Marketing Director Agnes Cho Creative Director George Su Creative Consultant Angela Cho Website Designer Alan Wong Online Technical Director Warren Chang Staff Writers Judi Rhee Alloway Shirley Chin Agnes Cho Tammy K. Dang John Fok Venora Hung Yelin Li Ashley Silverio Kitty So Yiu Man So Yuanheng (Sally) Wang Charles Wu Cyndy Yu-Robinson NAAAP 100 Committee Members Brad Baldia Hai Ly Burk Siprachanh Chanthaphaychith Shirley Chin Belinda Chiu Agnes Cho John Fok Ben Hum Joseph Kim Connie Sugahara Heang Kim Tan
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Asian Leaders is published by the National Association of Asian American Professionals. © 2010 NAAAP. All rights reserved. Reproductions, except by written permission of NAAAP, is prohibited. Cover Design by Angela Cho. Photo by Sian Richards, Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.
1 Asian Leaders
Dear Readers:
etter from the editor
Editor-in-Chief Tammy K. Dang
San Francisco is the host city of the 24th Annual Convention for the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NA A AP). The San Francisco Bay Area is home to one of the largest Asian populations in North America. With its strategic location as a gateway to and from Asia, the Bay Area’s history is rich with the Asian American experience.
One place that poignantly conveys a special part of that history is Angel Island. This national historic landmark lies on the coast of the San Francisco Bay Area. During the early part of the 20th century, the island served as an immigration station—a gateway to the United States. An estimated one million Asian immigrants passed through Angel Island during its 30 years of operation. The predominantly Chinese immigrants detained on the island came in search of a better life. They came in search of the “Golden Mountains”—a reference to the 19th century California Gold Rush. On the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station are poems carved in Chinese expressing loss, anger, hope and memory. One poem reads: This is a message to those who live here not to worry excessively. Instead, you must cast your idle worries to the flowing stream. Experiencing a little ordeal is not hardship. Napoleon was once a prisoner on an island. Another poem reads: Pacing back and forth, I leaned on the window sill and gazed. The revolving sun and moon waxed and waned, changing again and again. I think about my brothers a lot, but we cannot see one another. The deep, clear water casts reflections as waves toss in sympathy.
If these immigrants could see the heights that Asians have reached today, pride and happiness would fill their hearts. In this issue of Asian Leaders, we feature profiles of 10 outstanding Asian leaders selected for the NA A AP 100 Leadership Award. The program and magazine pays tribute to them for all that they have done and continue to do so to pave the way for future generations. Their stories are inspirational and advice valuable to all people who want to learn a little more about leadership, success and triumph over adversity. Join us in congratulating the 2010 NA A AP 100 winners! NA A AP is also a leadership development organization that provides a broad range of professional and educational services. “We Make Leaders!” is the vision. NA A AP’s mission is to: »» »» »» »»
Cultivate and empower leaders for professional excellence. Connect accomplished professionals for mutual success. Engage and participate with the community-at-large. Inspire leaders to make a meaningful difference in government, education, business and society.
In order to fulfill this mission, NA A AP provides a variety of programming on both a local and national level. This issue of Asian Leaders includes articles about the national programming that is available for members. Enjoy the magazine! Sincerely,
Tammy K. Dang Editor-in-Chief Director of the NAAAP 100 Program
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naaap 100 recipients John Cho: Redefining the Roles of the Asian American Male Actor | Page 6 Martha Choe: Leadership Success Through Learning | Page 7 Chan Hon Goh: Dancing to the Top and Bridging Cultures Along the Way | Page 8 Sonya Gong Jent: Southern Servant Leader Giving Back | Page 9 Doreen Woo Ho: Finding Success Through Transitions in Life and Career | Page 10
programs
Neil Horikoshi: Pioneering Spirit Navigating a Brilliant Journey | Page 11 Dr. Howard Koh: Service Through Public Health | Page 12 Dr. Qi Lu: Leading Through Inspiration | Page 13 Michelle Rhee: Creating Transformational Change by Challenging the Status Quo | Page 14
NAAAP San Francisco: The History
| Page 4
Asian Leaders: A Conversation with the Creators | Page 5 National Programming: Focused Leadership Training | Page 17-18
Verizon Scholarship Program: Supporting Future Leaders | Page 21-22 Women in NAAAP!: A Program in the Making | Page 19-20
Mable Yee: Fighting Battles and Breaking Barriers | Page 15
National Officers Edward Hwang, Chairman Brad Baldia, President Hector Javier, Chief Strategy Officer William Lai, Chief Administrative Officer Dwayne Sye, Chief Financial Officer Shan-Ming Chiu, Chief Information Officer Tommy Yip, Chief Operations Officer Yuanheng (Sally) Wang, Chief Program Officer Yun Wang/Jay Park, Chief Business Development Officer National Administration Cindy Liu, Assistant Treasurer Venora Hung, Director of Marketing Operations Cyndy Yu-Robinson, Director of Public Relations & Corporation Communications Shane Carlin, National Retreat Director Yiu Man So, Scholarship Program Manager Peter Phengvath, Director of Corporation Relations Tammy K. Dang, Director of the NAAAP 100 Program Hai Ly Burk, NAAAP 100 Program Manager Trung Aidan Nguyen/Kitty So, National Convention Director Tatawan Plengsirivat, Director of Marketing Strategy Bon-Jay Tseng, National Career Center Director Marcus Cheung, Senior Advisory Board Liasion Eugene Hsu, National Social Media Marketing Program Manager Judi Rhee Alloway, Director of Women in NAAAP (WIN!) Timmy Wong, Chapter Technology Director Tuan Ta, Director of Venture Development
Senior Advisors Kevin Bradley Sonya Gong Jent J.D. Hokoyama Hans Huang Bill Imada David Lum Angela E. Oh Vu H. Pham, Ph.D. Joanne Tabellija-Murphy Panney Wei, C.Ht. Mable F. Yee Chapters Atlanta, Boston, Chicago. Colorado, Houston, New York, North Carolina, Orange County, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto Ventures Charlotte, Cincinnati, Columbus, Connecticut, Minnesota, Nashville, Kansas City, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Vancouver, Washington, DC
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