Christina Thor

About Christina Thor

Christina Thor is a nonprofit executive, visionary leader, mother, and lifelong advocate for justice and liberation. A first-generation Hmong American and daughter of refugees, Christina is grounded in the resilience of her ancestors and the lived experience of growing up in systemic poverty. She believes that those most impacted by injustice must lead the fight for solutions—and has made it her mission to build collective power through a gender and racial justice lens. Christina currently serves as the Executive State Director of 9to5 Wisconsin, the state chapter of one of the nation’s leading organizations for working women and nonbinary people of color. In this role, she leads statewide campaigns to advance paid family and medical leave, expand child care investment, and strengthen democracy through civic engagement and voter empowerment. She also convenes and leads the Wisconsin Care Coalition, a diverse alliance fighting for transformative care infrastructure and policy change. Her leadership is deeply personal and strategic—focused on building community, training grassroots leaders, and challenging systems that fail women, immigrants, and communities of color. Christina has organized across electoral and issue-based campaigns, directed nonprofits, and advocated for long-overdue investments in care and equity. In 2024, Christina was named Young Professional of the Year by the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and recognized as one of Madison365’s 38 Most Influential Asian American Leaders in Wisconsin. Her work is about legacy: planting seeds today for a more just, joyful, and liberated future.

Experience

1. Executive Wisconsin State Director

   9to5

   Jun 2021 — Present · WI, US

   Passed 2 paid leave bills in the most diverse and segregated metro area in Wisconsin: Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee • Testified, co-crafted, and organized support for legislative bills at all government levels, ie. paid leave, childcare, and voting rights • Reached over low-wage women for civic engagement, political education, and GOTV work under my supervision • Direct operational and programmatic efforts, supervise staff, and coordinate work of local and state-wide campaigns • Lead statewide coalitions focused on strategic policy agenda that includes issues, such as paid leave, childcare, and GOTV • Build partnerships and funder database to raise chapter budget and sustainability for chapter

Education

• University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

  Journalism & Public Relations

  2010 — 2015