Our Mission

Ensuring Asian families and communities have equitable access to resources and opportunities to thrive.

About Us

Who We Are

Unitedly is a community hub in San Mateo County dedicated to ensuring Asian families have the resources, services, and opportunities they need to thrive.

Unitedly began with founder Alyson Suzuki's personal experience helping her Chinese-speaking parents navigate systems that were never built for them. She soon realized that many other families in the County were struggling with the same obstacles — language barriers, cultural disconnects, and systemic gaps that left them feeling invisible.

Today, Unitedly transforms that lived experience into action — mobilizing direct services, cultural and linguistic support, and authentic community engagement. Unitedly's vision is strong, resilient communities where every family is supported and the next generation leads with confidence, purpose, and the skills to create lasting change.

What We Stand For

Our Values

We believe that all Asian families have the right to services that are culturally and linguistically responsive to their needs.
We believe in amplifying the voices of Asian families so that all communities can fully contribute towards a stronger society.
We value inclusion and equity and believe that our diverse communities are strengthened because of our differences.
We believe in understanding the uniqueness, history and values of Asian cultures.
We believe that all generations can strengthen society if they have access, resources and opportunities.
We believe in partnering with others and working with cultural humility.

Our Story

How We Started

Unitedly was founded to help identify and address systemic inequities that have led to the invisibility of Asian residents and prevented them from accessing essential social services.

Founder Alyson Suzuki noticed that many services in San Mateo County were not offered in languages reflecting the diversity of the County — something she witnessed firsthand supporting her parents, who are disabled and monolingual Chinese.

This was especially apparent during COVID-19, when many resources were not offered in Asian languages even though Asians represent over 31% of the County's population.

As she helped her parents navigate the County systems and resources, she noticed that there were many other families like hers who were struggling because of the lack of services and resources available in their home language and culture.

These systemic issues are largely caused by the absence of Asian language access to resources and opportunities and the lack of authentic engagement and data collection methods to identify true community needs. With the rise of Asian hate crimes, racism and xenophobia, these practices further separate and prevent Asian residents from participating in their community.

Alyson's vision for Unitedly is to provide cultural and linguistic partnerships with Asian communities to heal racial trauma, provide services for unmet needs, and advance communities by bridging understanding and creating community-centered solutions.

The People Behind the Work

Our Team

Alyson Suzuki

Founder and President of the Board

AlysonS@Unitedly.org

Alyson Suzuki is a first-generation Chinese-American community champion passionate about making sure all families have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Raised in a low-income household by immigrant parents in New York City, she knows first-hand how much access and community support can change a family's future. As founder of Unitedly, her vision is to create a central hub that supports underserved families with culturally responsive services, language access, and equitable opportunities. With over 25 years of experience in education, social services, and nonprofit leadership, she has guided large organizations, led systemic change, and launched programs that continue to make a difference. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Chinese Health Initiative of San Mateo County and has served on the boards of the YMCA of San Francisco and Marin and Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS). She holds a Bachelor's in Psychology, a Master's in Strategic Human Resources Management, and has been honored with the California Governor's Scholarship for Women in Public Service.

Conny Zhu

Community Services Coordinator

ConnyZ@Unitedly.org

Conny is a resident of San Mateo County with more than 15 years of experience working in nonprofit agencies. Her expertise includes program startup, management, planning and implementation. She is a certified trainer for Preventive Health and Safety and a nationally recognized business training series for family child care business owners by All Our Kin. She has over 10 years of experience delivering training to monolingual Chinese-speaking immigrants. Conny serves as Child Care Provider Services Manager at Wu Yee Children's Services in San Francisco and holds a BA in Psychology from UC Davis. As a first-generation college graduate raised by low-income immigrant parents, she is deeply committed to serving underserved communities.

Leadership

Board of Directors

Unitedly has a dedicated Board of Directors with extensive experience designing, implementing, and leading nonprofit and business programs and supporting Asian and immigrant communities. Board members were raised in immigrant households themselves or supported families with accessing similar agencies. Through these experiences, they understand the impact an agency like Unitedly has on families and the greater community.

