Hero Award, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics Leadership Award, Asian Pacific Women’s Network Women Warrior Award, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Distinguished Service Award, Korean Immigrant Workers’ Advocates Solidarity Award, Asian Business Association Asian American Leadership Award, Los Angeles Women’s Foundation Mentor Award, Los Angeles City Commission on the Status of Women Woman of Courage Award, and a Certificate of Recognition from Assemblyman Luis Caldera for “A Woman Making A Difference in the Heart of Los Angeles.” 

Martorell has been married to her husband, Esteban Martorell since 1994 and has two grown sons. 

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Panida Rzonca

Directing Attorney

Panida Rzonca is Directing Attorney at the Thai Community Development Center where she manages the delivery of comprehensive social and legal services to victims, which includes assistance in reporting trafficking to law enforcement and assisting victims to obtain immigration status, restitution, and ultimately, justice. ​​Her experience includes representing 25 victims of sex trafficking who were called upon to testify in United States v. Michael Morris, et al. and United States v. Sumalee Intarathong, et al. where 36 defendants were found guilty by a federal jury. Additionally, she provides immigration remedies to victims through the T Visa and other means. Panida provided immigration services and referrals to hundreds of victims involved in the Global Horizons Thai agricultural labor trafficking case. She also administered claims for the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission connected with the EEOC v. Global Horizons., et al. amounting to over $12M restored to victims.

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Christine O’Connor

Communications Director

Christine O’Connor is the Communications Director at Thai CDC where she guides the organization’s internal and external comms strategy. She brings more than a decade of experience to the role, including five years in social impact and environmental sustainability. Prior to this position, she was a PR account manager at Thinkshift Communications where she worked with sustainable businesses and nonprofits on promoting their work in fields like regenerative finance, streetside services, and fair-chance employment. Before that, she served as Press Director on David Kim’s 2020 people-powered congressional campaign. She specializes in human-centered storytelling and deeply understands how factors like income level, race, language, age, resource access, and health intersect to inform the human experience.  She grew up in Connecticut and moved to Los Angeles after earning a BS in Public Relations from Boston University. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, scrapbooking, and attending live music events.

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Pornlert Pongsamart

Thai Town Marketplace Operations Manager

Pornlert Pongsamart  grew up in Bangkok, Thailand and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Statistics in 1986 and a MBA in 2003 from Ramkhamhaeng University Thailand. He also received the CIPS Level III – Certificate of Purchasing & Supply from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply in England. He was also a Faculty Member of Blue Ocean Strategy of Blue Ocean Strategy Network INSEAD in France.

He spent twenty years working in the supply chain management of manufacturing companies from overseas such as Thainox Stainless Public Company Limited of France, Golden Foods Siam Ltd. of England, and Ingredion Inc. of Illinois, USA. And the latest company he worked for was Stars Microelectronics PCL of Thailand before he moved to the USA for his permanent residency. His work experience in Thailand also includes managing a food court in the Siam Paragon shopping center and the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex as the part of his family business.

After moving to Los Angeles, he became employed as the Operations Manager of the Thai Town Market Place, a project of Thai CDC.

To stay healthy, he plays badminton every week and he would like to be a swimming instructor in his spare time.

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Phatchara Udomsin

Staff Attorney

Phatchara Udomsin is bilingual in Thai and English. He has a Bachelor of Law from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. He also has a Masters of Law and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi. Udomsin has worked as an intern for Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While in law school in the United States, he worked as a Law Clerk for the Hawai’i Immigrant Justice Center where he helped the staff attorney with T-visa (visa for trafficking victims) applications for Thai labor trafficking victims. He is presently working as a Staff Attorney for Thai CDC where he continues to help trafficking victims. He is also a member of the Thai American Bar Association and is barred in the State of California.

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Kobkaew Field (P’Kung)

Office Assistant

Farland Field (Kung) was born in Bangkok, Thailand.  She received her B.A.
in Education from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in Thailand.  In 2004,
she emigrated from Thailand to join her husband in the United States.
In 2006, she became aware of Thai CDC through reading a local Thai
newspaper article.  Thai CDC’s work piqued her curiosity, and she decided
to volunteer at the center.  After 8 months of volunteering, she was
hired as Thai CDC’s Office Assistant.  In her spare time, she loves to travel, read books, curate, watch movies, and cook.

