MEET STEPHANIE NGUYEN

Stephanie Nguyen has lived, worked, and served the Sacramento and Elk Grove communities almost all her life. The daughter of Vietnamese Refugees who fled Vietnam War by boat, she grew up in Sacramento’s Little Saigon district and attended Sacramento schools before graduating from Sacramento State University. The hardships endured by her parents and the experience of growing up in a low-income household fuel her desire to serve others and help those most in need.  

 

For the past 15 years, Nguyen has worked as the Executive Director of Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI) to ensure that all communities, especially the low-income, immigrant, refugee, limited English speaking, youth, formerly incarcerated and undocumented, have access to support and services to help them get one step closer to self-sufficiency. The ongoing global pandemic has not curtailed her passion or her commitment. Nguyen advocated for community testing and vaccine sites so that the most vulnerable communities have access to a trusted place they can go to for testing and vaccines. She also led efforts to distribute millions of dollars to individuals and families who suffered hardships due to the pandemic – funds that are critical for purchasing food, paying utility bills and other necessities.  

 

Prior to ARI, Nguyen was the Director of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber (SACC) Foundation, administering programs that foster leadership skills of young Asian Pacific Islanders (API) and help them recognize their strengths. The goal was to increase the number of young API leaders in the region. 

 

On February 2, 2017, Nguyen was unanimously appointed to serve as the Councilmember for District 4 in the City of Elk Grove, making her the first Asian American women to serve as a Councilmember for the City. In 2018, she was elected citywide with over 65% of the vote to continue her term as the only woman on the Elk Grove City Council. She served as the Vice Mayor in 2020.  Nguyen draws from her experience in business and finance to help the City develop economically by supporting businesses and increasing jobs.  During the pandemic, to help individuals who lost jobs from facing eviction, she spearheaded a city program to provide renters with rental assistance – a win for renters and landlords!  

 

She is ready to serve the Sacramento and Elk Grove communities in the State Legislature to continue her work in advancing economic opportunities and policies that will improve the lives of all those who live in Assembly District 10.  

 

Nguyen is a Democrat. She and her husband, an Elk Grove police officer, have lived in Elk Grove for over 18 years. They have two daughters, ages 6 and 11 years old.