Lily Pabian (Executive Director)
Lily Pabian joined We Love Buford Highway in 2019 as the agency’s executive director, bringing her over 30 years of experiences of developing a portfolio of skills within nonprofit, consultancy, and corporate sectors (B2B, B2C). Pabian served as a member of Fulton County’s School Governance Council and was a recipient of GADOE’s 2017 Parent Leadership Award. In 2021 and 2022, Pabian was recognized as Georgia Asian Times’ 25 Most Influential Asian Americans, was an honoree for the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, recognized as ABC’s Power 100: Atlanta’s Most Influential Advocates, and most recently Atlanta Magazine’s 500 Most Powerful Leaders and named Asian American Advancing Justice’s Rising Star Award recipient.
Van Pham (Board Chair)
Van Pham is a mixed-methods UX researcher at Delta Airlines, working to uncover user needs, pain points, and opportunities to shape more useful, inclusive digital products. Her work spans qualitative and quantitative research, with particular experience supporting enterprise products, AI-enabled experiences, and process improvements that help teams make clearer, more user-centered decisions.
Van moved to Georgia more than 20 years ago, and her family quickly found a sense of home along Buford Highway. For Van, Buford Highway has always been a living expression of belonging, resilience, entrepreneurship, and the many cultures that make metro Atlanta home.
She first connected with We Love Buford Highway as a volunteer during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawn to the organization’s direct support for immigrant and refugee families, she became a regular volunteer at Feeding Families. With a desire to deepen her contribution to the community and corridor that had given so much to her own family, Van then took on a more dedicated role as part of the planning committee for the inaugural FEAST fundraising gala, and later joined the organization’s Board of Directors. Now, as Board Chair, she is honored to help advance We Love Buford Highway’s work to celebrate, preserve, and support the people, businesses, and cultures that make the corridor the magical and unique place it is.
Outside of work and community service, Van enjoys cooking, dancing, discovering authentic meals, and gathering with family and friends.
Rachel Ezzo (Treasurer)
An Atlanta native, Rachel is the Director of Development for Atlanta Children’s Day Shelter, where she leads fundraising, communications, and community engagement efforts in support of children and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability. She has extensive experience in nonprofit development, communications, finance, and organizational strategy and is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).
Rachel earned a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Economics from Georgia State University and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia College & State University.
Deeply committed to Atlanta and its communities, Rachel was a founding board member of We Love Buford Highway and currently serves as Treasurer. She also serves on the board of the Greater Atlanta chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and as Board Chair of Urban Farm in Ormewood, a community-led nonprofit dedicated to preserving and activating a unique urban green space in southeast Atlanta.
Rachel lives in Atlanta with her husband, Zack, their son, Adam, and their two dogs, Mia and Darya.
Aixa M. Pascual (Secretary)
Aixa is an organizational leader with experience in external affairs, media, communications, marketing, publications, partnership development, and community engagement. She was a senior communications & marketing strategist for the Atlanta Regional Commission. Most recently, Aixa was managing director of communications/marketing, advocacy, community relations, and arts/culture at the Latin American Association, the largest agency in Georgia dedicated to serving Latino immigrants. Aixa moved to Atlanta in 2000 to work as a correspondent for BusinessWeek magazine. She worked as a Metro reporter for the AJC after that. Prior to moving to Georgia, Aixa worked on staff for Time and People magazines. A native of Puerto Rico, she started her journalism career the summer after graduating high school at El Nuevo Dia, the commonwealth’s largest newspaper. Aixa currently works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Seam Park
Seam Park is Associate General Counsel of CarMax, Inc., supporting CarMax's financial services-related business initiatives and products. Seam previously was a commercial litigation associate with Troutman Sanders, LLP (n/k/a Troutman Pepper) and has served as a mentor with Marietta Mentoring for Leadership, a board member of the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and a board member of the Korean-American Bar Association of Georgia. Seam's father owned and operated a small business on Buford Highway for over 10 years. A graduate of Emory University's Goizueta Business School and the Florida State University College of Law, Seam resides in Buckhead with his wife Jennifer and two sons, and enjoys cycling, basketball, hiking, and cheering on the Seminoles, Atlanta Hawks, and Atlanta United.
