Kao Ly Ilean Her '94, U of M Regent, Dies at 52

Kao Ly Ilean Her '94, the first Hmong person elected by the Minnesota Legislature to serve on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, has died at the age of 52.

Her was elected by the Legislature to a six-year term as a regent in 2019. She was also the first Hmong woman admitted to the Minnesota Bar Association, and was a committed activist for Asian Americans and a beloved member of the state's Hmong community.

She co-founded a number of nonprofits, including Allies for Mentoring Asian Youth, Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together, the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Dragon Festival on Lake Phalen. Her also served as a committee member for Maiv PAC as well as the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and as a trustee of the Minneapolis Foundation, the Asian Pacific Endowment of the St. Paul Foundation, and the Women's Foundation of Minnesota. Additionally, she served on boards for United Hospital and the Minneapolis YWCA.

"I am heartbroken to learn about Ilean's passing," University President Joan Gabel said in a statement. "She was such a strong advocate for the University of Minnesota and for all members of our university community. And for me personally, I sincerely appreciated the warmth of her welcome to me when I became president shortly after she joined the Board of Regents. Her service to the entire state of Minnesota, and in particular to Minnesota's Hmong and Asian American Pacific Islander communities, is well known and celebrated. All of us at the University of Minnesota are proud to count her as an alum, as an advocate and as a friend, and we are inspired to carry on her service in all that we do. We send our very best wishes to her loved ones as they celebrate her life and legacy."

More coverage: