State Representative Hoan Huynh is the first Vietnamese American ever elected in Illinois' state history of 204 years; the first refugee ever elected in Illinois; the first Asian American to represent Chicago Northside lakefront in the General Assembly; and the first person of color and Asian American to represent the 13th House District.

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Huynh was born a refugee in Vietnam to Vietnamese and Chinese parents; his father was a prisoner of war. His family received refugee asylum from the United States and was resettled in the early 1990s in America.  As a K-12 public school student, Huynh excelled academically and received scholarships, work-study jobs, and student loans to attend Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Following graduation, Huynh studied abroad at the University of Cambridge at King's College, received a fellowship from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and graduated with a master's degree, and completed additional graduate school coursework from the University of Chicago. Hoan began his career working in education and public policy research at Yale University Department of Sociology. From there, he worked on education technology, social innovation, and product design at numerous technology startups and small businesses. He then worked in social impact investments and community/economic development in Chicago. 

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​Hyunh is from the Uptown community and is a former Associate Board volunteer of CMAA. Now he is a key advocate for our community in the State House.