NAAAP100 Seattle Nominees

As many of you may know, May is Asian Heritage month in the United States, so what better way to start it off by announcing Seattle's nominees for the NAAAP100, an International program designed to acknowledge the contributions of Asian Americans exemplifying NAAAP's mission and values.


Earlier this year we asked members and the community at large to submit nominees. We collected them and having sorted through them, it gives me great pleasure to update you on the NAAAP 100 Nominations for Seattle. These nominees are in great company as you may be wondering. Other chapters are also nomininating leaders in their communities.

The selected few among all nominees will be invited to NAAAP's 2010 Convention being held in San Francisco later this year to receive their award. Most importantly, it gives me a sense of hometown pride that Seattle is a progressive place to conduct business and has an environment in which to foster leaders in our community.

These are the amazing individuals nominated for this year.

• Phyllis Campbell – Sr. Vice President at JP Morgan Chase | Read more ...
• John Okamoto – Executive Director for the Washington Education Association | Read more ...
• Assunta Ng – Publisher NWAsian Weekly | Read More ...
• Tay Yoshitani – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Port of Seattle | Read more ...
• Martha Choe – Chief Information Officer (CIO) – Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | Read more ...
• Qi Lu – President Microsoft Online Services Business and former exec at Yahoo! | Read more ...  

Thanks to those submitting nominations, too. Of course there are other wonderful unsung heroes. As an organization and in the spirit of community, we hope to acknowledge them in future years.

It’s amazing to see the diverse areas where Asians are leading now and it is quite the contrast from 20 years ago. Congratulations to all!

Regards,

Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

For more information on the NAAAP100 program, please visit our website.

Taking a L.E.A.P.

I first met JD in 2006 at a pre-conference workshop at Microsoft talking about being a 21st century leader. Then a few months later I attended his keynote at the inaugural Asian and Pacific Leadership Development Conference (APLDC). In 2007, I caught JD speaking at the National Association of Asian American Professionals Convention in Atlanta and then again at the kick-off of the Executive Development Institute 2008 Leadership development program in Bellevue, Washington. You're probably asking, "Why so many times? Right?" Well, JD speaks a lot (humorous). And on so many topics, especially when it comes to the Asian community. You can't find another person as passionate about the Asian Community and leadership as JD. In 2009 he deservedly received a NAAAP 100 award for being someone who exemplifies leadership, community engagement, and connects with professionals for mutual success.

For those of you who don't know J.D. Hokoyama, he is the President & CEO and a founding board member of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP). LEAP is a nationally renown company based in L.A. and is recognized by top companies as an expert on the Asian issues. For the last 28 years, J.D. has been committed to educating and inspiring the next generation of Asian leaders.

Now earlier this year, I saw JD speaking at the EDI Leadership Together Conference on taking risks and how early messages in Asian cultures can send messages that Asians aren't outspoken, don't take risks and aren't natural leaders. Here are a few of these messages: Respect your elders. Be polite. Do as you're told. Speak when spoken to. Work hard. Do any of these sound familiar?

JD says that being aware of these will help you learn to overcome those stereotypes. Of course, this won't apply to all people, but it's amazing how many in the session said that they were not viewed as outspoken. If you are one of these, take the first step and start talking in meetings, even if it is to say that you have a question. When it comes to who's gets remembered, it's the person talking.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President