Kim My Tran, a distinguished attorney, loving mother and partner, and tireless advocate for justice, died on February 6, 2025, at the hospital in Seattle where her children were born, surrounded by family. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer only weeks before her passing.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam on July 2, 1974, Kim came to the U.S. as a baby in her mother’s arms, traveling with her parents and older brother as refugees of war on a United States Air Force cargo plane. They traveled to refugee camps in the Philippines, Guam, and Fort Chaffee, Arkansas before they were sponsored by a church in Minnesota. After living in several cities throughout the Midwest, they later drove across the country and eventually settled in Salem, Oregon where Kim graduated from Sprague High School in 1992.
Kim was a force of nature—brilliant, compassionate, and unwavering in her pursuit of equity. A woman of immense intellect, determination, and charm, she championed the rights of marginalized people everywhere, particularly Asian and Asian American communities. Kim had a special ability to articulate solutions and pathways forward in even the most difficult conditions and was relied on by her colleagues, friends, and family alike as a guiding light in any storm. Kim entered any community with whom she worked with care, taking time to listen and interact with respect, curiosity, integrity, and a ready smile. She had very strong roots in the Pacific Northwest and personal and professional networks that spanned continents.
An avid reader, ever ready with a great book recommendation, Kim had an infectious laugh and loved travel, good food, and adventures with her beloved family and friends. Above all, she cherished time with her partner and children. She adored her siblings and played an important role in raising her little sisters as her parents worked to create a better life for them all. Kim and her husband, Angelo, met in 2000 at a local Asian grocery store that was hosting a meeting for volunteers doing voter registration drives. They both knew, just weeks into knowing each other, that they were in love and wanted to create a life together. Kim and Angelo were married in 2004 at a Catholic Church out of respect for his mother and again in a Vietnamese Buddhist ceremony out of respect for her parents. Kim always honored the elders in her life and respected the traditions of both their families. Kim and Angelo knew they wanted children and were overjoyed to welcome their first child, Amilio, and later the twins, Dante and Elias.
A distinguished attorney, Kim’s career was defined by excellence and service. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Tufts University in 1996, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science. At Tufts, she was a leader in Asian and Asian American student organizations and found her voice as an advocate for racial equity and intercultural exchange. She was fearless in speaking truth to power, challenging institutional bias, and ensuring that diverse communities had a voice at the table. In 1995, Kim spent a transformative semester studying abroad in Thailand with her dear friend, Norah. She took the opportunity to travel to Vietnam to visit her grandparents and extended family. She was the first in her immediate family to do so since they left in 1975. She would return to Vietnam again with her dad in 2007, a cherished experience that underscored her commitment to honoring her family and heritage, and bridging generations and cultures. Kim graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School, receiving her JD in 1999. She continued her education at University of Washington, receiving a Certificate in Human Resources in 2005. Kim went on to build an impactful career as an attorney for more than two decades in employment law.
Kim began her career as a litigator at Stafford Frey Cooper in Seattle, where she was the first Vietnamese American woman shareholder at a majority-owned Seattle law firm. At Stafford Frey Cooper she handled a full range of employment disputes and litigated many high-profile cases. During that time, she served as president of the Asian Bar Association of Washington (ABAW), won numerous awards, co-founded Washington’s Statewide Diversity Conference, a collaboration of ten minority bar associations, and attended a trade mission to Vietnam with the Secretary of State for Washington state. She later joined Microsoft’s Corporate Legal External Affairs (CELA) division, for almost a decade where she led a team of workplace investigators, providing employment law advice on several global programs. Within CELA, Kim was the co-lead for an API Employee Network where she received the Community & Culture FY21 Annual Award for a community partnership with Advancing Justice Southern California to address anti-Asian hate incidents. At the time of her passing, Kim served as Head of HR Legal at GitHub, working to foster equity and inclusion within the company. She provided legal advice to all global HR functions to help attract top-talent and support a vibrant workplace. Kim was passionate about her work, sending emails and handling issues up to her very last days. Asian Bar Association of Washington colleagues published a tribute to Kim describing her as “a luminary in the field of employment law, a dedicated community servant, and a devoted mother and partner.” Former ABAW president Alice Truong writes, “no words can adequately describe the powerhouse that was Kim…her reach was vast, and the lives she improved through the many years of service she dedicated to myriad organizations, both locally and nationally, was countless. Kim made our world a better place…may we honor her legacy by continuing to serve the community and uplifting others.”
