Admin
jonathan@ocaction.org
julie@ocaction.org
america@ocaction.org
isaiah@ocaction.org
Field
jazzmin@ocaction.org
rafael@ocaction.org
ian@ocaction.org
veronica@ocaction.org
Research
Our Team
Jonathan Paik · Executive Director
Julie Vo · Chief of Staff
America Monje · Finance & Administration Director
Isaiah Han · Operations Associate
Civic Engagement
Jazzmin Mercado · Civic Engagement Director
Rafael Vera · Civic Engagement Manager
Ian Kamus · Civic Engagement Manager
Veronica Miranda · Civic Engagement Manager
Research
Dan Ichinose · Research Director
Lisa Liu · Field Data Manager
Vorathip Plengpanit · Field Data Coordinator
Jonathan Paik
Executive Director
Jonathan Paik (JP) strives to transform Orange County by steering the collective power of local communities through organizing and civic engagement.
In 2015, JP organized Asian American and Latinx communities to challenge cities like Fullerton to transition from at-large to district elections, uplifting the voices of traditionally marginalized voters of color around issues like health care, housing, immigration, and education. In 2017, he helped organize young people to participate in national actions in Washington DC to demand passage of the DREAM Act from their local representatives. He was also involved in ballot measure campaigns in 2016, 2018 and 2020 that advanced critical economic and racial justice issues and congressional and county sheriff campaigns to promote bold new leadership in the region.
JP also currently serves on the board of the Alliance for Youth Action, a national youth network of civic engagement organizations that grow progressive people power across America by empowering local young people’s organizations to strengthen democracy, fix the economy, and correct injustices through on-the-ground organizing.
Before joining OC Action as Executive Director in 2019, he was Executive Director of the Korean Resource Center and KRC in Action, staffed numerous political campaigns, and worked as the Development and Operations Coordinator through the Bus Federation Civic Fund. JP is a graduate of UC Irvine with a degree in Political Science.
Julie Vo
Chief of Staff
Julie has more than twenty years of experience in nonprofit development and fundraising, youth development, and community arts, particularly in Orange County. Previously, she served as Policy Director with the Orange County Asian & Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) and Director of Development at a network of environmental justice-oriented green schools in Los Angeles.
She currently serves on the Board of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA), and Advisory Boards of Orange County Environmental Justice (OCEJ), and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative and organizes within a national network of Vietnamese movement builders. Julie is committed to developing powerful youth, promoting artistic expression as a way to nurture community, and building strategies for change within communities of color. She has taught at the National Academy of Social Sciences in Vietnam, and was awarded Best Advocacy Voice by New America Media (NAM). Julie holds a B.A. in Sociology and Asian American Studies and a minor in Education from UCLA.
America Monje
Finance & Administration Director
America graduated from the University of Colorado, Denver, where she majored in Political Science. During her college years, America interned at the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, where she actively participated in grassroots campaigns and provided assistance in various capacities.
Prior to moving to California, America worked at M&M and Sons trucking company, where she handled administrative and bookkeeping responsibilities, contributing to the smooth functioning of the company’s operations.
America’s professional experience includes serving as a Political Accounts Supervisor at Kaufman Legal Group, APC. In this role, she worked closely with candidates, elected officials, political committees, and non-profit organizations, managing their bank accounts and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local campaign finance laws.
Jazzmin Mercado
Civic Engagement Director
Jazzmin Mercado is a proud Ecuadorian womxn and mother that graduated from the California State University, Long Beach with a BA in Sociology. She started in civic engagement through Turning the Tide, a collaborative of youth of color that led congressional races in Orange County. She also developed a youth aimed six-month curriculum that builds leadership and awareness through the issues of education, housing, health, immigration, gender, and sexuality.
She is currently leading OC Action’s field and civic engagement strategy, coordinating programs that include voter mobilization and GOTV efforts, community education, leadership development, and community organizing.
Ian Kamus
Civic Engagement Manager
Ian has been involved with immigrant rights work since college at UC Irvine, where he advocated for more just policies alongside fellow immigrant students. After graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Sciences, Ian joined other young organizers at the Korean Resource Center to develop leadership and skills in civic engagement work.
In 2016, Ian joined the Pilipino Workers Center, organizing domestic workers and building power with the Filipino-American community in Los Angeles. He returns to Orange County as a Civic Engagement Manager for OC Action, eager to support transforming the county into the place that our communities deserve.
Veronica Miranda
Civic Engagement Manager
Veronica N. Miranda is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico. Her family came to the United States to provide a better life for their family. Veronica comes to her understanding of immigrants and immigration first hand, as she and her entire family lived in this country mixed statued. Veronica Miranda is a proud Xicana mother who graduated from CSUF with a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies in 2013.
She started her work in civic engagement in 2006 with HR 4437, which affected the immigration community. Veronica has experience running campaigns including field and civic engagement strategy, coordinating programs that include language access, community education and community organizing.
Veronica joined OC Action in 2024 as one of OC Action’s Civic Engagement Managers.
Dan Ichinose
Research Director
Dan has over 25 years experience leading research efforts using census, polling, voter, and other data to better understand and address problems facing our communities and is an expert in both redistricting and census policy issues. He is a veteran of three redistricting processes, working with key stakeholders to construct the Asian American and NHPI community’s first statewide redistricting proposal in 2001, the state’s first federal Voting Rights Act district for Asian Americans in 2011, and the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ first federal Voting Rights Act district for the Latinx community in 2021.
Dan was formerly Director of the Demographic Research Project at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, where he oversaw its Census Information Center (CIC) and served as Vice-Chair of the U.S. Census Bureau’s CIC Steering Committee. He holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Lisa Liu
Field Data Manager
Lisa was organized by her friend to join a youth program in Orange County and started as a volunteer to help register youth voters in different college campuses. As she became more involved with the work in 2016, she learned to create data reports and navigate voter databases. In the past three years, she coordinated field data with the campaign leads during each election cycle, and developed skills to manage organization’s CRM database at KRC.
She is currently managing OC Action’s database and voter file, including creating field reports and research reports for partnered organizations. In order to build and increase partners’ data capacity, she also provides data related training to partners.
Vorathip Plengpanit
Field Data Coordinator
Vorathip “V” graduated from the University of California, San Diego, holding a Master’s degree in International Development/Non-Profit Management & Data Analytics. Vorathip has worked as a Research Analyst, GIS Analyst, Policy Analyst, and Product Consultant, operating with a wide range of data from wildfire data, economic data, human rights data, to health data, and education data. He is a strong proponent of data literacy within non-STEM fields and is especially excited to bring his data skillset to the community development space, humanizing research wherever possible.
Proudly being from North County in San Diego, growing up in Oceanside, Vorathip was involved with various grassroots organizations and local community groups growing up, helping provide services, assistance, and resources to marginalized and undersupported communities in North County. He currently still volunteers with local food pantries and mutual aids to provide food and assistance to migrants awaiting processing. He also serves as the lead liaison and business development lead for a Thai beer company, Group B Beer, who are looking to help hundreds of local breweries in Thailand share their craft on the international scale as part of food and cultural diplomacy.
