Boun Khamnouane was born in Phongsali, Laos. His family fled communist persecution and migrated to the United States in 1986. In 2002, he received his Bachelor of Arts in South Southeast Asian Studies from the University California at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he was a co-president of LASR (Laotian American Student Representatives) and founding member of the Southeast Asian Student Coalition (SASC). In fact, he is still actively involved with SASC, particularly with supporting and mentoring current SASC members.
Boun has worked for the East Bay Consortium/Cal-SOAP since he was in college. he is very passionate about educating rural and urban youth about life options. In his spare time, he tends to his aquariums (saltwater and freshwater) and volunteers to coach his son’s basketball team. But most importantly, he loves spending time with his lovely wife, daughter and son.