Blong Xiong, MBA - District 1 Council President

Council President Blong Xiong-MBA, currently serves as the first elected Asian American Councilmember for the City of Fresno, and the first elected Hmong councilmember in Fresno and the State of California. Prior to his election to office, Mr. Xiong served as Deputy Director for the Fresno Center for New Americans (FCNA) a nonprofit organization that assists immigrants, refugees and New Americans to successfully transition into the community. Mr. Xiong obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Marian College of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and later received a Master in Business Administration from National University. In addition, Mr. Xiong has served as a Public Defender Investigator for the County of Fresno and has worked in his family’s small business.

Appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger Council President Xiong serves on the board of the California Volunteer Commission. In addition, he also serves on the Workforce Investment Board (WIB), Rail Consolidation Committee, Southeast Asian Educational Council, and has participated in numerous speaking engagements as the keynote speaker, at the local, state and federal levels.

Kyle Loreto - Council Assistant

Prior to joining Councilmember Blong Xiong’s office, Mr. Loreto served Mayor Alan Autry's administration as Deputy Chief of Staff.
He continues serving the City, working on policy  and needs of District 1.


Maiyer Vang - Council Assistant

Maiyer Vang is proud and privileged to be working with Councilman Blong Xiong. Mrs. Vang has had extensive background in working with non profit organizations. Her most recent employment was with the Fresno Center for New Americans as a Case Manager. As Case Manager, she provided job retention to refugees, helped them obtain employment and gave them the necessary tools to be self-sufficient and achieve their American dream. Her other experience with non profit organization was with the International Rescue Committee where she provided public services to the newly arrived refugee families from Thailand and Russia. She also assisted them in finding housing and helped them in adjusting to their new life in America.

Before joining Fresno Center for New Americans, Mrs. Vang was employed as the Event Planner/Contact Center Representative for the The George P. Johnson Company in San Carlos. She planned major annual events for Cisco System where there are over 15,000 people in attendees.

On personal note, Mrs. Vang is a product of the Fresno Community. She graduated from Fresno High School, and is an alumnus from California State University, Fresno in which she obtained a degree in Education.

Mrs. Vang’s desire to give back to the community has lead her to where she is at today. Her plans for the future, is to give back to Fresno where she feels it has been a part of her life.

Harim Martinez - Staff Support

Harim Martinez comes to District 1 with a varied background which includes engineering and education. Previously employed as Fresno City College’s Alternative Media Specialist for Disable Student Programs & Services, and a proud educator for Fresno Unified School District.where he dealt with many challenges faced by those who required services while furthering their goals.

Mr. Martinez continues to consultant and serve on governing boards and advocacy groups such as the Hispanic Initiative Advisory Council & as Vice President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. He is actively engaged in the promotion of education in the community.

He is a co-founder of Engineers Without Borders: Project Asia whose aim is sustainable engineering projects, education and advocacy in South East Asia. Recently he assisted with the re-launch of the local Society of Women Engineers for networking, advocacy and promotion of professional women.

He continues to be associated with the MESA Schools Program, with whom he worked as an after-school Site Advisor. Via their programs he continually enjoys giving back and sees importance in supporting higher education as a key factor to maintain the future health of communities.

In all roles Ari continues to serve as a liaison and works to build coalition and cooperation between professionals, students and community.

Ka Lia Yang - Staff Assistant
A recent graduate of Clovis East High School, KaLia Yang has joined Council Member Blong Xiong’s office team. While attending Clovis East High School Miss Yang was involved with the Asian Club, serving them as their Activities Director. Her responsibilities were in assisting her peers with planning a variety of activities; which included different volunteering opportunities. Many of the activities allowed Miss Yang to increase her networking and have given her the opportunity to work with many inspirational people in the community. Her classmates and club had a successful school year in thanks to their association with Council Member Xiong,

Miss Yang spent much of her time volunteering with non-profit organizations, such as Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM) and Fresno Center for New Americans (FCNA). During her time at FCNA she was a back-up secretary, stepping up when others were not present. Additionally, she assisted case managers and clients whom required help with services. Within FIRM, Miss Yang devoted her time assisting families in translation services as well as mentoring others in communication assistance. As a result of volunteering her time Miss Yang was given opportunities to build her network and allow her to reach out to others in her community.

Born in Santa Barbara and raise in Merced, Miss Yang learned to care for her community and the amount of hard work one must accomplish in order to climb the steps to a successful and rich life. Graduating high school has been a long road, but she continues positive strives onto a collegiate education. Her upbeat manner, work ethic and dedication to make her community a better place is an asset to the District 1 team.