Mai Vang is the daughter of Hmong refugees from Laos, a proud Sacramento native, and the eldest of 16 children. Before her election in November 2020 to represent Sacramento’s Eighth City Council District, Vang served as the Executive Director of the Buck Scholars Association, an organization that provides mentorship and scholarships to talented high school students who lack the resources and support to achieve their educational goals. She currently teaches in the Department of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Sacramento, and recently taught in the Department of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis.

Vang co-founded Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) whose mission is to strengthen the power of disenfranchised communities through innovative civic engagement and strategic grassroots mobilization. Vang has worked on education, labor and racial/ethnic health disparities with local and national policy and government organizations. Prior to being elected, Vang worked tirelessly as a community organizer to improve health and educational outcomes for children and families in south Sacramento.

In her first term as a Councilmember representing District 8, Vang lead one of the most linguistically diverse community-led vaccination clinics in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic; championed the passage of a city-wide ballot initiative Measure L, the Sacramento Children’s Fund; co-led city-wide ballot initiative Measure N to expand eligible uses of the TOT special taxes, including for investment in South Sacramento; co-launched the LEAP workgroup to address language barriers and develop a city-wide language equity ordinance, resulting in 16 recommendations, including hiring a Language Access Coordinator; created and co-lead the Food Justice Task Force to secure 1.5 million to address food insecurity; fought to ensure a youth advisory seat on the City Council - the first-ever in the nation; and secured the city purchase of 102 acres of undeveloped land in South Sacramento for the future development of affordable housing, civic amenities, and an economic engine to drive revenue for South Sacramento. In 2022, Vang was named Sacramento’s Bee TOP AAPI Change Maker and has received several awards for her unwavering dedication to equity and racial justice. Vang currently serves on several Sacramento regional Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Authorities.

Today, Vang lives in the Meadowview neighborhood of South Sacramento. Vang holds Bachelors’ Degrees in Biology and Sociology from the University of San Francisco and dual Master's Degrees in Public Health and Asian American Studies from UCLA. During her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog Coffee and spending time with her 15 siblings.