LAS Officers
Noy Lounnarath Bozarth – President
president@lasga.org
NoyBozarth@lasga.org
Noy has been involved with LAS as a supporter since 2003 and has served in various roles as a board member. She has made a continuing effort to help refine the organization’s non-profit compliance status and reputation in the Greater Metro-Atlanta area. She has focused on seeking different avenues of corporate support in order to gain grants, which fund LAS programs that promote the Laotian culture and heritage in the local Laotian-American community.
Noy works at UPS as a Forwarding Sales Operations Manager and has 16 years of logistics experience. She has gained valuable leadership skills through volunteering with UPS community services, and she hopes to be able to channel these skills and her community outreach experience toward assisting the LAS board and her Laotian community.
She is very proud of her Laotian heritage and enjoys meeting other Laotian professionals who makes a difference in the United States. Noy has earned her associate’s degree in science at Shorter University of Georgia, and she currently is working toward receiving her bachelor’s degree in Business and Management in April 2013.
Noy is very fortunate to have her family support her activities with LAS and her love for the Laotian heritage. When time permits, she enjoys cooking for her family and friends. She lives in Cumming, Ga. with her husband, John, and three children, Greg, Emily and Lance.
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Elizabeth “Bee” Vichathep – Secretary
secretary@lasga.org
EVichathep@lasga.org
Elizabeth currently serves as secretary for the 2012 LAS board of officers. She is also going into her second year of officially teaching as the Natasinh dance instructor for all ages.
Elizabeth has been involved with LAS since 2004. At the age of 14, she was one of the first few students to dance as a LAS Natasinh dancer before the dance program became formally active. She has performed at more than 50 performances for LAS and for other events. She has also won the title of Miss LAS during the 2nd Annual Fundraising Ball in 2006. As Miss LAS, she participated in the LAS Soccer Team, creator and president of the Jackson County High School’s Asian Cultural Club, then later became president of the Asian Student Association of Gainesville State College.
She continues to be involved with LAS because LAS has continually supported her by attending the events from her school and encourages her in many ways like a family would. She also believes that culture is very important and wants to help others to remember and share the Laotian heritage and traditions. As part of LAS, Elizabeth would like to help advise others positively in MOVING FORWARD!
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Amy Chomthakham – Treasurer
treasurer@lasga.org
Amy was born in Laos and came to the States at a very young age with her siblings. Amy lost both of her parents before coming to the States. She overcame many hardships in life and is very humble and very proud of her upbringings. She came to the US when she was in the fourth grade. Amy always knew that education was very important and that it was the only way for her to succeed in life. She remembered her dad telling her that knowledge was the only thing that no one could steal from you, and in order to grow, one must share that same knowledge with others. Amy graduated from Northern Illinois University with a major in Economics and minor in South East Asia Studies. Amy has been involved in LAS since its inception. She has been a big supporter to the Natasinh program.
Amy has built her career with Bank of America for over fifteen years. She has held various roles and currently is in management; responsible for developing and retaining employees, coaching associates, and building a team of happy employees. She enjoys helping people through development and coaching. Amy is very passionate about volunteering in her community. She has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity; Feed the Hungry, Aids walk, Susan G Komen Walk, United Way, as well as many other activities such as Angel Trees.
Besides being a very busy mom, Amy also runs her family business, Atlanta Hydraulic System. She has been the CEO since 2004. In spite of having a full time job and running the family business, Amy is very involved with her family and the love for her community.
Amy is married to Samuel Chomthakham and they have two daughters, Sarah and Allie. Sarah is very active with her sport activities throughout her childhood such as soccer, and ice skating. She is currently running in track at school and a member of DECA team. Both Sarah and Allie are members of the LAS Natasinh program.
Amy is Member of the following:
- Atlanta Lead for Women
- Atlanta Asian Leadership Network
- Bank of America community volunteers
- Asian Real Estate Association of America
- Multicultural Leadership Network
- Administrative Professional Network
- Cambridge Who’s Who
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Meiling Arounnarath – Advisor
MeilingA@lasga.org
Meiling, who has been involved with LAS since 2010, is currently a full-time MBA Candidate at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business. She expects to receive her Master of Business Administration in December 2012.
