CAATA Welcomes Visionary New Board Members
New CAATA board members, pictured from left to right. Top: Alison Yueming Qu, Anh Thu Pham, CJ Ochoco, Kiran Merchant. Bottom: Meena Malik, Mina Morita, Sophia Skiles, Torange Yeghiazarian, Vinita Belani.
A Transformative Moment of Growth, Connection, and Strategic Vision
New York, NY — July 7, 2025 — The Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) proudly announces the celebration of the induction of its newest Board of Directors. This powerful group of artists, community builders, educators, and cultural leaders represents a deep commitment to justice, innovation, and the expansive possibilities of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI), Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA), and mixed-race theater.
“On behalf of our current CAATA Board of Directors, it is my honor and with great excitement, I welcome our new board members,” shares Leslie Ishii, CAATA Board President. “Since CAATA’s founding Board of Directors, which was primarily composed of artistic directors, we have opened up Board membership to include a range of theatre professionals such as freelance directors, devisers, playwrights, performers, community builders, producers, and managing directors.”
CAATA’s Board of Directors and staff work and have a global presence, representing Hawai’i, Guåhan, California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Washington, Southern California, Alaska, and New Jersey.
Their appointment comes during the final stages of CAATA’s strategic planning process—a key moment to reimagine how national networks can nurture the ecosystem of Asian, Pacific Islander, Southwest Asian, Middle Eastern, North African, and Native Hawaiian theater artists.
This talented and inspiring range of artistic voices will bring CAATA into a new era as an advocacy/service organization that will influence the need for socially just and decolonizing cultural change while producing and uplifting innovative new and existing theatre works by, for, and with the communities that CAATA’s community serves.
Together, these new leaders bring a wealth of experience, passion, and community-rooted insight to CAATA’s work, shaping the organization’s next chapter with intention, collaboration, and cultural integrity.
Meet CAATA’s Newest Board Members:
● Alison Yueming Qu – Executive Director, Chuang Stage
● Anh Thu Pham – Managing Director, Theater Mu | CAATA Board Treasurer
● CJ Ochoco – Executive Director, Humanities Guåhan; President and Producer, Breaking Wave Theatre Company
● Kiran Merchant – Founder, Merchant Créatifs
● Meena Malik – Founder, Musician, Consultant, Mediator, and Coach, Magpie Cultural Strategies
● Mina Morita – Resident Director and Creative Producer, Woolly Mammoth Theatre
● Sophia Skiles – Head of Acting, Brown University - Brown Trinity MFA
● Torange Yeghiazarian – Founder, Golden Thread Productions; Co-Founder, Middle Eastern North African Theater Makers Alliance
● Vinita Belani – Artistic Director and Founder, EnActe Arts
View the full list of board members and learn more about them at https://www.caata.net/our-people.