Buford Highway,Atlanta, Ga. – After an extensive search led by its board of directors, We Love BuHi is pleased to announce the selection of Lily Pabian as its new executive director. We Love BuHi is a nonprofit organization that seeks to create connections within Buford Highway’s multicultural communities through storytelling, art, and design.
“We are thrilled to have Lily taking on the role as executive director,” says Alina Lee, the board chair of We Love BuHi. “Lily has a unique breadth of marketing, leadership, and operational skills that will deepen our initiatives throughout the ten-mile stretch of Buford Highway closest to Atlanta.”
Pabian joins We Love BuHi with 25 years of successes within B2B, B2C, and nonprofit organizations. “Collaboration, connection, and communication are pillars to my approach for development,” says Pabian. “And fostering relationships is at the core of how we will continue to deliver our mission. I look forward to building many within this community.”
An Atlanta native, Pabian was a resident in an apartment complex south of Doraville Marta station. “Buford Highway was my family’s first home in Atlanta. It’s where I learned to speak English and where I had my first taste of foods from other cultures,” says Pabian. “As a 5-year old Chinese-American kindergartner in the late ‘70s, all I wanted was to blend in, to do the impossible. Friendships that I made with other immigrants were special times, where I found solace, laughter, and simply to feel like a kid.”
Buford Highway remains a mainstay for Pabian and her family. “I’ve lived all over Atlanta, but my roots are here. I get a visceral sense of happiness everywhere I dine or shop. Buford Highway is thriving and constantly changing. People need to know about it, and I have a strong sense to both protect it and educate everyone about how unique and exciting this area is.”
Pabian credits We Love BuHi’s Founder Marian Liou for highlighting the corridor’s impact. “Marian did what many influencers before her worked to do: She paved a platform for voices to be shared, appreciated, protected, and she did it with impeccable style. I’m privileged to work with this dedicated team and look forward to executing programs to drive growth so that we can continue to unfold and share this community’s wealth of inspiring perspectives to Atlanta and the world.”
About We Love BuHi:
Founded in 2015, We Love BuHi is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that seeks to preserve the multicultural identity of Atlanta’s Buford Highway Corridor. Its mission is to bring individuals and communities together for multicultural experiences shared through its people, places, and stories to catalyze connection, awareness, and belonging. The organization has of over 18,000 followers across social media, offering programs and events that promote the celebration of the south’s largest, immigrant friendly- community. The organization meets its mission under these four strategic initiatives: Arts & Culture BuHi, Biz BuHi, Story BuHi, and Care BuHi. We Love BuHi began as an Instagram account to document a changing Buford Highway corridor, an approximately ten-mile stretch of state road internationally recognized for its sizeable immigrant and refugee population, restaurants, and shops. Learn more at www.welovebuhi.org or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @welovebuhi.