APIA Scholars Monthly Newsletter
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President & Executive Director
Chief Operating Officer
Michelle Cohenour is the Chief Operating Officer at Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars. She joined the organization in August 2021. Michelle is honored to have the opportunity to lead staff success policies and internal strategy at the nation’s largest student success non-profit for AANHPI American college students. Michelle has spent the past twenty years advocating for college students through a variety of roles in higher education including retention, early-intervention, career development, academic advising, residence life. Cohenour comes to APIA Scholars from Baylor University where she was the Senior Director of the Center for Academic Success and Engagement. Cohenour also held positions at the University of Iowa where she was the Director of Retention and Early Intervention. Michelle is deeply invested in student success and believes the student experience is positively impacted when a coordinated care network is fostered for students. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Early-Childhood Education from Eastern Illinois University, a Masters of College Student Development from Western Illinois University and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Tarleton State University.
Chief Financial Officer
Associate Vice President of Student Success
Associate Vice President of Development
Vice President of Scholarships
VP of Marketing and Communications
Senior Scholarships Associate
Maggie Chu (she/they) joined the APIA Scholars team in June 2022 as a scholarships associate. Chu has a strong commitment to supporting the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, especial AAPI youth. Before joining APIA Scholars they worked for Asian American LEAD as a high school program coordinator, creating afterschool and summer curriculum for underserved Asian American youth in the DMV area. Chu started her work in the AAPI community at the College of William & Mary where they graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Global studies with a concentration in APIA Studies and History.
Senior Director of Scholarship Solutions & Partnerships
Sierra Lloyd (she/her) serves as the Senior Director of Scholarship Solutions & Partnerships and joined APIA Scholars in June of 2020. She currently co-leads the management and disbursement process of the APIA Scholarship and oversees the AANAPISI Scholarship program. In her role, Lloyd finds enjoyment in streamlining cross-department processes and cultivating working relationships with AANAPISI partner campuses, in order to minimize success barriers for first-generation and low-income college students. Prior to joining APIA Scholars, Lloyd worked for various other college access and success organizations, including the College Advising Corps, where she created targeted programming and advised hundreds of high school students on navigating the college application and financial aid process. She also comes to APIA Scholars with years’ experience in managing and overseeing college access and scholarship programming, at the city-wide and school-district level, created for students, parents, and high school counselors. Lloyd holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Gender Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
Scholarships Manager
Senior Director of Scholarship Operations
Scholarship Associate
Johanna Simpson (she/her) joined the APIA Scholars team as a Scholarships Associate in July 2024. She currently supports scholarship initiatives and works with our AANAPISI partner institutions to reduce financial barriers for first-generation and low-income college students. Prior to joining APIA Scholars, Simpson was the Coordinator for the McNair Scholars Program – a federal TRIO grant program supporting first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students – at Baylor University. Through the McNair Scholars Program, she developed intentional programming to support students’ professional development and engagement with undergraduate research and advised college students navigating the graduate school application process.
Simpson holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Communication from Baylor University.
Director of Student Success
Courtney Arguello (she/her) serves as the Director of Student Success for the APIA Scholars team. In her role, Courtney leads Scholar-focused events and works closely with the team to innovate high-quality and impactful student engagement. Her commitment to supporting students comes from her extensive background in higher education and college access and success work.
Most recently, Courtney worked at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the Manager of Inclusion Partnerships and Alumni Engagement, where she executed alumni initiatives and a mentorship program that promotes continued access and opportunity, while supporting career trajectories and education for alumni of the Academy’s diversity, equity and inclusion talent development programs. Prior to her work at the Academy, Courtney was the Senior Manager of Early Career and Alumni Engagement at the Making Waves Education Foundation. While here, she led initiatives focused on providing support and resources for students and alumni beyond college. In addition to her work with students, Courtney is an experienced event planner and coordinator, who finds joy in planning and executing a vision and bringing it to life. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Arts degree in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco. Born and raised in California, Courtney resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Student Success Manager
Consultant, Data Voyager Project
Consultant, Data Voyager Project
Consultant, Data Voyager Project
Development Grants Manager
Senior Director of Development
Lauren Danielle Drake (Danielle) (She/Her) is the Senior Director of Development and joined APIA Scholars in May 2024. Danielle is a seasoned professional who worked in the corporate sector for multiple companies including CitiGroup and other financial service and real estate entities. She transitioned to the nonprofit sector in 2011 giving her a wealth of experience in business development, community affairs, social responsibility, and strategic communication.
She most recently served as a Program Officer for Family Strengthening at Global Refuge, where she led the implementation of a pilot program for Afghan refugees and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders across four cities in the U.S.
