Leadership

Board of directors of the Thai-American Association of Arizona. An organization’s board of directors is responsible for setting the organization’s strategic direction and overseeing its operations. The team will be responsible for regularly reviewing the organization’s activities and providing guidance as well as adopting the annual budget and ensuring that financial resources are allocated appropriately.

BOARD OF DIRECTOR

Kitsuda Jaraspan
President

Jet Mitro
Vice President

Piammanus Prapha-Phatana
Treasurer

Kulnuj Mc Murray
Secretary

Pittayaporn Hing
Director, Education

Somnuk Charuna Pasley
Community Advocate

Supapun Wichachuai
Director, Community Affairs

Samaphorn Hester
Thai Cultural Advisor

Jiraanong Manceau
Senior Advisor

Kitsuda Jaraspan

President

Kitsuda Jaraspan was born and raised in Thailand. At the age of 16, she and her younger sister moved from Bangkok to Arizona in 1994. Kitsuda earned a bachelor’s degree in Design Science with a specialization in visual communication from Arizona State University. She began her career as a graphic designer and production artist and is currently a Webmaster for a specialty insurance company. With expertise in web design, website technology, SEO, and website analytics, she and her husband also established StackBox Logistic Services in 2019, a partner company of GLS.

In her free time, Kitsuda enjoys reading, believing it sharpens the mind and fosters an attitude of acceptance and coexistence in a diverse society. She is particularly motivated by human rights, social issues, and politics. Her passion lies in serving the greater Thai community, promoting understanding and knowledge among the working class, the elderly, and those who are less privileged.

Having worked alongside her mother in America from a young age, Kitsuda understands the challenges faced by single parents living abroad. She and her family have overcome difficult times with the help of many generous individuals. Grateful for the kindness shown to her, Kitsuda is committed to paying it forward by assisting Thais abroad who may be facing similar struggles, whether they need a little help or a lot.

Kitsuda is proud to be part of the Thai-American Association and fully supports its mission to assist Thai people, provide a support system, and emphasize the importance of education. She hopes to encourage and develop new leaders with the skills and willingness to further support Thais living abroad.

Jet Mitro

Vice President

Jet grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, but has been living in Scottsdale, AZ since 2008. Jet graduated with first honors from International Studies Center of Rajchabhat Pranakorn Si Ayutthaya University majoring in Tourism Industries and Hotel Management. Jet received UCE Australia scholarship in 1999, AFS New Zealand scholarship in 2000, and YORK USA scholarship in 2001. Jet was also awarded with a certificate for good leadership, problem solving, team building and overall ability of mission execution from the Ministry of Education, Thailand in 2001. In Thailand, Jet successfully started a new company which established retail nutrition stores in high-end Bangkok malls and gyms.

Jet is determined and goal-oriented. She loves yoga, hiking and cooking. She is a mother of a beautiful little girl. She is passionate in helping others achieve similar success as she did. She believes in giving back to the community. Ten years of experience in banking administration and the financial industry gives her a deep appreciation of how non-profit organizations can improve the quality of life for our Thai community in Arizona. Her contribution to TAAA focuses on compliance and humanitarian services. Jet also currently serves as Thai Director at Arizona Asian American Association.

Piammanus Prapha-Phatana

Treasurer

My name is Piammanus Prapha-Phatana, though my foreign friends and colleagues call me Cat Phatana. I am also the proud mother of Anyada Prapha-Phatana, Miss Thai-Arizona 2019.

I moved to the United States in 1990 to pursue my education. I began at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where I enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and completed prerequisite courses in Business Management. Later, I transferred to Western International University in Phoenix, Arizona.

I moved to Arizona in February 1992, and quickly fell in love with the state, becoming an Arizonan at heart. Here, I met my husband, and together we have a son and a daughter, both graduates of Arizona State University in Tempe. We are now proud grandparents to a wonderful grandson.

I have always enjoyed helping people in our Thai community, assisting with applications for Thai passport renewals, green cards, citizenship, and American passports. Since my student days, I’ve also supported Wat Promkunaram during their community events.

Wanting my children to appreciate their Thai heritage, I enrolled them in the cultural programs at Wat Promkunaram from a young age. It was through these programs that my daughter earned her crown and title as Miss Thai-Arizona.

