Ahilia Munna 
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and this year, The Hoboken Girl is commemorating the month by recognizing AAPI community leaders throughout Hudson County. Some leaders are the politicians and activists who are tackling state legislation and serving in public office, and others are the people teaching in the classroom, protecting access to education, and sharing their culture and history with the community. While they may come from many different backgrounds, these community leaders all value their heritage and the immigrant experience, and Hudson County is proud to have benefited from their hard work. Read on to learn more about these 12 impactful community leaders in Hudson County.
Amy Torres | Executive Director of New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice
Amy Torres is the executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ). The non-profit organization is a statewide membership-based coalition that advocates for policies that support immigrants in settling within the state economically, politically, and socially. Previously, Amy was an activist and speaker in the Hudson County Progressive Alliance and spoke against anti-immigration contracts in a 2020 protest in Kearny. Amy is a second-generation Filipinx American and has years of experience in advocacy, including her childhood, in which she was often the primary translator and first in her family to experience and maneuver American systems.
Read More: Asian-Owned Businesses in Hoboken to Support
Ernabel Demillo | Chair + Lecturer of Communications at St. Peter’s University
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Ernabel Demillo is an award-winning journalism professor at Saint Peter’s University and is the Department of Communication and Media Culture’s faculty chair. She created the journalism program in 2008 and, as chair, created the public relations minor in 2022. Ernabel hosts CUNY-TV’s program Asian American Life, an Emmy-award-winning magazine show about the growing Asian American community. The show has featured topics about important issues in the AAPI community, such as anti-Asian violence. She has received an Emmy for a documentary she filmed in the Philippines and is active in non-profit organizations to empower Asian families and youth. Inspired by her mother’s childhood, Ernabel is currently working on a historical novel about the Japanese-occupied Philippines.
Jennie Pu | Hoboken Public Library Director
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Jennie Pu is the Director of the Hoboken Public Library and ran for the election to represent the 32nd legislative district in 2025. Jennie is a twenty-year resident of Jersey City and has previously worked as a school librarian within the Jersey City Public Schools and as the Dean of Libraries for Hudson County Community College. Jennie has directly opposed censorship bans by hosting a Banned Book Read-a-Thon for Pride Month in 2023. Her accolades include New Jersey Library Association’s Librarian of the Year (2024), Jersey City Public Schools Parent Leadership Award, and recognition as a Jersey City Woman of Action.
Karen Galli | Assistant Professor at Hudson County Community College
Karen Galli is an assistant professor who teaches composition, literature, and business writing at Hudson County Community College. Karen is a member of the All College Council and the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (PACDEI). She prioritizes a classroom where students can challenge and reevaluate their beliefs and differences. As a professor, her areas of interest include literary and historical studies, Asian American diaspora, and poetry, and she teaches in the Honors Program and co-chairs the College’s National Poetry Month Committee. Karen is currently a doctoral candidate at Drew University and concentrates in Historical and Literary Studies.
Keith Tsang | President of Hoboken Community Cove Boathouse + Ke Aloha Outrigger
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Keith Tsang is the president of Hoboken Community Cove Boathouse (HCCB) and an outrigger canoeing coach. Keith was raised in a Chinese-American household in California and, having learned from reputable practitioners in the field, has paddled outrigger canoes, a type of traditional Polynesian/Hawaiian sport, for over 25 years. He founded Ke Aloha Outrigger, a non-profit organization at HCCB, to introduce Hawaiian canoeing, share its history, diversity, and culture, and its importance in nature with the Hudson River community. Aside from his work as an architect and as president of HCCB, Keith dances modern and traditional hula and is learning Hawaiian oli or chant. Ke Aloha means “love is all around” and captures the welcoming mission to encourage locals to learn about outrigger canoeing and its role in Hawaiian culture.
Mamta Singh | Jersey City Councilperson At-Large
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Mamta Singh is the Councilperson At-Large and was elected in December 2025, running under Mayor James Solomon’s campaign. She is the first Indian-American to be elected to public office in Jersey City. Immigrating from India to Jersey City 18 years ago, Mamta has a background in public service and community organizing and supports affordable housing, sustainable development, and transparent government. Mamta is the executive director and founder of JCFamilies, an organization based on supporting families and creates an inclusive community. She also founded Indians in Jersey City, a program aimed to help Indian immigrant families assimilate into Jersey City while maintaining ties to their cultural heritage.
Raj Mukherji | Senator, 32nd Legislative District
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Raj Mukherji is a senator for the 32nd legislative district in New Jersey. He was elected in 2024 and previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2014 to 2024. Raj was born in Kolkata, India, in 1984 and later immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Union County. Raj served in the Marine Corps from 2001 to 2009, is a lawyer, an accomplished entrepreneur, a former screen and stage actor, and was appointed deputy mayor of Jersey City in 2012. As the senator for the 32nd District, Raj is the Chairman of the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Vice Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, and a member of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee. He has sponsored bills in favor of economic development, job creation, increasing access to healthcare, sustainability, and more.
Ravi Bhalla | 32nd District Assemblyman + 39th Mayor of Hoboken
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Ravinder Bhalla is a lawyer and politician who served as the 39th Mayor of Hoboken from 2018 to 2026 and now represents the 32nd legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly. Ravi was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and has earned a master’s degree in public administration and a juris doctor. Ravi is of Punjabi descent and, upon election in 2017, became New Jersey’s first Sikh mayor. As the mayor, his accomplishments include prioritizing pedestrian and transportation safety, which he did by initiating the Citi Bike program in Hoboken, making crosswalks more visible, and increasing the amount of bike lanes in Hoboken. In 2025, he ran for state assembly under an “anti-establishment” campaign and won the election.
Soonkil Jang | Grandmaster and Founder of Jang Star Taekwondo School
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Grandmaster Soonkil Jang is the founder of Jang Star Taekwondo School and has recently achieved 9th dan black belt in taekwondo and hapkido, which is the highest attainable rank in martial arts. Soonkil has over 60 years of experience in the martial art styles of taekwondo, hapkido, hoshinsul, and kumdo. He was born in South Korea and eventually immigrated to South America, where he taught taekwondo in the late 1980s before immigrating to New Jersey. Soonkil opened Jang Star in 1990 and, having led the school to achieve many accolades and media recognition, has built a reputation as one of Jersey City’s most popular martial arts schools where students practice discipline in both moral principles and Korean martial arts.
Shaira Cruz | Advocacy Associate at AAPI New Jersey
Shaira Cruz is an advocacy associate committed to causes such as rights for migrants and workers in Hudson County. Shaira is a first-generation Filipina immigrant and was raised in Hudson County. She has earned a master’s in social studies education and several professional development scholarships. As an advocacy associate with eight years of experience in education, Shaira supports inclusive and culturally responsive teaching methods. She is currently a secretariat member of Migrante New Jersey and volunteers for the Justice for Jollibee Workers campaign.
See More: 9 AAPI Community Leaders Doing Amazing Things in Northern New Jersey
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