Bottom Row, L-R: Dr. Dadit Gunarwato Hidayat, State Representative Renuka Mayadev, Tariq Saqqaf, Erika Gallagher, Badri Lankella
Ten University of Wisconsin–Madison community members were recognized in Madison365’s annual list of “Wisconsin’s Most Influential Asian American Leaders” for 2025.
Madison365, a nonprofit online news publication, has published annual power lists recognizing Wisconsin leaders from different racial and ethnic groups since 2015. The purpose of the lists is to “highlight the beauty of the diversity across our state,” according to Henry Sanders, Jr., the co-founder, publisher, and chief executive officer of Madison365.
Congratulations to the following current and former UW–Madison students and employees who received this well-deserved recognition. See the complete list on the Madison 365 website – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
Dr. Ronak Mehta is a family physician and founder of NerdBugs, which makes intimidating medical concepts more approachable to kids through plushie organs inspired by a children’s book Dr. Mehta wrote while in medical school. With over 100,000 units sold worldwide, Dr. Mehta was named one of Inc.’s Female Founders 500 earlier this year. Since finishing her residency at Loyola University Chicago / Cook County Hospital in 2015, she has been an attending physician with the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Salt Lake City and a clinical assistant professor at UW–Madison, practicing with UW Health. A product of Marshfield, Wisconsin, Dr. Mehta earned her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies.
Edgar Lin is Wisconsin State Policy Advocate & Counsel at Protect Democracy, where he focuses on policy advocacy and litigation related to preventing election subversion. He previously worked at Ahmad & Associates and the Buting, Williams, & Stilling law firms, practicing civil rights and criminal law. Prior to private practice, he was a public defender in the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office, Milwaukee Trial Division. Before attending the University of Wisconsin Law School, he worked in the financial sector in Hong Kong and Tokyo. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Law School.
Kerry Yang is the Community Liaison and Special Events Coordinator for the City of Green Bay Mayor’s Office. In this role, she is deeply engaged with the community as a member of the Brown County Refugee Taskforce, headed by Catholic Charities, a Community Champion from Brown County United Way, and a member of the Be Safe Taskforce from Golden House. She also coordinates Hmong and Latino advisory councils, which engage the Mayor’s Office on how the City can better serve those populations. She is a big sister in Big Brothers Big Sisters, a member of the Greater Green Bay Chamber, and presented on civic engagement at the 2025 Hmong National Development Conference in Minneapolis. Through her role in the City, she saw that there was a greater need for a local center for the Hmong people and co-founded and is the President of Hmong Autism Neurodiverse Disability Support (HANDS) with her sisters, Betsy Rotzenberg and Linda Yang. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UW–Madison.
Ali Khan is a multimedia producer and digital strategist at PBS Wisconsin, where he creates stories for Wisconsin Life and Why Race Matters. His work centers on historically underrepresented voices, with a focus on storytelling that bridges culture, identity, and community. He is the founder of Of The Diaspora, a community-driven brand that raised funds for global relief initiatives through content-led product campaigns. Ali has also shaped social media strategy for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and led paid social analytics for clients at Ovative Group. As a student at University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned degrees in political science and digital cinema production, he passed divestment legislation within student government, organized with the Multicultural Student Center, and launched Home is Where WI Aren’t, a viral video campaign uplifting students of color at UW–Madison that gained national attention.
Ryan Estrella is a social worker with Joining Forces for Families and co-president of the board of directors at Just Dane. He was the chair of Fitchburg’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative from its founding in 2018 until 2022, and spent two more years as vice chair. He has participated in a number of City of Fitchburg hiring committees and outreach efforts. Mayor Julia Arata-Fratta honored him with the Resident Award in 2024. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Dr. Dadit Gunarwanto Hidayat currently serves as Director of the Wisconsin Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP), a statewide initiative led by UW–Madison that broadens participation in STEM education through collaboration with 18 higher education institutions across Wisconsin. A two-time Badger and first-generation immigrant from Indonesia, Dr. Hidayat bridges academia and grassroots advocacy through interdisciplinary, community-based research. For nearly two decades, he has led civic engagement and research partnerships connecting UW–Madison with local communities such as Monona, Madison, Milwaukee, and La Crosse, spanning both urban and smaller city contexts across Wisconsin. He holds a PhD from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and an MS in Urban and Regional Planning.
State Representative Renuka Mayadev is a daughter of immigrants, a maternal child health advocate, and a mother. In January 2025, she made history as the first South Asian to serve in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Before taking office, she worked at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, focusing on maternal and child health. Her prior experience spans nonprofit and government sectors, including leadership roles at the Children’s Defense Fund and as a policy advisor to former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. For this legislative session, she serves as the first Ranking Freshman Representative of an Assembly Committee in over a decade, leading the Committee on Constitution and Ethics, in addition to serving on the Assembly Committees on Health, Aging, and Long-Term Care. She is also a founding member of the Wisconsin Legislative Asian American Caucus. She earned a B.A., Economics from Northwestern University and her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University.
Tariq Saqqaf is the City of Madison’s Racial Equity and Neighborhood Resource Team Coordinator, where he has been instrumental in revitalizing and leading the city’s Neighborhood Resource Teams (NRTs). These teams focus on underserved neighborhoods, addressing issues such as housing, transportation, and community development. Under his leadership, NRTs have facilitated significant improvements, including park enhancements, the establishment of a neighborhood center in Theresa Terrace, and the introduction of a new bus route serving the Owl Creek area. Saqqaf’s role extends to the City, County, Schools Collaborative Committee, where he fosters intergovernmental collaboration to address shared community concerns. His efforts are central to Madison’s Racial Equity & Social Justice Initiative, embedding equity considerations into city policies and practices. Beyond his official duties, Saqqaf is deeply engaged in community initiatives. He has contributed to youth programs through organizations like Nehemiah Community Development Corp. and Common Wealth Development. Additionally, he played a key role in establishing Madison’s first skate park, promoting inclusive recreational spaces, and serves on the board of NAMI Dane County. Born in Trinidad & Tobago and raised across New Jersey, Madison, and Saudi Arabia, he earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology and began medical school at UW–Madison before transitioning to a career in social services.
Erika Gallagher is a teacher of English at Verona High School and the winner of the 2024-25 Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English Diversity and Inclusion Award. She was recognized for leading the district’s Gender Inclusion & Equity Committee, supporting the Antiracist Teaching Coalition, mentoring student affinity groups, creating the district’s LGBTQ+ support page, and serving as the adviser to the Gender Sexuality Alliance. Her work also focuses on ensuring equitable access to resources for students and families. Before moving to Verona in 2023, she taught at Capital High School, East High School, and O’Keeffe Middle School in Madison. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW–Madison.
Badri Lankella represents Madison’s west side on the Common Council, winning election earlier this year, and serves as a commissioner of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. Professionally, his information technology career spans 25 years, including 20 years as a computer engineer and systems architect with the state Department of Natural Resources. He has served on the City of Madison’s Transportation Planning and Policy Board, contributing to strategic decisions that shape the future of mobility and accessibility in the city. He is also a board member of the Madison Public Schools Foundation and the Ice Age Falls Homeowners Association. He holds a degree in civil engineering and an MBA from UW–Madison.