Currently, I serve as an Accountant I in the Finance Division of the Office of Business Management for the City of Maricopa. This role allows me to contribute to the Thai-American Association of Arizona as treasurer. I love the mission and spirit of the team, and I’m proud to support our Thai community through bookkeeping, accounting, and finance, as well as in any other capacities needed.

Kulnuj Mc Murray

Secretary

Kulnuj (Pik) Mc Murray was born and raised in Bangkok. She graduated at Rangsit University, Thailand with a degree in Interior Design. She initially worked as a designer for commercial spaces and shopping malls. Later, she moved to Singapore, where she specialized in designing high-end residential properties.

Driven by her passion for design, she chose to further her education, earning a master’s degree in Design from Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, and the University of Wales in the UK.

In 2004, she returned to Bangkok and took on the role of Managing Director at “Ramburi,” an OEM business that exported Thai spa products to the USA and other countries. During this time, she gained valuable experience in design, recruiting therapists for international positions, and managing spa operations.

Her responsibility is to provide overall direction and management of the organization. She helps with the development of long-term management and sales strategies, develops and build brand plans to make sure targets are met and achieved that were set by the board.

In 2010, she had a wonderful change in her career, became a wife and later a mother. She stepped back from her professional career to focus on raising her child and managing the household. During this period, she discovered her true passion for helping others. She always tries to help people in any way. From volunteering in her child’s school, to pursuing other education in Homeopathic Medicine and Bach flowers, she finds great enjoyment in helping others.

In 2018, she moved to the USA, where she met many wonderful people, including those from TAAA, a community that made her feel connected to her homeland. She believes that even a small community can grow immensely by supporting one another.

This is why she is thrilled to be part of TAAA, as the organization’s work helps Thai people, fosters a welcoming community, and promotes Thai culture in Arizona.

Pittayaporn Hing

Director, Education

Pittayaporn or Som was born and raised in Thailand. Som holds bachelor (Burapha University) and master (Srinakharinwirot University, Prasarnmit) degrees in education. She studied baking and cooking Thai food at Dusit Thani College where she was certified in Authentic Thai Culinary Arts.

Som moved to the United States in 2007 after marrying her husband, Rodney Hing. They have two daughters, ages 9 and 12 years old. Before moving to the United States, Som was an elementary school teacher at Chitralada School at the Chitralada Royal Palace for 10 years. She is currently a preschool teacher at the Snedigar Recreation Center in Chandler. She is the head of Thai language volunteer teachers. She also teaches Sunday school at Northwest Chinese Baptist Church where she also volunteers to help with church activities. In addition, she also volunteers to help at her children’s school regularly.

Som has been participating and promoting Thai association activities since it first launched in April 2019. She has always loved and appreciated working for the benefit of the association. With her teaching experience combined with her cheerful and social character, Som is a perfect fit to be TAAA’s director of activities. Som has a passion in line with the association’s goals to help Thai people in promoting love and unity among the Thai community.

Somnuk Charuna Pasley

Community Advocate

Somnuk is a farmer’s daughter from Surin Province, Thailand. She loves and appreciates languages very much. She can speak English, Thai, Khmer fluently and also can understand Lao and Spanish as well. Somnuk moved to Arizona since 1993 and is married with three beautiful children.

During her 29 years in the United States, she has experienced working in many areas, such as restaurant manager, recruitment, finance and banking. Currently, she is an Independent Insurance Broker and operates her own insurance agency that focuses on Medicare, health and life insurance. She is licensed to operate in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. She also received AHIP certifications and is contracted with many insurance companies.

Somnuk decided to join TAAA team because she supported the mission of the association and wanted to help Thai community. Even though she has lived in America since adolescence, she believes and adheres to the word “Thai help Thai”. She hopes that the Thai-American Association of Arizona will be the center of Thai people to help each other and to support collaborative activities. She will be one of the important parts of the Educational team who will seek out useful information and initiate activities to benefit the Thai community.

Supapun Wichachuai

Director, Community Affairs

Supapun Wichachuai was born and raised in Thailand in a family where both parents were government employees and university professors. Growing up in an educator’s household, learning and helping others became second nature to her. Supapun graduated with second-class honors in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Electronics, from Mahanakorn University of Technology in 2007. During her studies, she worked as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for several subjects, including Calculus, and various design programs such as AutoCAD and IC design software. She also gained experience working as a Product Engineer at Spansion (Thailand) (formerly known as AMD) during her summer breaks. After graduating, Bee joined Microchip (Thailand), a company with branches worldwide and headquarters in Chandler, Arizona, USA.

