My-Lan Dodd is Landesa’s Attorney & Sr. Land Tenure Specialist, Gender based in Seattle, Washington. My-Lan started working for Landesa in 2008 and re-joined our team in 2011.

What brought you to Landesa?

My mother and father. My mom grew up in Vietnam under the hardships posed by the Vietnam War (or the American War in Vietnam). After studying the roots of conflict, poverty, and inequality at University of California, Berkeley, I was keen to contribute to practical solutions. When I returned to Seattle looking for meaningful work, my dad, an avid (newspaper) reader, pointed me to Roy Prosterman and his land rights work at Landesa (at that time, the Rural Development Institute).

What inspires your work?

Roy’s pioneering vision and work to secure land rights for South Vietnamese farmers in the midst of the war to reduce a key driver of conflict and to enable economic productivity driven by smallholders during and after the war.

What work at Landesa makes you particularly proud?

Working collaboratively together with creative, visionary, and joyful colleagues to bring to life our thriving new Indonesia Program.

How do you spend your time when you’re not working?

Spending time with my family, especially reading to my two young daughters, learning and reading on subjects that bring me joy, doing yoga, and listening to birdsong.

Describe your vision for a better world.

All people are safe, able to meet their basic needs, and can fulfill their potential, while enjoying and caring for our shared home, Mother Earth.