Prior to that she lived in Asia where she was the Nationwide Expat Recruitment & Engagement Manager for Apollo Education in Vietnam and the Communications and Development Fellow at the Accountability Lab in Nepal. In both roles she contributed to strategic communication, employee engagement and social responsibility initiatives.
She was the Fund Development and Communications Officer for EDEN Inc., in Cleveland, Ohio where she established and nurtured strategic partnerships to enhance community impact, managed donor relations, and successfully secured funding and grants contributing to the organization’s fundraising success.
Danielle has been successful in identifying opportunities, building relationships, and crafting winning proposals to both federal and private funders to fulfill organizational objectives and foster long-term partnerships and sustainable impact.
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from The State University of New York at Buffalo and a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. She has an advanced TESOL/TEFL certificate and has taught English as a foreign language since 2011. She currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area.
Senior Director of Development
Development Operations Senior Associate
Sydney Zhu (she/her) serves as the Development Operations Senior Associate at APIA Scholars and joined the organization in August 2023. Sydney is passionate about social justice work and human services, having graduated from The George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Political Science. She has a strong commitment to AANHPI issues, coming from rich immigrant roots herself, and through her senior dissertation, she researched the effects that gentrification and displacement had on residents and small businesses in Washington DC’s Gallery Place Chinatown neighborhood. She is extremely mission-driven, and in her role at the organization, she sees development as a tool that can be used to contribute to the important equity work that benefits historically marginalized communities. In the past, she has served as a Community Organizer for equitable housing practices, advocating for rent stabilization for tenants in DC during the height of COVID-19, and most recently served as the Development and Communications Coordinator for Rebuilding Together DC Alexandria, a local nonprofit organization in Washington DC serving low-income homeowners.
Director of Creative Marketing and Operations
Bryan Park (he/they) serves as the Director of Creative Marketing and Operations for APIA Scholars, and originally joined the organization in May 2018 as a Communications Associate. Bryan comes from a background in journalism, having graduated from American University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and Asian Studies. Bryan is passionate about using his storytelling skills and experience to bring rich and empowering stories of young Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholars to the forefront of popular media. During his time at APIA Scholars, Bryan has led key marketing and brand building efforts for the organization including the 2018 APIA Scholars rebrand, social media management, website development, photography/videography production, event collaterals, and more.
Executive Associate
Director of Operations
Database and Systems Manager
James Lewis is the Database and Systems Manager at Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars and joined the organization in November 2023. In his role, James manages the internal databases and supports the administrative and business operations of the organization. His commitment to reducing financial barriers to higher education is inspired by his status as a Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient, propelling his dedication to enabling students to pursue their academic aspirations.
Prior to joining APIA Scholars, James worked at CarMax as a Lead Business Office Associate. In that role, he worked in business operations where he managed multiple databases and systems. Additionally, he served as a Subject Matter Expert for Virginia Title Resolution, providing support for locations and teams nationwide. James also volunteered with Spotsylvania Education Foundation as a Webmaster to support their mission to enhance the quality and impact of student learning experiences in Spotsylvania County Public Schools.
James graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a concentration on International Relations, and History. Alongside his role at APIA Scholars, James is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on Global Health at the Milken Institute of Public Health, George Washington University.
Senior Director of Executive Operations
Matthew Rosales (he/him) is Senior Director of Executive Operations at Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars, joining the organization in June 2023. With over a decade of non-profit experience, Matthew comes to the organization directly from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where he served as Senior Operations Manager, Organizational Policy and Performance, and supported the organization’s Executive office through various internal projects and initiatives focused on optimizing organizational performance. Matthew brings a passion for breaking down barriers to post-secondary education through experience leading programs and operations at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. He has led multiple breakout sessions at the National Scholarship Providers Association’s annual conference and was featured in the American Society of Association Executives article: The Building Blocks for a Successful Scholarship Program. In addition to his work in the non-profit sector, Matthew is a military veteran, having served in the United States Marine Corps and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Salisbury University in Maryland.
Senior Director of Finance
Gulnara Mambetova began her APIA Scholars journey in December 2016 as a Staff Accountant, and in February 2022, she was promoted to the Senior Director of Finance role. While at APIA Scholars, she has overseen all internal finance, accounting, and administrative functions. She has proven to work collaboratively with external auditors and lead successful audits from year to year.
Gulnara received her Masters in Business Administration with a focus in Finance from Bay Atlantic University in Washington, DC, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Business Administration from International Alatoo University in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Data Consultant
Director of People & Culture