UW-Eau Claire’s own Caitlin Lee, director of the Multicultural Student Services (MSS), earned the 2026 Chippewa Valley Vanguard award, sponsored by Volume One. She earned this award because of the consistent and impactful changes she has made while living in the Chippewa Valley since the age of four.
The Vanguard Award is an achievement that recognizes high-level community leaders who have made significant changes in the Eau Claire area across a diverse array of disciplines.
“Here in the Chippewa Valley, we can be thankful there’s no shortage of remarkable people fostering growth in our communities through truly amazing work,” According to Volume One, “Individuals from all walks of life, with diverse passions and varied resources, put in significant effort every day to improve this place and the lives of people who live here.”
Lee said she grew up as the oldest of 10 siblings after her family moved to Eau Claire in 1980 from Ban Vinai, Thailand. Growing up, she was involved in the Eau Claire community through her family’s farm land and selling vegetables and flowers at the local farmers market.
Lee is the cofounder of Hmong Women’s Summit, the first Hmong woman to serve as the board president of the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association and co-chair of the Wisconsin Democratic AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) Caucus. Through these positions, Lee said she keeps her community at the forefront of every decision she makes.
“I think right now, if you were to look in the Chippewa Valley, it would be really difficult for you to imagine the Chippewa Valley without its Hmong neighbors,” Lee said.
Lee is also a UW-Eau Claire 2003 alumna. Lee said she stayed in Eau Claire after graduation because she wanted to be close to her family. Later, six out of 10 of her siblings also graduated from UW-Eau Claire.
“If I was in a larger city, I think I may just [have] been another name, another number,” Lee said. “But because we are here, and everything we do is so intimately impactful on the daily, I feel I’m better suited for a place like Eau Claire.”
When receiving her nomination for the Vanguard award, Lee said she originally thought the email was spam and didn’t think it was for her. Lee described her work as “quiet” and behind-the-scenes.
Lee said she later investigated the process of getting nominated for this award and realized that someone went to great lengths to make sure she got recognition for her community work.
“Whoever that person is, I thank them,” Lee said. “I appreciate the shout-out, and in many ways it was a really good reminder that good work is never wrong.”
MSS Coordinator Xia Xiong said throughout her four years as director, Lee kept the mission of MSS alive. Xiong said she was able to connect with Lee through their shared cultural understanding of being Hmong women.
According to Lee, her next steps are to continue doing community work and prepare the next generation of future change makers.
“To be honored by my community has been both heartwarming and reaffirming that I’m not wrong about Eau Claire,” Lee said.
Goethals can be reached at [email protected].
