Lisa Lee
Age: 24
Publisher, Hyphen

Why she's influential: Because she's making sure Asian Americans have a voice in print. The world of print publishing has never been easy, and these days, the game is rougher than ever with major publications folding left and right. But Hyphen is still hanging in there after six years, thanks in large part to publisher Lisa Lee, who has taken the reins of this non-profit, volunteer-run Asian American mag and is making sure it survives.

Lisa started volunteering with the publication at the beginning of 2007. Since then, she has stepped up as Hyphen's leader, on top of working a demanding day job (as a specialist for Facebook), because she is so passionate about the portrayal of Asian Americans and the importance of having and making our own media.

An avid supporter of various Asian American art communities, Lisa started her nonprofit career working for Great Leap, Inc. and Ford Amphitheater/Ford Theatre Foundation in Los Angeles. An aspiring actress, director, and playwright, Lisa has also appeared and directed many theater productions.

She hopes to take Hyphen to the next level by fundraising through different means so that it can continue to be a platform for Asian American writers, artists, and leaders in the years to come. Melissa Hung, Founding Editor of Hyphen (who nominated Lisa), says, "Because I know and work with her, I know how awesome she is. [But] since she's a behind-the-scenes person, I don't know that other people know how awesome she is." Now we know.