From 2008-2010, Meiling provided tech support and client services at MEDITECH, a home healthcare software company in Atlanta, Ga. She was a reporter and staff writer from 2005-2008 for the metro daily newspaper “The News & Observer” in Raleigh, N.C., where she covered local schools, local government, community, youth culture and diverse groups within the communities.
Meiling was a volunteer writer and editor for the national “Lao Roots Magazine” from 2007-2009. She was co-vice president of print for the North Carolina chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) in 2008, and she has held the treasurer position for the Atlanta chapter of AAJA from 2009 to the present. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Georgia, where she also minored in Comparative Literature.
Meiling was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga., and she enjoys cooking, traveling, volunteering and dancing. One of her main goals is to encourage Laotian-American youth to pursue higher education as well as other ambitions in their careers and personal lives. She also hopes to help the youth connect with their Laotian heritage and culture. And she is excited to help the Laotian community gain more exposure as well as help the community strengthen and build more solidarity from within.
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KimTing Pathammavong – Advisor
ting@lasga.org
Kim is the 2012 LAS co-treasurer, but she is still actively involved in the Cultural Department as well. She is married with two beautiful daughters and resides in Sugar Hill, Ga.. She is originally from Wisconsin, but she and her family have lived in Georgia for 10 years now.
She has been involved with LAS since 2007. She has served as cultural director, secretary and currently as co-treasurer. Her passion is in teaching the LAS dance team traditional Laotian Folk dances. Historically, LAS’s Natasinh dance team has performed in more than 10 events for over 12,000 people on average every year.
Kim graduated from the University of Milwaukee in Wisconsin with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Allied. Teaching and coaching the dance team has brought Kim a lot of joy and she hopes to continue her efforts with LAS for many more years to come.
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Ladda Inhdara – Youth Mentoring Co-Coordinator
LInhdara@lasga.org
Ladda assumed the position of treasurer for LAS in 2011 and co-chair of the LAS Ball in 2012. She has always been a strong supporter of the Laotian American Society since its inception.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University in marketing, and she currently is the assistant manager at one of the largest financial institutions in the United States.
Ladda believes in living life to its fullest and finds pleasure in helping others.
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Dao Malaythong – LAS National Representative & Co-Chair of Public Relations
dao@lasga.org
Dao was born in Vientiane, Laos. In 1975, she, along with her mother and 12 siblings fled to Thailand. After spending six months in the refugee camp, her family came to the United States; they had been sponsored by the United Methodist Church in Syracuse, N.Y. Currently, Dao is a Qualifying Broker at Atlanta Maxim Realty. She is also serving as the 2012 President of Asian Real Estate Association of America Greater-Atlanta Chapter.
Dao is dedicated a community activist. She served on board of the Georgia Asian American Pacific islander Community Coalition in 2009 and 2010. She was the chair of the 2010 U.S. Census Complete Count Committee in Georgia. She also has held the title of Team Captain and represented the country of Laos at the annual Asian Cultural Experience in the Greater Metro-Atlanta area. She has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia in 2008 and again in 2010 by the Georgia Asian Times community newspaper.
She takes pride in her culture and heritage. She knows how important it is to raise her two daughters with strong foundation of culture and education. She has been involved with LAS since 2003 and will continue to serve on the board as long as it takes.
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Amphone Sengchanh – Co-Chair of Public Relations & Advisor
ASengchanh@lasga.org
Amphone is a proud parent of Sonya, 16, and Alexis, 14, and he resides in Grayson, Ga. He is an employee at Hussman refrigeration division in Suwanee and has been working for them for six years as an electrical assembler. He is currently serving as a volunteer on the LAS board as a well as with the non-profit VillageRun Foundation. At VillageRun Foundation, Amphone actively runs marathons to raise money to benefit the less fortunate children living in impoverished regions of Laos.
Amphone was born in Vientiane, Laos. He is usually a happy camper wherever he goes. In 1975, his camp life began when he and his family left Laos and entered Thailand as refugees, where life was suspended. In 1979, the family started a new beginning in the United States. His formal education resumed at Central Middle High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. In 1984, he graduated from Habersham Central High school in Mt. Airy, Georgia. Amphone’s camp life continued in July 1984, when he enlisted with the U.S. Army. After the military, he studied at Georgia Perimeter College and DeVry University.
