Meet Yến
I am a longtime Olympian with strong ties to this community. Born and raised in the area from refugee parents, my family owns a small business in downtown Olympia. I am a first generation college graduate. I earned my Associate in Business from South Puget Sound Community College. I also earned my Bachelor of Art, with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Business Management as well as my Master of Public Administration, with an emphasis in Public Policy, at The Evergreen State College. I am a current member of the Leadership Thurston County cohort.
I serve as the Director of Equity at the Washington State Department of Corrections, working to enhance organizational culture and processes, with the ultimate goal of increasing re-entry and reducing recidivism. My prior public service experience includes increasing equity in public spending for small and diverse businesses at the Washington State Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises, lobbying for national poverty lifting tax policies and global health initiatives, and working with marginalized youth for GED attainment and college access.
I was appointed to the Olympia City Council on January 2021, selected from a field of 28 candidates, and elected by the community on November 2021. I currently serve as Chair of the Council's Community Livability and Public Safety Committee.
Some key accomplishments during my first term include:
- Helped establish Olympia’s first Social Justice & Equity Commission
- Increased police accountability through implementation of body worn cameras
- Helped initiate an equity and climate framework for all city policies and programs
- Actively supported the Inspire Olympia arts & cultures grant program initiative
- Supported a grant program for minority-owned start-up businesses
- Currently working to form Olympia’s first Youth Council
Since joining the Council, I have served on:
- Community Livability & Public Safety Committee
- Tribal Relations Working Group
- Law & Justice Council
- Finance Committee
- Land Use & Environment Committee
- Thurston Economic Development Council Board
- Center for Business & Innovation Board
- Thurston Climate Action Steering Committee
- Regional Fire Authority Planning Committee
- Coalition of Neighborhood Associations
If re-elected, I will continue to work with my colleagues on these essential issues, and together we will help Olympia move into the future, realizing its full potential.
