Pictured: My-Linh, her husband Don and their children, who are both students in the Bellevue School District

 

State Representative My-Linh Thai (D, LD 41, Position 2) is a former Bellevue School District President, a healthcare professional, and an award-winning PTSA parent who is committed to improving education, opportunity, and quality of life for all Washingtonians.

As a State Representative, My-Linh has championed and sponsored legislation to guarantee access to quality local schools, prioritize food access and stability for students, and ensure that courts are accessible for all regardless of immigration status. She has additionally fought to get funding for the Health Care Authority to examine their economic and racial health disparities data to understand and take action to improve health outcomes for people of color. Furthermore, My-Linh offered the first-ever resolution recognizing Lunar New Year at the Washington State Legislature and plans on continuing this tradition to recognize and celebrate Washington State’s Asian community.

In her former role as Director and Board President of Bellevue Schools, My-Linh put her ability to listen, build consensus, and achieve common goals to ensure the District made it possible for all children to develop to their full potential. Her focus was on enhancing parent and community engagement, establishing high student expectations with diverse and challenging curricula, aiming to close the Opportunity Gap, and improving district services to accommodate students with special needs. 

My-Linh also served as Vice President of the Washington State School Board Directors Association. On the Association’s Legislative and Equity Committees, she advocated for investments in education statewide and important reforms so that each and every student has equitable access to educational opportunities. 

Prior to serving on the School Board, My-Linh and her husband Don built a successful pediatric neurology practice from the ground up and she later worked as a practicing pharmacist. In addition to that work, she volunteered as a medical interpreter and co-taught Vietnam’s first nursing graduate program. 

At 15 years old, My-Linh immigrated to Washington State as a Vietnamese refugee with her family. Thanks to the support of teachers and counselors, she graduated from Federal Way High school and went on to graduate from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. 

The early support and investments of her new community inspired My-Linh’s dedication to  watering the seeds of the next generation. That motivation led her to get involved in the Somerset Elementary School PTA where she received the Washington State PTA Outstanding Advocate Award. 

My-Linh and her husband, a neurologist at Valley Medical Center, have lived in the district for over a decade. Her daughter is a graduate of Bellevue Schools and their son is a rising senior.