Finding value out of the Women's Conference

Seattle, Wa - The launch of the Women in NAAAP! Regional Conference is fast approaching and it's less than 3 weeks away. We're very excited both locally as well as nationally as this is a national program delivered by a local chapter. It's also a unique program being delivered on the West Coast this year. While the event is being touted as a Women's Conference, we want you to know that it's an event for everyone and this blog post aims to answer your questions in finding value in the conference. So if you're undecided at whether or not you want to go, here are a few points (or unmarketed opportunities) you want to consider before you say it's not for you.

Stakeholder(s)

• Men - Do you work with women? Do you have women employees? If you're a male manager, would you like to understand what issues women deal with and how to create an all inclusive work environment? The WIN! conference provides panel discussions on what women really want in their careers. Most importantly, workshops like time management and financial planning are gender agnostic training and are being led by both male and female speakers.
• Women - Whether you're entering a career, mid-career or at an executive level, learning from other women and connecting through networking will enhance your career.
• Mothers - Child care is available for a nominal fee.
• Manager/Business owner - Re-emphasizing that a trained employee is generally a happy employee and allows for better productivity, then send them to the WIN! Conference. Also, if you're a male manager or business owner and you would you like to understand what issues women deal with and how to create an all inclusive work environment, then our panels that are filled with senior women will generate new ideas from their experiences and bring you solutions.
• Non-Asian - NAAAP values diversity and inclusion as it brings partnership and connection. All are welcome.
• Scholarships - NAAAP-Seattle and JPMorgan Chase is proud to sponsor Scholarships for Women in NAAAP! (WIN!) Conference registration fees for up to 20 students (undergraduate and graduate) and recent graduates. Click here to apply.
• NAAAP Member - As a NAAAP member we value your investment in yourself and we want to honor this by being transparent on how we allocate and spend your money. Your membership fees help us to provide training and development opportunities like this WIN! conference. More importantly, thanks to our sponsors, we are able to keep costs low. The cost is nominal as compared to other conferences. You get to pick from 4 tracks and connect and network with others with similar goals. Speakers include Crishna Bose-Bansal, Dr. Jeudi Boulom, Melanie Caoilie, Leah Carrido, Christine Chen, Stacey Derk, Vanessa Diego, Aimee Do, Theresa Ip Forelich, J.D. Hokoyama, Claudia Kauffman, Hyeok Kim, Nirmala, Krishnan, Olivia Lippens, Christine Mueller, Assunta Ng, Isabell Sheang, Kim Tran, Lillian Tsai, and Kendee Yamaguchi.

Register to WIN! (Seats are limited) http://win.naaapseattle.org

Check out a preview and meet the Women in NAAAP! at a preview event this Thursday, May 19th at Bellevue City Hall, Bellevue, WA Room 1E-120. Starts at 7pm and last through 8:30pm.

Regards,

Gil Gido                                       Hang Chen
NAAAP Seattle President                WIN! Conference Chair - Seattle

Judi Rhee Alloway                          Brad Baldia
National WIN! Program Director      NAAAP President


Press Coverage

http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2011/05/upcoming-conference-for-women-focuses-on-investing-in-one%e2%80%99s-self/

http://www.seattlechinesetimes.com/english/local-news/5755-invest-in-yourself-at-the-west-coast-debut-of-the-win-leadership-conference-this-june

http://www.nvnorthwest.com/h%e1%bb%99i-chuyen-gia-m%e1%bb%b9-g%e1%bb%91c-a-va-bu%e1%bb%95i-thuy%e1%ba%bft-trinh-d%e1%bb%81-tai-%e2%80%9cd%e1%ba%a7u-t%c6%b0-cho-chinh-minh%e2%80%9d/

http://pinoyreporter.com/images/PinoyReporterMay2011.pdf (Page 2)

2010 National Convention - San Francisco

(Top) Richard Lui (HLN and MSNBC); Palace Hotel (Second row from top) "The Language of
Innovation" by Comcast (Third row from top) National Board Meeting; Comcast panel (Bottom) NAAAP Seattle; Garden Court at the Palace Hotel

More about the Convention: http://beta.myx.tv/naaap-2010/

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Where are they now? Albert Shen, NAAAP President 1996 - 1997

Albert Shen, Exec. Advisor to NAAAP Seattle

My name is Albert Shen and I am the owner/founder of Shen Consulting, a small engineering company specializing in project/construction management and engineering services in the aviation and transportation services market. In 2009 Shen Consulting was awarded the City of Seattle Mayors’ Small Business of the Year Award.

I served as NAAAP National President 1996-1997, NAAAP National Convention Co Chair in 1998 and NAAAP Seattle President in 1999. Since my days at NAAAP I have gone on to serve with many diverse boards in the community. Including running my own business (Shen Consulting, Inc.) I serve as:

* The Council Chair for the Seattle Chinatown International District and Preservation and Development Authority (SCIPDA)
* Board member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
* Commissioner for Washington State Commission on Asian and Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA)
* Board President of the NW Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans Political Action Committee

My NAAAP experiences opened up many new networking opportunities and friendships nationwide and to this day, I still stay in contact with some of the great people I worked with. Having served in numerous leadership positions at the national and local level, those experiences enabled me to develop skills that translate to where I am today. The experience gave me many opportunities for public speaking, which is one thing many Asian-Americans absolutely dread and more importantly gave me the foundation in developing skills in governing a board of directors and fundraising skills for non-profits. These 3 fundamental skills are what every Asian American professional should have in their own resume if they hope to develop their careers in this more globally competitive modern work environment.

