VietAID’s Le says she will step down this year

Lisette Le

Lisette Le, the executive director of the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VietAID) in Fields Corner, plans to step down later this year. She has served in the role since January 2018.

“The past four years have been profound, transformative, and challenging,” she wrote in an email to supporters. “I will be staying on on a part-time basis until a new executive director is named; please be on the lookout for a job post in early 2022.”

Le previously worked as director of the Massachusetts Voter Table and as an organizer with Right to the City and the Chinese Progressive Association. Sheimmigrated to the US in 1990 from Vietnam, and grew up in Ohio. She holds an American Studies degree from Tufts University and lives in Dorchester with her family.

Founded in 1994, VietAID opened a community center on Charles Street, behind the Fields Corner MBTA Station, in 2002.

Le credited staff and volunteers who have helped provide “access to quality early education, affordable housing, youth leaders, a community for older adults, language access, and so much more.” During the pandemic, the organization helped more than 2,000 people with unemployment insurance and rental assistance. VietAID is “on its path to being the anchor institution for all of Dorchester,” she added.

“We have also forged new work areas from a commitment to mental health, climate resilience, and workers’ rights for nail salon workers. We have also been part of incredible formations that include Fields Corner Crossroads, an 8-organization collective seeking to transform Fields Corner, and APIsCAN, a statewide network building the political power of Asian American communities.”

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