Bo Thao-Urabe

{{Infobox person

|name = Bo Thao-Urabe

|image = File:Bo Thao-Urabe.jpg

|caption = Thao-Urabe speaking at the Marshall Space Flight Center

|birth_date =

|birth_place =

|death_date =

|death_place =

|other_names =

|known_for = social entrepreneurial

|occupation = social entrepreneur

}}

Bo Thao-Urabe (born 1973) is a social entrepreneur who has founded numerous organizations and efforts to advance social justice. A sought after leader, Thao-Urabe has served the community in local, state and national settings. She was appointed as a Regent to the University of Minnesota by Governor Walz in 2021.{{cite web | title=Walz appoints Hmong leader to serve on University of Minnesota's Board of Regents | website=startribune.com | date=2021-08-21 | url=https://m.startribune.com/walz-appoints-hmong-leader-to-serve-on-university-of-minnesota-s-board-of-regents/600090649/ | access-date=2019-03-25}} President Obama appointed Thao-Urabe as a Commissioner to the President’s White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.{{cite web | title=White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders | website=Former Commissioners | url=https://sites.ed.gov/aapi/former-commissioners/ | access-date=2019-03-25}}{{cite web | title=Bo Thao-Urabe nominated to President's AAPI Commission | website=Asian American Press | date=2015-10-02 | url=http://aapress.com/ethnicity/hmong/bo-thao-urabe-nominated-to-presidents-aapi-commission/ | access-date=2019-03-25}} She has also served as Senior Director at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP).{{cite web | title=Bo Thao-Urabe | website=AAPIP | date=2011-01-10 | url=https://aapip.org/bo-thao-urabe | access-date=2019-03-25}} She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Bush Fellowship from the Bush Foundation in 2019.{{cite web | title=Eagan resident named Bush Fellow | website=hometownsource.com | date=2017-10-12 | url=https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_thisweek/community/eagan/eagan-resident-named-bush-fellow/article_1f8fede4-4c10-11e9-8069-af34558b6014.html | access-date=2019-03-25}}

Early life and education

Thao-Urabe was born in Laos.{{cite web | title=Bo Thao-Urabe and Otis Zanders receive 2018 Facing Race awards | website=SPMCF | url=https://www.spmcf.org/bo-thao-urabe-and-otis-zanders-receive-2018-facing-race-awards | access-date=2019-03-25}}{{cite web | title=Meet Bo Thao-Urabe | website=Pollen | date=2016-02-26 | url=https://www.pollenmidwest.org/stories/meet-bo-thao-urabe/ | access-date=2019-03-25}} Her family is Hmong and fled to Thailand after the Secret War in Laos, a covert operation by the CIA during the Vietnam War. They spent three years in a refugee camp and immigrated to the United States in 1979.{{cite web | title=Seeking Peace, Security, and Home: Our Journeys as Refugees | website=whitehouse.gov | date=2015-12-18 | url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/12/18/seeking-peace-security-and-home-our-journeys-refugees | access-date=2019-03-25}} She received a B.S. from the University of Minnesota and lives in Minnesota.

Career and community activism

In 2012, she founded the Building More Philanthropy with Purpose (BMPP) Giving Circle with Kaohly Her and Terri Thao, {{cite web |date=2016-11-01 |title=Evolving American philanthropy |url=https://www.womenspress.com/evolving-american-philanthropy |access-date=2016-11-01 |website=womenspress.com}} which brings Asian American families together to pool their resources together to fund social justice causes in the Upper Midwest. As of 2024, the BMPP Giving Circle has raised $300,000 for projects.{{Cite web |title=Innovations in Philanthropy: Building More Philanthropy with Purpose Giving Circle |url=https://tcbmag.com/honors/innovations-in-philanthropy-building-more-philanthropy-with-purpose-giving-circle/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Twin Cities Business |language=en-US}} The following year, Thao-Urabe co-founded the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL).{{cite web |date=2021-05-19 |title=‘America is not somebody else; America is us’: Civil rights organizer Bo Thao-Urabe wants Minnesota to measure success differently. |url=https://sahanjournal.com/race/conversations-around-race-and-racial-justice/bo-thao-urabe-caal-minnesota/ |website=sahanjournal.com}} The CAAL sought to create a leadership network representative of the Asian Populations in Minnesota and together they provide policy recommendations. She acted as the Executive and Network Director until 2022, when she transitioned into a Senior Advisor role. {{Cite web |last=Gay |first=Julia |date=2022-02-09 |title=CAAL Announces New Executive Leadership |url=https://caalmn.org/2022/02/09/caal-announces-new-executive-leadership/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=CAAL |language=en-US}} In 2014, Thao-Urabe founded and served as the Chief Operating Officer of RedGreen Rivers, a social enterprise which develops and connects women artisans in Southeast Asia to global markets.

Apart from her entrepreneurship pursuits, Bo Thao-Urabe has been elected and appointed to a multitude of philanthropy driven boards. In 2022, she joined Drake Bank's Board of Directors.{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Hailey |date=2020-07-09 |title=Drake Bank Welcomes Bo Thao-Urabe and Richard Wanke to its Board of Directors » Drake Bank |url=https://drake-bank.com/drake-bank-welcomes-bo-thao-urabe-and-richard-wanke-to-its-board-of-directors/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Drake Bank |language=en-US}} Drake Bank is an independent bank in St. Paul, MN. In 2023 alone, she was elected to both the Minnesota Public Radio Board of Trustees and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation Board of Directors.{{Cite web |title=Foundation Announces New Board… |url=https://spmcf.org/blog/2023-board-members-elected |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=kevincarter |date=2023-01-04 |title=MPR Bolsters Board Of Trustees With Thao-Urabe |url=https://ramp247.com/executive-action/mpr-bolsters-board-of-trustees-with-thao-urabe/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=RAMP - Radio and Music Pros |language=en-US}}

Awards and recognition

Bo Thao-Urabe has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Bush Fellowship from the Bush Foundation in 2019. Many of her honors come from the Minnesota community, such as being recognized as the Minnesota's Association of Fundraising Professional's 2020 Philanthropy Day Award Honoree.{{Cite web |title=2020 National Philanthropy Day Award Honoree - AFP Minnesota Chapter |url=https://www.afpminnesota.org/afpminnesotachapter/events/npd/bo-thao-urabe |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=www.afpminnesota.org |language=en}} Her commitment extends beyond the realm of philanthropy, as seen when she was awarded the Facing Race award in 2018 from the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation for her work with CAAL.{{Cite web |title=Facing Race Awards {{!}} Anti-Racism… |url=https://spmcf.org/what-we-do/facing-race-awards |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation |language=en}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=aoYqrkeHXv_S0B6G&v=pfub0s41uz0&feature=youtu.be |title=Bo Thao-Urabe - 2018 Facing Race Award Recipient |date=2018-10-02 |last=Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation |access-date=2024-12-04 |via=YouTube}} Both Saint Paul Mayor Coleman and Governor Mark Dayton declared November 1 as Bo Thao-Urabe Day.

References

External links

[https://www.rootedtolast.org Rooted to Last]
[https://www.redgreenrivers.com/Default.asp RedGreen Rivers]
[https://www.bmppgiving.org BMPP Giving Circle]
[https://www.caalmn.org Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL)]

Category:1973 births

Category:American social entrepreneurs

Category:American people of Hmong descent

Category:Living people

Category:University of Minnesota alumni