Kao Ly Ilean Her

Kao Ly Ilean Her (March 13, 1969 –May 13, 2021) was an American attorney, activist and leader in the Hmong American community in Minnesota. Her was the first Hmong person elected to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, where she served from 2019 to 2021, and she was executive director of the state government agency Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM) from 1997 to 2012. She was a pioneer for the Hmong community in Minneapolis-St. Paul, becoming the first Hmong woman to be admitted to the Minnesota State Bar Association, founding several nonprofits, and leading the Hmong Elders Center.

Early life
Her was born to Bee Yang Her and Chad Vua Her in 1969 in Long Cheng, an American-supported secret military base that was then one of the largest populated places in Laos and the largest Hmong settlement in the world. Her's father Chad was a community leader and former school superintendent. Due to his involvement with U.S. forces in the Secret War, Her's family fled the country for the United States, arriving first in Clinton, Iowa in 1976 and later settling in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1986.

Career
Kao Ly Ilean Her graduated from Hamline University in 1991 with a bachelor's in political science and received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1994. She became the first Hmong woman admitted to the Minnesota State Bar Association, and she served as the executive director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM) from 1997 to 2012.

Her led a variety of nonprofit organizations focused on uplifting Asian Americans in Minnesota. She co-founded Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together, which helps young Hmong women build leadership skills and address gender-based discrimination and violence. Her also co-founded Allies for Mentoring Asian Youth, the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the Dragon Festival on Lake Phalen. She served on boards or as a trustee for organizations including the Minneapolis Foundation, the Asian Pacific Endowment of the St. Paul Foundation, the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, United Hospital and the Minneapolis YWCA. Her ran the Hmong Elders Center, an adult day care in St. Paul where she connected Hmong elders to the community to share knowledge about traditional methods of sewing and bamboo basket-weaving.

In 2019, Her was elected to one of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents' at-large positions for a six-year term, making her the first Hmong women to serve on the Board. When elected, she described her leadership style as 'value-based' and listed her three main goals as "affordability, accessibility and an equitable, quality education."

Personal life and death
Ilean Her was the oldest of four siblings. She was a passionate advocate for the arts, particularly pan-Asian cultural events such as the Dragon Festival on Lake Phalen.

Her died on May 13, 2021, after being exposed to coronavirus. She was a high-risk individual due to a chronic lung condition. A Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in her name at Hnub Tshiab. University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel said in a statement, "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."