Amphone’s passion lies in philanthropy. He has served on the board of directors for LAS, on the board of directors for Laotian American National Alliance as secretary, with the Georgia Asian American Pacific Islander Community Coalition as a steering committee member, and he is currently serving on the board of VillageRun Foundation as vice chairperson. Amphone is fluent in Lao and English, and he shares his knowledge of both languages by offering his time to friends and colleagues. He remembers his first paid job was teaching basic Lao at a Laotian Buddhist temple in Murfreesboro.
While Amphone’s main focus is his children, during his spare time, he is out promoting fitness by running. He sponsors, donates, and raises money to go toward community races and fun runs that raise money for charity organizations. He also gathers donations for VillageRun Foundation when he runs in these races.
Jimmy Keokongsy (Jimmy K.) – Cultural Director
JimmyK@lasga.org
Jimmy’s life mission has always been to unite people through love and compassion to make a positive change in the world. He hopes to motivate and inspire individuals to live life to their highest good.
Although he was born and raised in the United States, Jimmy has always shown interest in his Laotian culture. As an adolescent, he was part of a traditional Laotian dance team and enjoyed choreographing and performing. He moved to Georgia in 2009, where he discovered his love for fashion and co-founded Spotlight Boutique and a fashion media company, Atlanta Fashion Review. Jimmy also does talk radio and has his own segment on a new talk show on MJMG Networks, where he wishes to help promote Laos to the mainstream.
As Cultural Director of LAS, Jimmy will continue to help preserve and educate about the Laotian culture of dance, song, music and creative arts with local ensembles and artists throughout the United States and visiting international groups.
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Ann Rithmyxay – Seniors Program Coordinator & Advisor
ARithmyxay@lasga.org
Ann was born in Laos and emigrated to the United States as a refugee seeking asylum from the political war-torn country with her family in 1981.She is the first daughter of Mr. Bouala Sengaphone, and has a total of five siblings, but one had passed away in Laos.Ann’s first challenge in America was to conquer English as a second languages fast! She appreciates that her grandmother taught her to study hard but to never lose sight of her roots — her heritage, culture and language. Thankfully, through her grandmother’s teachings, Ann is able to speak both English and Laotian fluently today and apply her linguistic ability to work as a freelance interpreter.
Ann has 26 years of experience in logistics transportation. She received her associate’s degree at Clayton State University in 1988, and she currently is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Business with a major in marketing at DeVry University.As a Manager of Community Relations and Project Coordinator for a home healthcare agency, she strives vigorously to expand the homecare services opportunities within the Laotian community of Georgia.
She has been with LAS since its inception. She is known as one of the key people who helped establish LAS as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, and she has held various roles within the organization. Her titles have included Community Relations Chair (2002), Cultural Coordinator (2003), President (2004-2005), and National Representative (2006). She currently sits on the Board of Advisers and is the Senior Program Coordinator.She was instrumental in creating the Natasinh Dance Program, one of LAS’s most sustainable programs.She was co-chair of the planning committee for the most successful Annual LAS Charity Ball in 2007. Aside from LAS, Ann has served on board of the Lao American National Alliance (LANA) for two terms (2005-2006), and she was a 2010 U.S. Census Co-Chair of the Georgia Asian Complete Count Committee.
Ann is an honored and respected member of the Asian community as a result of her leadership roles. She believes every Laotian-American should take advantage of all the educational opportunities this country has to offer.
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Board of Advisers:
Neo Douangpraseuth
Nim Lengsavath
Cookie Morey
Ann Rithmyxay
Sean Sakprasit
Amphone Sengchanh
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LAS Past Presidents
2009-2011 Neo Douangpraseuth
2007-2009 Cookie Morey
2006-2007 Amy Yang
2005-2006 Sean Sakprasit
2004-2005 Ann Rithmyxay
2003-2004 Malay Surivong Wu
2002-2003 Kasy Khaikham