In addition I have been actively involved with local and national level politics in both fundraising and advocacy for economic development. Thru my political activities I have been able to meet many of our political leaders and have exchanged many ideas to better the livelihood for all Asian Americans. Politics is often a feared word when it comes to Asian American professional advancement and we often forget that politics is just as and perhaps even more important for Asian Americans and NAAAP. From my days on the board, I can remember many of the executive board members who were elected officials from my days and were always encouraging NAAAP to be more politically aware of the issues impacting Asian Americans.

Overall, there were many lessons that I learned during my countless days at NAAAP however the one lesson that stands out for me that I will always remember from all the NAAAP people I met is that: All our parents, no matter where they came from, immigrated here to the United States so that our generation can build a better life for ourselves. Because of their sacrifice it is our responsibility to be generous to others and always give back to our community so that what they started will never be lost and we must never lose our cultural identity.

With that, I am excited about this new generation and we get another opportunity to come together at the 24th Annual Gateway to Leadership Convention and Diversity Career Fair presented by Macy's. I'll be attending and hope to meet you.

Regards,
Albert Shen
National Association of Asian American Professionals
President 1996-1997
NAAAP Seattle President 1999

Pathways to Leadership

Most people would agree that a path is always almost easier to follow when it's lighted. When it comes to your career, how do you know how to get to where you want to go and what skills you will need?  When it comes to the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), how does it deliver on its mission to build leaders in the community or its organization?

If you're in a career already, many companies have clear pathways to various job roles and responsibilities and specific requirements for each; for example, there are clear pathways for becoming a manager, paths for becoming a general manager, or paths for becoming the Chief Executive Officer. Similarly for NAAAP, there are also clear pathways from an event or committee volunteer to a committee chair; and pathways from a committee chair to a postion on the Board of Directors; and pathways from a Board of Directors position to a National position and onto the President of the organization.

Let me remind you that each pathway will require a set of skills and identify areas for further training and development.

What are these skills? 
Well, to name a few: written communication, understanding others, time management, intellectual horsepower, building effective teams, process management, problem solving, presentation skills, integrity, authenticity, patience, dealing with ambiguity, negotiations, managing and measuring, priority setting, results driven, managing up, composure, creativity, customer focus, timely decision-making, delegation, developing direct reports, action oriented, approachability, business acumen, self awareness, risk-taking, comfort around top management, compassion, conflict management, diversity, hiring and staffing, humor, reporting, trust, and listening.

These skills often show up on the job or as part of a specific training and development experience. With regards to NAAAP Seattle, we provide many opportunities in which to gain these skills. Beyond volunteering, leading a committee or sitting on the Board of Directors will offer opportunities to gain mastery of the skills that will lead to bigger challenges and opportunities leading you further down your chosen pathway.  

If you are interested in these learning opportunities and gain valuable experience, please visit our website.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Expanding Local Asian Community Services

Part celebration and part fundraising, local Asian non-profits held events last month to support the Asian community in areas such as healthcare, economic and leadership development, and many more. These organizations have been one of the hardest hit from the economy and it was great to see many in the community showing their support and giving generously. In addition, many volunteers gave their time - alot of it behind the scenes. 

Now in June the Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC), a local multi-language organization providing information, referral, advocacy, social, and support services will host their Friendship Dinner on June 12th at Olive 8 and the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), a King county area food bank serving 5000 families will hold their annual Walk for Rice on June 19th at Seward Park.

Picture 1. Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority's (SCIDpda) 2010 ID Spring Roll held on May 24th at Union Station.

Picture 2. Me and Dow Constantine, King County Executive

Picture 3. The Executive Development Institute's Inclusion Fusion Event held on May 20th at SODO Park.

Picture 4. The Executive Development Institute's Inclusion Fusion Event (Full view)

Organization Links:

• Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS): http://www.acrs.org/
• Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC): http://www.cisc-seattle.org/
• International Examiner: http://www.iexaminer.org/
• Executive Development Institute (EDI): http://www.ediorg.org/
• Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda): http://www.scidpda.org/
• International Community Health Services (ICHS): http://www.ichs.com/

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

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.

In Your Time

Mahatma Ghandi in his time led his country India to freedom. Benjamin Franklin in his time invented the lighting rod and was a founding father of the United States. And Barack Obama in his time became the first African American to earn the spot of the 44th President of the United States . These great leaders had something in common: purpose. What purpose guides you? What is it that you'll be known for? Is it to be the best leader, parent, athlete or manager?

Having a purpose guides you. It opens up actions to take and pulls you forward to be great. For example, being the best musician (your purpose) takes a lot of practice (actions you'd take). You'd also hire a teacher, buy a piano and music, enter recitals, study music, and play everyday. Similarly, becoming a leader (your purpose) takes great practice (actions you'd take). You'd also need to build skills in communication, look for opportunities, network, understand issues, listen for other's commitments and to their greatness. Most of all, you need to stand for your purpose.

Now where do you begin after you define your purpose? If it's to be a leader, there are a variety of organizations you can take part in to support your purpose. Take part in the National Association of Asian American Professionals Seattle Chapter. Take part in the Executive Development Institute as well as Landmark Education. And commit time and be open to the experience. I promise you will be in your time a leader with purpose.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President

Additional Links:

• National Association of Asian American Professionals Seattle Chapter - http://seattle.naaap.org/Welcome.do
• Executive Development Institute - http://www.ediorg.org/
• Landmark Education - http://www.landmarkeducation.com/
• Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics - http://www.leap.org/
• Asian Pacific Leadership Community Foundation - http://aclfnorthwest.org/
• Ascend Pan-Asian Leaders - http://www.ascendleadership.org/display/router.aspx