Mimi Nguyễn  is a San Jose native, born and raised by Vietnamese immigrant parents. As a product of the East Side Union High School District, she graduated from the University of California, Davis and receive her B.A. in Economics and Communications and a Minors in Managerial Economics. She then received her J.D. from Golden Gate University. 

Mimi has dedicated her career to public interest work. Her desire for supporting the immigrant population stems from her parent’s refugee journey and the discrimination that they faced within the United States. As the Executive Director for Step Forward Foundation, she is able to fulfill her passion of giving back, to fight injustices, and uplift marginalized communities through the amazing work of the organization and her team. Her goals are to continue to reunite families, assist individuals in gaining legal status and empower them to fully live their lives. She believes her clients can write the next chapters of their lives by taking a step forward.

Mimi’s notable experiences include being involved in human trafficking operations with law enforcement agencies to assist survivors with their legal needs; and she volunteered to assist women and children in Dilley, Texas’ detention center with their asylum claims. Mimi has also helped those in deportation proceedings re-obtain their green cards.

Mimi applies a social justice and racial equity lens to transform the nonprofit sector to create a more IDEAL (inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, and liberating) workplace {cen.org}. Mimi also serves on the board of the Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) and the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California (VABANC).