Kelsey Brantley
Kelsey Brantley connects Atlanta's nonprofits and social impact enterprises to funding. Passionate about driving social impact and building strong communities, Kelsey manages Atlanta Emerging Market Inc.'s impact lending programs while supporting New Market Tax Credits deployment, organizational marketing, and fundraising efforts. In past roles, she has served as Invest Atlanta Partnership's Interim Executive Director, advised public-private partnerships across the Southeast, supported economic development across Georgia, and facilitated comprehensive community engagement. As a Fulbright grant recipient in Mitrovicë, Kosovo, Kelsey researched post-conflict community reconstruction, and she holds a Master's of City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech. Most recently, Kelsey is a LEAD Atlanta Class of 2023 graduate, a member of the inaugural Atlanta Hawks SheLEADS program, and a Georgia Southern University 40 Under 40 honoree.
Diana Bui
Diana Bui is a leader in public service and nonprofit operations dedicated to advancing equity-centered programs that uplift immigrant and refugee communities. With more than a decade of experience, she has led multimillion-dollar, federally funded initiatives and built cross-sector partnerships across government, nonprofit, and community organizations.
Diana currently serves as Operations Director at the Asian American Advocacy Fund (AAAF), where she oversees operations, finance, and internal systems that power statewide AAPI civic engagement and advocacy. Previously, she served as a Portfolio Manager at AmeriCorps and held leadership roles at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS), supporting refugee and immigrant communities across metro Atlanta.
The daughter of Vietnamese refugees and a proud product of Atlanta's Buford Highway corridor, Diana brings both personal and professional commitment to the communities at the heart of her work. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University, serves on the Board of We Love Buford Highway and Georgians for Healthy Future, and is a member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2023.
Jacky Cheng
Jacky Cheng is Vice President of Finance at Bridge Logistics Properties, a real estate private equity firm focused on industrial real estate strategies, where he is primarily responsible for strategic portfolio and fund analysis, debt capital markets, asset valuations, and investor and compliance reporting. Prior to his current role, he worked at CBRE in institutional office investment sales and Truist Bank in commercial real estate debt originations and portfolio management. A proud graduate of Georgia Tech, Jacky currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. His accolades include receiving the U.S. Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce – Southeast’s Outstanding Asian American Award in 2021 and Georgia Tech’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2023. Jacky’s family owns a small food distribution business along the Buford Highway corridor, serving primarily Asian restaurants across metro Atlanta for more than two decades. Originally transplants from New York, his family found community and belonging in the corridor. To this day, he enjoys discovering authentic eats and creating invaluable memories with his family and friends on Buford Highway.
Vicky Mosca Gorham
Vicky Mosca Gorham moved to the United States from Uruguay with her family as a young child. After living in Queens, NY for 2 years she moved to Manor Ridge apartments on Buford Highway. After eight years in corporate insurance Vicky followed her entrepreneurial spirit, opening and operating a learning-based child center in Lilburn with her sister-in-law, and worked to secure Georgia’s Pre-K program designation. Vicky worked with largely first generation immigrant families, children and staff. As a native Spanish speaker, she was able to assist her families in their child’s education and help navigate parents through the educational system here in Georgia. Vicky obtained a Masters in Education from Georgia State University. She taught 5th grade at Camp Creek Elementary for 13 years. Now she and her college aged daughter live in Decatur where Vicky volunteers to help refugee girls acclimate to the educational system before attending middle or high school in Georgia.