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Cathy Taylor

Accountant

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Compton, CA, Cathy has a bachelor’s degree in Financial Accounting from National University in La Jolla, CA.

She has 15 years of accounting experience in corporate, property management and non-profit accounting (i.e., First 5 LA, Step Up On Second, Big Brother, WLCAC, Relief International, LA Universal Preschool, LA Homeless Services Authority). She has also worked with the City of Los Angeles, Public Works and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Child Support as a Sr. Clerk Typist and Clerk Typist.

In addition, she is a 21 year retired Air Force Air National Guardswoman who was stationed in San Diego, CA (147^th Combat Communications Squadron). She retired at the rank of E-7, Master Sergeant and was the facility manager of the data communications center which was worldwide deployable.

When she first enlisted, the communications center was using paper tape and transitioned to data cards, cassette tapes, floppy disks, cd’s and now use flash drives.

During the tax season (January – April), she interviews and prepares income taxes for individuals and sole proprietors. She has been an income tax preparer for 16 years.

Her hobbies are bowling, watching sports, listening to jazz and cooking soul food.

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Adul Doheng

Director of Community Economic Development

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Korakot Sarunchartinonth

Community Health Worker

Korakot Sarunchartinonth moved to Thai Town from Bangkok, Thailand, where he was born. As he spent most of his childhood growing up in Thai Town before moving with his family to South LA where he graduated from high school and attended UCLA.He worked at UCLA’s cross-cultural center, the Community Programs Office (CPO) during his time as an undergraduate intern before being promoted to Assistant Office Manager. Through his work in the CPO, he became more involved with the retention and outreach programs on campus. Through the Vietnamese Student Union, he became the coordinator of project SEA CLEAR which focuses on the retention of Southeast Asian students in higher education, and Project HOPE, which focuses on high school student access to higher education. Wanting to continue working with Southeast Asian communities beyond graduation, he began seeking opportunities outside of UCLA. While working in CPO, he connected the Thai Community Development Center, and began working as an intern in 2019. Today he works as the Community Health Worker for Thai CDC, outreaching to community members about the Covid-19.  

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Kevin Vazquez

East Hollywood Certified Farmers’ Market Manager

Kevin Vazquez Cabrera is Thai CDC’s East Hollywood Farmer’s Market Manager, where he oversees the general operations and daily activities of the market. He is a first-generation Mexican American originally from Lancaster, CA, and has spent the majority of his career working in the the real estate and business sector. Kevin originally joined Thai CDC as a CalFresh Enrollment Specialist in 2021 before taking on the Farmer’s Market Manager position. In his free time, Kevin is pursuing a certificate in financial investments. 

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Jason Bautista

Administrator/Community and Civic Engagement Associate

Jason Bautista was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, earning his B.A. in Political Science and minor in Asian American Studies in 2019. He was also active in queer, Filipino, and Asian student organizations where he found his passion in community organizing and social advocacy work. Jason was introduced to Thai CDC after meeting Chancee at an Asian American Studies service-learning course that paired students with API nonprofits in Los Angeles. 

Shortly after graduating, Jason began his internship at Thai CDC and worked on projects such as the 2020 Census and drafting outreach materials for the COVID Vaccination Clinics. In October 2022, he joined Thai CDC staff as Office Administrator where he coordinates and manages office operations, logistics, and procedures. In December 2022, Jason expanded his role at Thai CDC to become the Community & Civic Engagement Associate. In this capacity, he focuses on systemic changes in policy, with the aim of uplifting the vibrant yet underprivileged and underserved immigrant communities in Los Angeles, drawing on his background in grassroots organizing within the Filipino community.

In his spare time, Jason likes to go cafe-hopping, cooking, and taking long walks throughout the city.

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Parit Kasemsri พริษฐ์เกษมศรี

Small Business Counselor

Parit Kasemsri is a first generation Thai-American from the greater Los Angeles area. Their professional background is in event marketing and social media. Parit graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising with an Associates in Fashion Design and continued their education at California State University, Northridge earning a B.A. in Marketing and minoring in Asian American Studies. During his time at CSUN, Parit was involved in the Asian American Studies Department working as an administrative assistant and student mentor for the Asian American Studies Pathways Project. Through the project, he was able to create events that encouraged students to connect socially and showcase their artistic talents. In his spare time, Parit likes to spend time attending art galleries, cooking and exploring with his friends. 

