This is the third of a five-part series featuring our sixth annual list of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Asian American leaders. Part one is here and part two is here. Previous lists are here.
Dr. Dadit Gunarwanto Hidayat
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 Ph.D. from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning.
State Representative Renuka Mayadev
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.
Ziming Wu
Ziming Wu is president and CEO of the Wisconsin Chinese Chamber of Commerce, a statewide organization based in Wauwatosa dedicated to supporting and empowering Chinese, Asian, and AANHPI businesses across Wisconsin. He was on the founding board of directors when the organization was incorporated in 2017 and served in a number of volunteer roles before taking the helm in January 2024. His tenure as CEO of the WCCC comes after a long career in information technology, including 18 years as a software engineer at Northwestern Mutual. He earned a master’s degree in engineering from Northeastern University in Shenyang, China.
Zon Moua
Zon Moua is Director of Youth Organizing at Freedom Inc, where she has served in several roles over the past 18 years. She has worked on gender based violence, queer and youth justice issues since the age of 16. Her most innovated work has been connecting youth to social justice movements through art, music, and dance. Through her work, she hopes to raise the visibility of Queer, Trans, Black and Southeast Asian leadership and to make deep social changes within her community.
Part 4 coming tomorrow!
