Photo: University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Josh Skluzacek Created: May 14, 2021 10:28 AM
The first Hmong person elected by the Minnesota Legislature to serve on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has died.
According to the university, Kao Ly Ilean Her died Thursday. She was 52.
Her was elected by the Legislature to a six-year term as a regent in 2019. She was also the first Hmong woman admitted to the Minnesota Bar Association, and was a committed activist for Asian Americans and a beloved member of the state s Hmong community, the university said.
She co-founded several nonprofits, including Allies for Mentoring Asian Youth, Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together, the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Dragon Festival on Lake Phalen. Her also served as a committee member for Maiv PAC as well as the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and as a trustee of the Minneapolis Fou