Liana Adrong, Executive Director, Montagnard Dega Association, Greensboro, NC
Liana Adrong was born into a family of nine children in Daklak, Vietnam. She arrived in Greensboro, NC in 1996, years after her father served with the U.S. Special Forces during the Vietnam War and was imprisoned for seven years. Coming from a refugee family, she values her Montagnard-Êđê heritage. It is extremely important to her to know her own community’s history and culture, and she is very passionate about the Montagnard Dega Association’s mission to unite and strengthen her community through traditional arts programs. Adrong is fluent in Vietnamese, English, Rhadê/Êđê, and had served as a Chair for the Greensboro’s International Advisory Committee. Adrong earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is a mental health first aider, and has an associate licensed in clinical social work and is a public notary.
As a social worker, she wears multiple hats: community liaison, researcher, interpreter, and advocate for elders and families to help them navigate social services and healthcare systems. She has experience in a community-engaged research project that found high rates of hypertension in her community, including young adults. Adrong is a cofounder of the Montagnard American Organization (MAO) and served as its president. MAO merged with Montagnard Dega Association (MDA), one of our state’s oldest refugee community-based organizations, where she serves as its executive director. At MDA, they assisted and referred hundreds of community members towards their journeys to becoming United State citizens.
Adrong plans to continue to advocate for social justice for those experiencing challenges in accessing healthcare and housing, and work tirelessly to help them overcome those challenges. Her life and work experiences have fueled her passion for social work and serving as a mentor to the youths in her community.