Cheryl Horney

Vice President

CherylH@Unitedly.org

Cheryl has worked in nonprofit organizations for nearly two decades, including 13 years at Wu Yee Children's Services in San Francisco. She holds a Bachelor's in History from Boston University and a Master's in Education from San Francisco State University and has served on 5 nonprofit boards throughout her career. She currently serves as Treasurer of SFCPAC and Vice President of Operations of Unitedly.

Dr. Melinda Day

Board Member

Dr. Melinda Day is the founding Chief Academic Officer of Meritus College with more than 20 years of experience in higher education leadership, nonprofit management, workforce development, and early childhood education. She holds a Ph.D. in Child and Family Studies from Syracuse University where her research focused on race and ethnic stereotype formation and anti-bias education.

Dr. Mia Karamatsu

Board Member

Dr. Mia Karamatsu is a pediatric emergency physician and Associate Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine with over 15 years of clinical experience. As Director of Well-Being for the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Stanford, she leads initiatives focused on sustainable careers in healthcare and champions health equity and culturally responsive care.

Mina Kim

Board Member

Professor and former chair of the Department of Elementary Education at San Francisco State University with established expertise in Early Childhood Education. Lead faculty who developed the new PK-3rd Grade ECE Teaching Credential at SF State. Her research focuses on inquiry-based curriculum and culturally responsive teaching for young children.

Community Guidance

Advisory Committee

Unitedly's Advisory Committee serves as a vital partner in advancing the organization's mission. Members provide expertise, insights, and advocacy that strengthen Unitedly's programs and expand its impact.

Advisory Committee

Phoebe Shin Venkat is a councilwoman and former planning commissioner in Foster City with a track record of driving equitable and data-driven outcomes. She serves as vice board chair of CORA and is on the executive board of the San Mateo County Asian American Pacific Islander Alliance. A second-generation Chinese American and the first person in her family to graduate from college, Phoebe has been serving local communities for the majority of her life. Her career has focused on building communities at global companies including Salesforce, Facebook, Okta, and Bloomberg.

Youth Advisory Committee

Unitedly's Youth Advisory Committee serves as a key partner in shaping the organization's vision for equity and inclusion. Members bring fresh perspectives and lived experiences that ensure youth voices are at the forefront.

Koji Suzuki

Youth Services Program Coordinator

Koji Suzuki is a high school student-athlete and team captain at Hillsdale High School. He helped create Game Changers, Unitedly's basketball-based youth leadership program, inspired by his own experiences and the need to bring visibility to AANHPI student-athletes in San Mateo County.

Ryu Suzuki

Youth Services Programs Associate

Ryu Suzuki is a middle school basketball player competing for his school team, the Japanese Youth Organization, and Bay Area Impact AAU. As Unitedly's Youth Services Associate, he supports social media and partnership development for the Game Changers program.

Leadership Circle

Unitedly's Leadership Circle serves as a critical community champion of the organization, partnering with the Executive Director and Board of Directors as a volunteer advisory and working committee. Members are carefully selected for their expertise and community service.

Sylvia Tang

Community Health Planner at San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and Co-Chair of the San Mateo County Suicide Prevention Committee. Holds a BA in Public Health from UC Berkeley and MPP from Harvard Kennedy School. A second-degree black belt in judo who competed at state, national, and international levels.

Hana Ma

Senior program officer at Sobrato Philanthropies focused on policy advocacy and systems change for economic mobility. Serves on the board for Partnership for Children and Youth and PlayThrive and advisory board of 10,000 Degrees. Grew up in Taiwan and San Jose — her experience as an English learner shapes her vision for equitable family support.

Men Chun Wong

Licensed psychotherapist dedicated to increasing access to mental health care, with a private practice serving LGBTQ+ youth and adults. Born and raised in the Netherlands by parents from Hong Kong, he brings a multicultural and multilingual lens to his work, speaking conversational Cantonese and fluent Dutch.

Jeremy Nguyen

Community Program Lead at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, designing and leading community-focused programs to address complex regional challenges. First-generation college graduate and advisory board member of 10,000 Degrees, contributing cross-sector experience to Unitedly's mission of empowering Asian American families.

Along with the Unitedly Board, Advisory Committee Members, and Leadership Circle Members, Unitedly has a secure base of followers and community partnerships in the Bay Area and San Mateo County.

Our Services