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Brenda Romero

Research Associte, Thai CDC Center for Health Equity

Brenda Romero Granados was born and raised in South Central LA. She earned her Bachelor degree in Public Health at California State University, Los Angeles. She is a research assistant for the SEA US, HEAR US project, which aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asians. Brenda has extensive experience in mixed-method research, participant recruitment & retention and data management. She now works with Thai CDC as a Research Associate, where she will work with Thai CDC’s East Hollywood Certified Farmers’ Market and Center for Health Equity to continue the fight against food insecurity.

As a first-generation Salvadorean-American in Los Angeles, Brenda aims to work with the people in her community to provide them with the resources necessary to achieve health equity. In her spare time, Brenda enjoys discovering new music and reading webtoons.

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Khemmaporn “Khemm” Poosanapokai

Organizer, Thai Workers Center

Khemm is a mother and worker organizer. She joined Thai CDC as a Thai Workers Center Organizer and performs outreach in the Thai Community. She is a lived experience expert who advocates for the rights of Thai migrant workers and ensures that they have access to social and legal services. Khemmaporn was born and raised in Chon-Buri, Thailand. Before immigrating, she worked at a Bangkok based technology company and graduated from Chonradsaddornumrun School.  Her hobbies include gardening, climbing, hiking, and scuba diving.

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Thirapimol “A” Serirangsan

Human Resources Coordinator

Thirapimol was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Chulalongkorn University in Political Science with a minor in Government. She received her Master of Arts degree in Human Resource from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. She has been working in the area of Human Resource for eight years including for a Thai energy company and a Thai bank providing staffing analysis, performance evaluation, and promotion and talent management, staff recruitment, and implementation of overall HR policy for different business units. She also worked for the international company, Sony Thai, which provided her an opportunity to work in human resource in a multicultural environment. She brings to human resource, empathy, interpersonal skills and an open-minded attitude. During her spare time, she enjoys staying home with her family and cats, watching movies, and cooking.

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Michelle Rivera

Community Planner

Michelle Rivera is a Community Planner at the Thai CDC, where she focuses on the Thai Town Enhancement Plan which involves developing a Community Design Overlay, improving existing public monuments, and contributing to various beautification projects.

Originally from East Salinas, California, Michelle grew up in a family of Driscoll farmworkers. Experiencing the socioeconomic disparities in her community fueled her commitment to anti-poverty initiatives. She earned a B.A. in International Relations from UC Davis, where she was actively involved in political organizing with Students for Justice in Palestine and co-founded the American Association of University Women UCD Chapter.

After graduating, Michelle joined Thai CDC as an AmeriCorps VISTA and later transitioned to a full-time role as Project Manager for the East Hollywood Certified Farmers’ Market. Her experiences there motivated her to pursue a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), with a focus on Design and Development, which she completed at UCLA in 2024. Through the UCLA MURP program, she temporarily lived abroad in Paris, France to study at the Urban School of Sciences Po in late 2023. 

In her free time, Michelle volunteers with her neighborhood council, manages the MacArthur Park Buy Nothing Group, enjoys thrifting, and explores new pop-up markets in LA.

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Allanah Sorianoivera

Grants and Fund Development Coordinator

Allanah Soriano was born in Pampanga, Philippines and is completing her studies at the University of California Los Angeles, studying Sociology and Asian American Studies. As a first-generation Filipino-American, she prioritizes community upliftment and grassroots organization. Previously, she worked as a Teaching Fellow for Teach For America and a Library Assistant at UCLA Young Research Library. Introduced to Thai CDC as an intern during an Asian American Studies service-learning course that paired students with AAPI nonprofits in Los Angeles, she researched labor exploitation in the poultry industry to unionize transnational workers and provide legal referrals for work visas. 

As a Grants and Fund Development Coordinator, Allanah assists in conducting research and following up on grant and funding opportunities, drafting and assembling grant applications, attending weekly grants meetings, and following up with prospective donors. Additionally, Allanah will assist with planning fundraising events and attend staff and committee meetings to report out and participate in meetings with the Executive Director and funders.

