Notable Minority Executives: Chris Her-Xiong Founder and executive director, Hmong American Peace Academy Feb 22, 2021 4:06 pm Share Undergrad degree/university: Central College Graduate degree/university: See bio Born in Laos, Chris Her-Xiong, the founder and executive director of the Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA), and her family left the country in 1975, escaping from communist forces when she was 10 years old – eventually ending up in Iowa. In 1995 she published “The Hmong: The People and Their History,” which contributed to her being named the 2009 Hmong Woman of the Year by the Hmong Consortium of Milwaukee. Her-Xiong eventually became the first Hmong teacher hired at Milwaukee Public Schools.