Board Members
Brian Kieatiwong
President
Years in OCA Las Vegas: 12
Go-to boba drink: Lychee peachy black tea (half sweet) with boba
Brian Kieatiwong joined OCA in 2012 and has lived in Vegas for 28+ years. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from UNLV and is currently a Design Engineer at Southland Industries, one of the nation’s largest mechanical, electrical, and plumbing building systems experts, providing innovative yet practical solutions that optimize each stage of the building life cycle. Southland also delivers customized engineering, construction, building automation, service, and energy solutions so as to improve the way buildings are designed, built, and operated. Brian’s experience in electrical design includes new construction and existing remodels for hotels and casinos, education, mission critical, and commercial properties.
Nicholas Huynh
Vice President
Years in OCA Las Vegas: 11
Go-to boba drink: Strawberry boba
Nicholas Huynh joined OCA in 2013 and has lived in Las Vegas for 26+ years. Nicholas is a Senior Software Quality Assurance Engineer at Scientific Games, a global gaming and lottery company. Outside of work, he serves as one of three advisors for the UNLV Collegiate DECA chapter and coaches the collegiate officer team to advance the mission of the Collegiate DECA in Nevada. Nicholas is also a board member of the East Tech Alumni Association whose mission is to connect East Tech alumni after high school graduation. He is an alumni of the UNLV Honors College, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a minor in Global Entrepreneurship. Nicholas hopes the next AAPI generation finds their passion to advance the AAPI community in a positive momentum that empowers future generations.
Vida Lin
Treasurer
Years in OCA Las Vegas: 23
Go-to boba drink: Milk tea with boba
Vida Lin has worked closely with the Las Vegas Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community for the past 28 years. She currently serves as the founder and president of the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC), a 501(c)3 non-profit community organization in Nevada established to educate, connect and empower the fastest growing demographic in the United States.
Through the creation of ACDC, Ms. Lin has created a space for vital resources for the API community. She developed the first Asian food pantry in Nevada in response to the pandemic, providing culturally-appropriate food that meets the dietary needs of the community as part of the first steps to tackle food insecurity. She has created both COVID-19 and flu pop-up vaccination clinics with the goal of serving individuals with limited English proficiency. ACDC also assists with
health insurance enrollment, free citizenship assistance, translation, and voter education. ACDC hosts College Readiness Bootcamp, GraduAsian, Asian Night Market (co-hosted with OCA Las Vegas), Run for Rice and Walk for Wellness 5k among others. ACDC opened the HAPI (Healthy Asians & Pacific Islanders) Medical Center on August 8, 2022 to serve the underinsured, uninsured and underserved community in Las Vegas. ACDC also opened a Reno location on September 9, 2022 to serve the Northern Nevada community.
A 20+ year insurance broker who built an insurance agency committed to serving diverse minority communities, Ms. Lin is also one of the co-founders of OCA Las Vegas, an AAPI advocacy and civil rights group, and has served as President of the Asian Chamber of Commerce Las Vegas. Ms. Lin has been chosen as a guest speaker for various leadership and advocacy conferences, and has won numerous awards and recognitions. In 2022, she received the prestigious Bank of America “Neighborhood Builders: Racial Equality Award”, selected as one of five awardees in the United States making extraordinary contributions to break down racial barriers.
Randy Huynh
Secretary
Years in OCA Las Vegas: 11
Go-to boba drink: Brown sugar boba with pearl and tiger jelly, topped with cream mousse at Tiger Sugar
Randy Huynh joined OCA in 2013 and has lived in Las Vegas for 26+ years. Randy graduated from UNLV with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a minor in Global Entrepreneurship. After graduating, Randy is a lead developer for a marketing agency. Outside of OCA and work, he is also a board member with the East Tech Alumni Association. Randy hopes the next generation of AAPI develop a strong identity and confidence within our AAPI culture and to share our culture with others.