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Kittima Chambers

Program Associate

Kittima Chambers holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. Following her undergraduate education, she commenced her professional career at Manager Media Group as a News Reporter, specializing in business and economics.

Subsequently, She pursued advanced education, obtaining a Master of Business Administration from Assumption University (ABAC) and a Master of Business Economics from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA).

During her academic tenure in the United States, she served as an Intern at Thai Town Newspaper and Singha Corporation, where she facilitated coordination for various events within the Thai community.

Upon completion of her studies, Kittima returned to Thailand. There, she assumed the position of Marketing Executive at several e-commerce enterprises, including Hotelthailand.com and Thailand.com, through which she developed extensive knowledge and experience in online marketing strategies.

She later relocated to the United States and acquired U.S. citizenship. Her initial employment in the U.S. was as a Thai Medical Interpreter at the non-profit community clinic, Asian Pacific Health Care Venture in Los Angeles.

This position reflects her commitment to assisting low-income patients, seniors, and Thai nationals with limited English proficiency.

Her responsibilities included facilitating communication between healthcare providers and patients to ensure accurate health information exchange and proper understanding of prescribed treatments.

Additionally, she provided assistance with appointment scheduling, documentation completion, and follow-up procedures.

Currently, Kittima serves as a Program Associate at the Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC).

In this capacity, her primary responsibilities include coordinating the Asian Pacific Islander Human Trafficking Task Force as well as managing public relations and strengthening connections between the Thai community and the organization.

Furthermore, she is tasked with promoting the organization’s activities, news, and events along with future projects.

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Martin Guadron

Market Manager

Martin Guadron grew up close to LA and was raised in Inglewood, California. He is a first-generation college student and holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cal State Long Beach. Being close to LA, Martin understood those who were affected by long-term poverty and lack of opportunity. During the pandemic, Martin worked at Trader Joe’s as a Grocer, where he realized that many people needed to feed their families. Seeing the needs, he wanted to work for a non-profit organization. For a short period, he worked at LAX. He strives to help those in need.

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Napatsawan Sangthip

Community Planner

Napatsawan, or Napat, is originally from Thailand, where she spent most of her life. With a background in Urban Design and Regional Planning, she worked for several years as an urban designer and researcher before relocating to Los Angeles. Her diverse experiences also include volunteering as an art teacher for children, working in childcare, conducting research, and freelancing in design.
Napat is passionate about cities and communities. She loves exploring neighborhoods, people-watching, urban sketching, and engaging with anything creative. Above all, she enjoys working with communities and believes that everyone’s voice matters.

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Nongnapus Phuangthong

Health Navigator

Nongnapus (Nong-na-pat) or Mild, is proudly rooted in her Thai heritage as she immigrated to America at the age of 5. Mild graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) in 2020. During her senior year at CSULA, Mild and her colleagues published a research study called “Ethnic and racial differences in motion sickness” and was presented to the Western Psychological Association (WPA) conference in 2020. Mild previously worked closely with an internist at a family medicine clinic as a medical scribe, where she developed strong skills in patient care support and clinical documentation. She is passionate about advocating accessible healthcare for her community as a future Physician Assistant (PA). Her background has instilled her with deep appreciation for the community, compassion, and resilience.

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Rinrada Jongthawornsatit

BIA Legal Representative

Rinrada Jongthawornsatit was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. She earned her LL.B. from Chulalongkorn University and her LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, and also completed the Thai Bar Association’s Barrister-at-Law program. She previously interned with a human rights organization in Cairo, Egypt, and has several years of experience as a licensed attorney at international law firms and a public company in Thailand. Having recently moved to Los Angeles, Rinrada is deeply committed to supporting the Thai immigrant community. Her own immigration experience, combined with her legal background, drives her passion to make legal systems more accessible and empowering for others. In her free time, she enjoys art, spending time in nature, and especially loves drawing.

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Usa Prompongsatorn

Organizational Resilience Officer

Usa Prompongsatorn was born in Chinatown, Los Angeles and spent her early childhood growing up in a textile factory in the Fashion District at 6th and San Pedro. The first in her Thai Chinese family born in the United States, Usa is a proud Angeleno who speaks Thai and Spanish and is a bridge builder across cultures, race, ethnicities and class. 

