Board of Directors

Linh Nguyen,

Founding President of the Board

Linh C. Nguyen is a partner with NPAG, a national executive search and organizational consulting firm serving foundations, nonprofits, and the social sector. Linh is a nationally recognized leader in organizational strategy, leadership and talent development, and change management. Previous to NPAG, Linh served as chief operating officer and vice president for learning and impact at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, based in Battle Creek, Michigan. Prior to joining the foundation, Linh spent over 25 years in investment consulting and management consulting.

Linh started his career with Cambridge Associates, an international financial and investment consulting firm based in Boston, MA, serving endowed institutions. Pivoting from finance to people and organizations, Linh continued his career at Andersen Consulting (now called Accenture), where he grew to lead the firm’s U.S. public sector talent and organizational effectiveness practice. In recognition of his leadership skills and organizational expertise, Linh was selected in 2008 to serve on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team as transition co-lead for the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S federal government’s human resources agency.

Linh holds a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Yale University in New Haven, CT. He lives with his wife and eighteen-year-old daughter in the north valley of Albuquerque, NM. In his spare time, Linh is also an artist-in-residence at the Harwood Art Center and an avid musician and cook.

Jay Shah,

Founding Board Member

Jay Shah received his Master’s in Business Admin from UNM in 2018 and has been with Dreamstyle Remodeling for more than 6 years, currently as their Senior Marketing Manager. In addition to managing Dreamstyle’s digital and traditional marketing needs, Jay is the Marketing Chair, Board Member for Young Professionals of Albuquerque (YPA), a Founding Board Member for the Asian Business Collaborative (ABC), a Board Member on the UNM Anderson Alumni Council, and most recently published ‘Financial Literacy for Immigrants & Refugees’, a book co-authored and edited with a group of professionals for the Refugee and Immigrant Well-being Project.

Nhi Herrera,

Founding Board Member

Nhi Nguyen was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. Nhi is a bilingual loan officer at Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. that enjoys giving back to the place she calls home. She attended the University of New Mexico and graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology, then earned her master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from NU. As a proud first generation born in America, Nhi utilizes her skills serving the Vietnamese community throughout New Mexico. She currently works with many Asian business owners achieve their dream of home ownership.

In her spare time, she enjoys learning and testing new Vietnamese recipes for her fiancé to try. She loves to spend time with her family, traveling, and of course karaoke-ing at any hour with her fiancé and friends.

Kristin McLoughlin,

Founding Board Member

Kristin’s professional life parallels with a deep drive to support, advocate for and with, underserved communities and individuals. It consists of mission-driven work in social welfare, journalism, politics, and case and program management with state, nonprofit, and other organizations. Kristin worked extensively with programs that served the adult mentally ill and co-occurring disorders, drug court programs that supported individuals with addiction overcome felony convictions with rehabilitative treatment versus/in tandem with jail time, and family services to improve child outcomes.

Kristin holds a master’s in psychology with a media specialization and is completing a second master’s in business with dual concentrations in Data Analytics and Marketing. She also serves as a board member and policy chair with Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless and is the president and chairman of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Central New Mexico. She is the Strategic Relations and Community Engagement Manager for PNM Resources and also manages enterprise-wide volunteerism and engagement in New Mexico and Texas. 

Kristin grew up and worked in her mother’s small business and understands the struggles, skills, sacrifices, and determination of a small business owner, (especially women-owned, minority-owned and operated). She believes that by serving others kindly, cultivating sustainable growth, and empowering collective resilience, we may all thrive.