My-Linh Thai
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My-Linh Thai | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 41st district | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Judy Clibborn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 18, 1968 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Don Thai |
| Alma mater | University of Washington School of Pharmacy |
| Occupation | Pharmacist, Politician |
| Signature |  |
My-Linh Thi Thai[1] (Vietnamese: Thái Mỹ Linh; born January 18, 1968)[2][3] is an American politician and pharmacist who serves in the Washington State House of Representatives representing the 41st district in King County. Thai, a Vietnamese immigrant who lives in Bellevue, served as a school board member prior to her election in 2018, replacing retiring legislator Judy Clibborn.
My-Linh Thai was born in Da Lat and raised by her grandparents on the Mekong Delta.[4] She immigrated to the United States in 1983 as a war refugee and reunited with several family members who had fled earlier.[5]
She arrived in the Seattle area at the age of 15 and enrolled at Federal Way High School despite not knowing the English language.[6][7] Thai graduated from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and worked as a practicing pharmacist in Billings, Montana, before moving with her family to Bellevue, Washington, in 2008.[6][8] She has also worked as a medical interpreter for Vietnamese immigrants and returned to the country to teach one of the first graduate nursing programs in Vietnam.[9]
She became involved in the Somerset parent teacher student association (PTSA) shortly after moving to the city, during a sabbatical from her work as a pharmacist.[7] Thai was appointed PTSA president, earning an advocacy award from the state PTA,[7] and was elected to the Bellevue School District school board in 2013.[6][9] During her first term as a school board member, Thai advocated against racial inequality and campaigned to hire a racially-diverse set of teachers to reflect the demographics of the Bellevue school body.[9] She was re-elected to a second term in 2017 and was appointed as the board president. Thai also served as the vice president of the Washington State School Directors' Association.[7][9]