Andrea Sieber
Andrea currently serves as the Georgia Power Area Manager for Dekalb County where she spearheads external activities, fosters relationships with elected officials, advocates for customers, and promote the Company’s business interests. Andrea Sieber is a seasoned leader with over 23 years of experience at Southern Company, having contributed across Gulf Power, Southern Company Services, and Georgia Power. Her career spans diverse areas including Marketing Services, Rates & Regulatory Matters, IT, Nuclear Development, Energy Efficiency, External Affairs, and Corporate Responsibility. Andrea played a pivotal role in the Vogtle 3&4 nuclear power plant project, leading investment recovery filings with the Georgia Public Service Commission. She also oversaw the design, evaluation, and regulatory compliance of Energy Efficiency programs in Integrated Resource Plan filings. Most recently, Andrea served as Chief of Staff to the SVP of Corporate Responsibility and the President & CEO of the Georgia Power Foundation. In this role, she supported strategic and tactical initiatives to enhance philanthropic investments and volunteer services, amplifying community impact. Andrea holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from the University of West Florida. She is deeply engaged in civic leadership, currently part of the 2026 Class of Leadership North Fulton, and a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett and Connect Florida. Her board service includes the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce, Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation, Gwinnett Chamber Foundation, and Exceptional Futures. A champion of diversity, Andrea is the past chair of the Asian Pacific American employee resource group and was honored among Georgia’s 25 Most Influential Asian American Pacific Islanders in 2024.
Angela Forero Vellino
Angela Vellino is the owner of Forero Design LLC., a branding firm. As the chief creative she develops design solutions, infusing creative vision to brands thru consistent and honest storytelling. Angela has years of experience developing exceptional creative and helping clients find their voice and grow their brand. She has worked on campaigns for Cartoon Network Latin America, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory, and Anthem. Her family is from Colombia and first came to NYC before setting roots in Atlanta. "We came to Atlanta not really knowing anyone and Buford Highway was our compass.” Angela’s passion for giving started in college when she enrolled at Americorps, there she served in Guatemala and in North Carolina. She now resides in Decatur after being a longtime Doraville resident, with her husband, and 2 energetic boys, who keep life beautiful and chaotic.
Brenda Tran
Brenda Tran is Lead Director of Development for Emory College of Arts and Sciences, where she secures principal and major gifts to power a rigorous liberal arts education supported by a top-tier research university. She began her career at Hands On Atlanta and brings over 20 years of fundraising expertise in individual, corporate, and foundation philanthropy and comprehensive campaigns. She led the fundraising strategy for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visits to Emory in 2010 and 2013—earning the CASE Grand Gold Medal and raising $700,000 from individuals nationwide for The Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics. A first-generation graduate of Emory University with an Executive MBA from Goizueta Business School, Brenda is committed to making higher education accessible and helping students dream boldly and build lives defined by possibility, not limitation. After her parents fled Saigon in 1975, Buford Highway became a place of belonging—where the scents and flavors of grocery stores and businesses told stories of struggle and perseverance. She believes that those often overlooked have the most powerful stories to tell and that everyone deserves to be seen, celebrated, and supported. Brenda resides in Norcross and enjoys cooking, yoga, and keeping handwritten notes alive.
Susan Oh (Advisory Council, Chair)
Susan Sim Oh is the Vice-President of Strategy and Operations for GrayTV's Telemundo Station group. In this role, Oh strategizes, develops and promotes overall strategy and best practices for news, programming, digital, OTT, marketing and sales for GrayTV's Telemundo station group. She serves as a liaison to Telemundo network, while identifying opportunities for growth among markets. Oh continues to oversee the strategic direction of Telemundo Atlanta, the largest Telemundo affiliate in the eastern United States. As Managing Partner for Telemundo Atlanta, she oversaw business development, distribution, programming, marketing and news operations for Telemundo Atlanta, a premier Spanish-language television station seen in Atlanta, Macon and Columbus, Georgia. Through Oh’s leadership, Telemundo Atlanta was the first local Spanish-language television station to consecutively garner the coveted ‘Overall Station Excellence’ Emmy® Award by the National Academy of Arts and Sciences in the Southeast region in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2022. Under Oh’s leadership, Telemundo Atlanta has garnered 61 Emmy® Awards over the last 10 years. In 2018, Oh founded Surge Digital Media, a premier full-service digital marketing agency that excels at video production, multi-cultural and multi-lingual marketing.