Kathy Tran, Virginia House of Delegates, District 18

Delegate Kathy Tran spoke at the launch of WeLead2026 in September 2025. When she was just 7 months old, Tran fled Vietnam with her parents as boat refugees. Serving in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2017, she is fighting to protect the values that led her parents to risk everything to come to the United States: home, opportunity, and freedom. Tran has introduced and passed bills to protect coverage for preexisting conditions, expand voter access, improve worker's rights, protect waterways, and make Virginia more welcoming and inclusive. She also serves as the Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and Chair Emeritus of the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus. Before serving in the VA General Assembly, Tran spent 12 years working at the U.S. Department of Labor and at the National Immigration Forum.

Tran earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Duke University.