Nicole Santero
Director of Communications
Years in OCA Las Vegas: 6
Go-to boba drink: Rose milk tea with grass jelly
Nicole Santero joined OCA in 2018 and has lived in Las Vegas for 15+ years. She is currently the senior director of marketing & communications at BES (build. excel. sustain.), a national nonprofit that provides leadership development and training to school leaders and helps them build locally-responsive schools across the country. Previously, she led communications efforts in her work at the UNLV School of Public Health, Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, and Clark County School District. In addition to serving on the OCA Las Vegas board, she is a member of the board of trustees for Nevada DECA as well as a board member and chair of the IDEA committee for Girls on the Run Las Vegas. She also served on the advisory board of the Nevada Minority Health & Equity Coalition (NMHEC) for three years. Beyond her professional career and service, Nicole is a published researcher on the topics of social media networks, fan culture, and global social movements. Her work on the ARMY fandom–fans of the popular music group BTS–has been featured in publications such as the Harvard Misinformation Review. She has served as a research consultant to teams at Twitter and Meta, and has given guest lectures at institutions including Yale, University of Washington, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She and her work have been highlighted in media around the world including TIME Magazine, NBC News, BBC Radio, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NowThis, Aljazeera, NPR and more. Nicole hopes the next generation of AAPIs feel empowered to embrace their identity and leverage their passions to make a difference in their communities and the world.
Kristen Santero
Director of Programming
Years in OCA Las Vegas: 3
Go-to boba drink: Rose milk tea with extra boba
Kristen Santero joined OCA in 2021 and has lived in Las Vegas for 15+ years. She is the Senior Director of Entertainment Marketing at Caesars Entertainment, spearheading marketing strategies for iconic Las Vegas headliners, such as Adele, Garth Brooks, Rod Stewart, Shania Twain, Donny Osmond, and Criss Angel, to name a few. In 2023, she was recognized as one of Vegas Inc.’s & Las Vegas Weekly’s “40 Under 40” honorees. Passionate about community service, Kristen serves as the Director of Programming for OCA Las Vegas and chairs H.A.P.A. (Hawaiian, Asian, Pacific-Islander & Allies), one of Caesars Entertainment’s Business Impact Group and is a member of the Asian Community Steering Committee within UNLV’s School of Public Health, working towards eliminating health disparities experienced by minorities. Kristen is also a strong advocate of the youth, serving on the Board of Trustees of Nevada DECA. Kristen’s hope for the next AAPI generation is to not be afraid to pave their own path and create the unlimited opportunities they desire.
Jude Nazareth
Immediate Past President
Years in OCA Las Vegas: 6
Go-to-boba drink: A surprise every time
Jude Edward Nazareth, Esq., joined OCA in 2018 and has lived in Las Vegas for 14+ years. Jude is an attorney licensed to practice law in Nevada. He partnered with a high school friend to form Montez Nazareth Law, a firm that handles business and corporate matters, transactions and contracts, tax planning, asset protection, real estate, and non-profit matters. Jude was born and raised in San Francisco, California and later attended college at the University of California at Irvine, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences. Jude earned his law degree from Western State University College of Law’s part-time night program while he clerked full-time at an Orange County law firm that handled insurance defense, plaintiff personal injury, and plaintiff class action matters. In his personal time, Jude likes to spend time with family, travel, stay physically fit, enjoy good food and adult beverages, and volunteer with non-profit organizations. Jude’s hope for the next AAPI generation to be more involved an inspires others into action.
Advisory Board
Kameelah Shareef-Sims
Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Caesars Entertainment
Gordon Chang
National Account Executive | Global Sales
Delta Air Lines
Derek Ting
Founder & CEO
Little Ding’s
Hang Wong
Owner
Urban Matcha
Ryan Tsui
Global Real Estate Advisory
Las Vegas Sotheby’s International Realty
Sou Ngo
Owner
Brew Tea Bar