Due to her outstanding performance, Supapun was selected for short-term training in the Philippines in 2009. She first visited the United States in 2012, when she was offered a position at Microchip (Tempe, AZ) as a Process Engineer for further training, bringing her newly acquired knowledge back to Thailand in 2013. In 2014, Supapun was offered a permanent position as a Senior Yield Enhancement Engineer at Microchip Inc. in Chandler, Arizona, leading her to relocate permanently to the United States with Microchip’s sponsorship. Currently, she works in IT as a Full Stack Developer and holds the position of Principal Quality Engineer. Given that Microchip operates globally, Bee was selected by the Human Resources department to teach Thai culture and act as a liaison between different nationalities to improve workplace efficiency.

In her free time, Supapun enjoys cooking and baking both Thai and Western dishes. She loves crafts, handiwork, hiking, traveling by plane or road, and constantly learning new things.

Despite her numerous responsibilities at the company, Bee remains dedicated to her Thai friends and passionate about supporting the Thai community. She sees the potential for growth within the Thai community in Arizona and believes in its capacity for further development and success.

Jiraanong Manceau

Senior Advisor

Jira has lived in the US since 2005. She holds degrees with an English major from the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University and an MBA from Sasin of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. She worked as an analyst and continued up to management level in Market Research industry in Thailand and in the U.S. Currently, she is a Thai interpreter and translator in legal, medical and business fields, operated under the name Thai Language Services USA. She is the first Thai interpreter to be awarded an Arizona court credential (Tier A).

Her friends described her as a determined, sincere and organized person. She is a positive thinker who treats other with respect. She loves sports and adventure. She also spends her free time volunteering at several organizations and events, for example, Mesa Arts Center and Arizona Asian Festival by AAAA. She is actively working with Arizona AANHPI communities for public interest. Examples of participated projects are: 2020 Census, presidential voting, Anti-Asian Hate and Covid-19 vaccination.

Jira is one of the founding team and is President of Thai-American Association of Arizona since April 2019. In the course of her work, she finds many Thai people lack basic legal and social welfare knowledge (e.g. available services and how to access them). She has strong passion to help Thai people improve their quality of life. She believes that knowledge and understanding in language, culture and local practices are among the key foundations for opportunities and success. She also dreams of seeing Thai people participate more in Arizona issues and becoming part of the Arizona voice.

Samaphorn Hester

Thai Cultural Advisor

Samaphorn Hester, also known as Kru Noo, was born in Bangkok. After her father’s passing, she moved to Phitsanulok to continue her studies. She graduated with a degree in Thai Classical Dance from the Faculty of Humanities at Naresuan University. During her studies, she often represented her university in cultural exchange programs, participating in events in Thailand, Malaysia, and the United States.

Samaphorn first traveled to the U.S. in 2007 as part of the inaugural group of students promoting Thai classical dance, continuing the cultural promotion project led by Naresuan University faculty at Wat Promkunaram in Waddell, Arizona. This program attracted many families interested in Thai cultural activities. After completing the project, she returned to Thailand to finish her studies. Upon graduation, she taught Thai classical dance to students in grades 1 through 9 at Buddhachart Kindergarten School in Phichit. In 2009, Wat Promkunaram invited her back as a permanent instructor for their non-formal education program, and she has continued to preserve and promote Thai arts and culture at Wat Promkunaram and other Thai temples in the U.S. ever since.

Currently, Samaphorn serves as the Executive Secretary of Wat Promkunaram and heads the Rak Thai Club, which serves as a hub for those interested in Thai performing arts, organizing performances whenever opportunities arise. She has over 15 years of experience living in the U.S. and promoting Thai arts and culture abroad.

In addition to her cultural work, Samaphorn manages a Thai restaurant and a beauty business, which keeps her schedule quite busy. Despite her demanding workload, she is always ready to lend a hand to others. Samaphorn is a dedicated mother of two children and prioritizes spending quality time with them outside of work, as family is her greatest priority. She firmly believes that helping others whenever possible is a responsibility, and she is passionate about showcasing the beauty of Thailand’s art and rich cultural heritage to the world.