Kim’s list of accolades is long, and her friends joked with her that the number of pages required to list all the organizations on whose board she served would be equal to a book. She was the first woman of color to serve as President of the King County Bar Association (founded in 1886) which oversees the interests of the 15,000 attorneys. She was particularly proud of her many years as board president for Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), the largest nonprofit agency serving the Asian Pacific American population in Washington, where her leadership played a key role in the success of their $19.1 million capital campaign to establish a permanent home for the organization. She loved working in their legal clinic and contributed countless volunteer hours supporting low-income clients and others in need. ACRS writes, “Kim was a dear champion for our community, and she worked tirelessly for the advancement of those most in need, showing an unwavering commitment…she approached everything with kindness and thoughtfulness…Kim touched families in ways that will not only be long-lasting but life changing. She will be deeply missed. Her kindness, brilliance, and unwavering commitment to justice touched so many lives.”
At the time of her passing, Kim was Chair of the Board for Asian Americans Advancing Justice and a valued member of the Corporate Counsel of Women of Color (CCWC) an organization fostering diversity and inclusion in the law. She had previously served on the boards of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Foundation (board member); Asian Bar Association of Washington (President, 2006, Community Service Award, 2004); Joint Asian Judicial Evaluations (Committee Chair, 2009); and the Vietnamese American Bar Association (board member) among many others. Kim was a Fellow with the American Bar Foundation and an inaugural Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Leadership Institute Fellow (2005). Her contributions were widely recognized through numerous awards and accolades, including selection for the 40 Under 40 Top Business Leaders (2010), Puget Sound Business Journal, Excellence in Diversity Award (2009), Washington State Bar Association, Trailblazer Award (2009), Best Under 40 (2008), Rising Star, Washington Journal of Law & Politics (2009), Mayoral Appointee to the Seattle Women’s Commission (2006-2008) and more. She was driven, committed, and grateful for all these recognitions and achievements. Kim was particularly fond of her years of service as a naturalization teacher from 1999 to 2009 where she empowered countless immigrants on their path to citizenship. She brought energy and vitality to her classroom and was incredibly proud of the 100% success rate of her students on the citizenship exams.
Kim’s vibrant spirit touched countless lives. In addition to her significant career, Kim was known for her warmth, humor, and boundless energy. She was dedicated to her entire family in immeasurable ways. She always showed up for birthday parties, celebrations, and holidays with her famous treats, thoughtful gifts, and undivided attention and was the best Auntie to her nephews and nieces. She was equally generous with her friends and colleagues. Mourners on social media describe her as “a wonderful heart eager to help those around her,” “bringer of kindness and light,” “a loyal friend,” someone who “always had your back” and “Kim Tran was one of the real ones—steadfast, brilliant, and full of light. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.” Others write, “Kim was not only a rock star attorney but a true friend. The little things she did for others that did not make her formal resume were quiet personal touches that made her stand out above the rest. Her accomplishments and character were second to none.” Kim had such a strong life force, those of us who knew and loved her thought she’d outlive us all and be teaching classes in the local community center, creating fun adventures with her family, and laughing with friends well into her 90s. Her early death is a shock and profound loss. On her graduation from Tufts, her family published a blessing for her in the graduate booklet reading “your life lies ahead of you, bound to be filled with love, happiness, and wealth.” While it was too short, it was indeed filled with all these blessings and more, not the least of which was her incredible partnership with Angelo, one of the great love stories, and the family they created with their three beautiful children.
Kim is survived by her husband, Angelo Locsin, and their three sons, Amilio, 15, Elias 11, and Dante, 11; her mother, Kim Chi Tran; her siblings and their families, David Tran (Rachael French, Emily, Zach), Kathy Shaw (Kyle, Ellie, Will), and Carolyn Underwood (Roy, Sierra, McKenna); and a large extended family. She is preceded in death by her father, Hung Tran. She is also mourned by countless colleagues, friends, and community members around the world whose lives she deeply touched.
A Celebration of Life is planned for May 10 at the Filipino Community Center in Seattle, during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with a livestream available for those unable to attend in person.
Kim was incredibly proud of her boys and in honor of her devotion to her family, friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the education and care of her children. Contributions can be made at:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-honor-kim-by-supporting-her-boys-education-care
Her kindness, brilliance, and unwavering commitment to justice touched so many lives. Rest in power, Kim. Your legacy will live on, and you continue to inspire us every day.
