Catherine Yang
Catherine Yang is the Founder and CEO of Thriving Dot, a marketing agency that helps women-owned businesses grow through strategy, storytelling, and digital marketing. With over 10 years of marketing experience, including 8+ years in tech managing large advertising budgets, she has helped businesses generate more than $5 million in revenue while building brands that create meaningful, lasting impact.
As a Hmong woman, entrepreneur, and mother of three, Catherine's leadership has been shaped by navigating the tension between being a Hmong nyab, honoring cultural traditions and redefining what leadership looks like for Hmong women and daughters. Rather than separating her identity from her work, she has embraced it using her voice to challenge expectations, create opportunities for others, and build spaces where women can lead authentically.
She also developed Thriving Circle, a growing community dedicated to connecting, supporting, and empowering women through meaningful relationships, honest conversations, and shared growth. Through her work, Catherine is passionate about helping women step into their own power and leadership, creating pathways for the next generation to thrive.
NouaChi Vang
NouaChi Vang is a Hmong-American, first-generation professional and daughter of political refugees, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, entrepreneur, author, and financial educator with more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.
NouaChi’s story began with the courage and sacrifice of the Hmong people who came to the United States as refugees after the Vietnam War, carrying with them very little materially, but tremendous hope for a better future for their children.
For many Hmong families, limited English, little formal education, and unfamiliarity with the American economic system made finding well-paying work difficult. Many turned to farming because working the land was what they knew, a way they understood how to work hard, provide for their families, and survive.
NouaChi grew up in one of those farming families. She witnessed the resilience of her community and the financial struggles many families like hers were surviving in - She learned at a young age that hard work alone did not always lead to financial security when people lacked access to financial knowledge, resources, and opportunities.
As a young girl, NouaChi made a promise to herself: she would find a pathway out of poverty—and if she found it, she would help others find their way too. This promise has guided her for more than two decades and continues to guide her.
Today, NouaChi is the Founder and Managing Director of NouaChi Vang Financial Services LLC, where she helps individuals, families, professionals, and business owners make thoughtful financial planning decisions, build and preserve wealth, and create a stronger and better financial future for themselves and their loved ones.
Dr. Pakou Yang
Dr. Pakou Yang currently serves as President of Normandale Community College, the largest two-year college in the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities, serving nearly 17,000 students annually.
Pakou began her presidential appointment in April 2026. She is the sixth individual to serve as president of Normandale Community College and the first Hmong American president of a college or university in the United States.
Pakou started her career as a faculty member at Century College and has held senior leadership roles including Provost/Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, Vice President of Student Affairs, and Dean at Century College and as System Director for P-20 and College Readiness at the Minnesota State System Office.
With over two decades of experience in higher education, she is a champion for college access and student success and is deeply committed to uplifting communities through education and opportunity.
Pakou is known for her servant leadership and commitment to building inclusive, student-ready institutions. She has forged strong partnerships across educational partners, community-based organizations, and business and industry to advance educational equity and workforce development.
Pakou holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, a master’s from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.