Usa is a PhD candidate at Fielding Graduate University with a degree in Human Development and concentration in Inclusive Leadership for Social Justice. Usa’s doctorate research explores Thai American women’s experiences of spirituality, healing, and sociopolitical development. 

As a nonprofit executive, Usa has held roles as Co-Executive Director of Organizational Development at generative somatics and Interim Co-Executive Director at Bay Area nonprofit, Transform. She is passionate about supporting people, designing effective infrastructure, and optimizing the impact of visionary organizations. Usa is honored to be part of the Thai CDC team.

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Panadda (Pinky) Wong

Residential Services Coordinator

Dedicated and compassionate professional with extensive experience supporting elderly and physically challenged residents in housing and healthcare settings. Proven ability to coordinate care across multiple organizations, build effective partnerships with social service agencies and healthcare providers, and ensure residents’ comprehensive needs are met through appropriate services. Skilled in developing transition plans in collaboration with hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and families to facilitate smooth and supportive care transitions.

Previous Roles

• Patient Care Coordinator, Chinatown Service Center – MPK Hope Resiliency Center
• Program Director, Gateways Hospital
• Private Caregiver for elderly client with Alzheimer’s disease

Education – Associate of Arts in Humanities, Cerritos College, 1983

Interests – Swimming, badminton, bowling, real estate investment, and property management

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Chandi Gordon

Project Manager

South LA born and raised, Chandi (“Shan-dee”) is an avid nature lover, changemaker, and just urban designer. In the past, Chandi has worked in toxicology, food waste prevention, children’s literacy, extreme heat planning, and more but has recently been focused on increasing equitable transportation access for underserved communities. The daughter of a Belizean single mother, Chandi’s passion for the environment has driven her to study environmental science and urban and regional planning. Championing sustainability, equity, and inclusivity, Chandi aims to incorporate her knowledge and creativity, into projects with Thai CDC that bolster and empower communities of color.  

Chandi’s ultimate goal is to ensure that generations that follow her can live and grow in an environment that is accessible and considerate of their needs. 

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Chancee June

Project Coordinator/Artist in Residence

Chancee June is a Los Angeles based visual artist that utilizes her Buddhist practices to create art with a mindful eye. Chancee’s work spreads across multiple mediums but mainly encompasses cinematography, painting, and fashion. With a soul connection to the sun, her visual identity highlights the true essence of the world through colorful perceptions that spark the imagination. She studied film and television at Columbia College Hollywood in California. During her studies, she aimed to deepen her relationship with our planet by restricting excessive consumerism and focused on curating her work with secondhand materials, viewing it as a lifelong commitment to sustainability and eco-consciousness. Her ongoing affinity with the natural world has now developed a new phase of practice by taking her artistry underwater in efforts to create films related to ocean conservation. Chancee’s work is rooted in the commitment to be faithful to herself, the process, the truth her eyes touch, and the creative impulses that seek expression. In doing such, she takes the world as it’s offered to her imagination and makes more of it, something so limitless that it wouldn’t exist without her consciousness.

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Rachapoll Phromyarat

Thai Bilingual Law Clerk

Originally from Thailand, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Cal Stat Fullerton, a Bachelor of Laws from Ramkhamhaeng University, a Master’s in Political Science from Waseda University, and recently earned his LL.M. from UCLA School of Law with a focus on Immigration and Entertainment Law. Rachapoll brings experience working with international clients, law firms, and political campaigns in Thailand. He is fluent in Thai and English, speaks intermediate Japanese. His passion for supporting immigrant communities was shaped by his work at the UCLA Immigration Clinic, where he assisted Thai families with asylum and SIJS cases.

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Sirinporn (Beau) Herabat

Branding Specialist

Sirinporn (Beau) Herabat is the Branding Specialist at Thai CDC, leading brand strategy, corporate design, and digital communications to ensure all visual materials reflect the organization’s mission and values. She has designed for nonprofit organizations in the United States as well as Thai businesses in the retail and restaurant sectors, bringing clarity and consistency to community-focused communications. Previously in Thailand, she worked at an advertising agency, a real estate development company, and co-founded a design consultancy serving entrepreneurs and business owners. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Creative Arts from Chulalongkorn University and a certificate in Graphic Design from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. In her free time, she volunteers with AIGA (the American Institute of Graphic Arts) Portland to support the local design community.

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