Kao Ly Ilean Her ( RPA: ''Nkauj Hli Hawj''; March 13, 1969 – May 13, 2021) was an American attorney, activist, and prominent leader in the

Hmong American Hmong Americans ( RPA: ''Hmoob Mes Kas'', Pahawh Hmong: "") are Americans of Hmong ancestry. Many Hmong Americans immigrated to the United States as refugees in the late 1970s, with a second wave in the 1980s and 1990s. Over half of the Hmong ...

community in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. She was the first Hmong person elected to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Board of Regents, serving from 2019 until her death in 2021. From 1997 to 2012, she was the executive director of the state agency Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM), where she advocated for Asian Pacific Islander communities across the state. Her was a pioneering figure in the Hmong community of the

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Minnesota River, Minnesota, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota), ...

area. She was the first Hmong woman admitted to the

Minnesota State Bar Association The Minnesota State Bar Association is a voluntary bar association for the state of Minnesota, whose members include lawyers, judges, and other legal practitioners, such as clerks, registrars, and paralegals. The MSBA is one of the oldest state bar ...

and was deeply involved in community development and advocacy. She helped establish several nonprofits and led the Hmong Elders Center.

Early life

Her was born in 1969 on

Long Cheng Long Tieng (also spelled Long Chieng, Long Cheng, or Long Chen) is a Laotian military base in Xaisomboun Province. During the Laotian Civil War, it served as a town and airbase operated by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. ...

military base in Laos, to Bee Yang Her and Chad Vua Her. Long Cheng was a secret military base supported by the United States during the

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. The Kingdom of Laos was a covert Theatre (warfare), theater during the Vietnam War with both sides receiving heavy ...

, and at the time was one of the most populous settlements in

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

as well as the largest Hmong community in the world. Her father, Chad Vua Her, was a community leader and former school superintendent. Due to his affiliation with U.S. forces during the Secret War, the family was forced to flee Laos, eventually resettling in the United States. They first arrived in

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. It borders the Mississippi River. The population was 24,469 as of 2020 United States census, 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa, DeWitt (also located in Clinto ...

, in 1976, and later moved to

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, in 1986.

Career

Kao Ly Ilean Her graduated from

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in political science and earned her J.D. from the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...

in 1994. She became the first Hmong woman admitted to the

. From 1997 to 2012, Her served as executive director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM), a state government agency advocating on behalf of Asian American communities in Minnesota. Her led a number of nonprofit initiatives focused on empowering

Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans with Asian diaspora, ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are Immigration to the United States, immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). A ...

in Minnesota. She co-founded Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together, an organization dedicated to fostering leadership among young Hmong women and addressing gender-based discrimination and violence. She also co-founded Allies for Mentoring Asian Youth, the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the

Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival ( zh, s=端午节, t=端午節, first=t, p=Duānwǔ jié, cy=Dyūnńgh jit) is a traditional Chinese holiday that occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to late May or earl ...

Lake Phalen Lake Phalen is an urban lake located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and in its suburb of Maplewood. It is one of the largest lakes in Saint Paul and is the centerpiece of the Phalen Regional Park System. The lake drains into the Mississippi River afte ...

. Her served on boards or as a trustee for numerous organizations, including the Minneapolis Foundation, the Asian Pacific Endowment of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, the Women's Foundation of Minnesota,

United Hospital United Hospital, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a 556-bed non-profit hospital that serves St. Paul and the eastern Twin Cities metropolitan area. United Hospital is part of Allina Health and offers specialty services including pregnancy care ...

, and the Minneapolis

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

. She also operated the Hmong Elders Center, an adult day care in Saint Paul, where she helped connect elders to the broader community through traditional arts such as sewing and bamboo basket weaving. In 2019, Her was elected to an at-large seat on the

Board of Regents, becoming the first Hmong woman to serve on the board. Upon her election, she described her leadership as "value-based" and outlined her three core priorities as "affordability, accessibility, and an equitable, quality education."

Personal life and death

Her was the eldest of five siblings. She was a passionate advocate for the arts, particularly pan-Asian cultural initiatives such as the Dragon Festival held at

. Her died on May 13, 2021, after contracting the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

. She was considered high-risk due to a chronic lung condition. A memorial scholarship fund was established in her name through Hnub Tshiab.

President

Joan Gabel Joan T. A. Gabel is an American academic administrator who has served as the chancellor and CEO of the University of Pittsburgh since 2023. She previously served as president of the University of Minnesota from 2019 to 2023. She was the first wom ...

issued a statement following Her's death, saying: "I am heartbroken to learn about Ilean’s passing. She was such a strong advocate for the University of Minnesota and for all members of our university community. ..Her service to the entire state of Minnesota, and in particular to Minnesota’s Hmong and Asian American Pacific Islander communities, is well known and celebrated."

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Her, Kao Ly Ilean 1969 births 2021 deaths Hmong activists Activists from Minnesota American people of Hmong descent Laotian emigrants to the United States University of Minnesota Law School alumni University of Minnesota alumni Hamline University alumni Asian-American people in Minnesota politics Lawyers from Saint Paul, Minnesota American academic administrators Hmong American people from Minneapolis–Saint Paul