SAN FRANCISCO — Over 200 business professionals gathered for the Asian Business League of San Francisco’s annual holiday celebration on Nov. 20 inside the Financial District’s Hilton Hotel.
The event honored 12 graduates of the organization’s executive women leadership program, “You are the CEO of You,” with glass plaques. Under the guidance of Mable Yee, one of the founding members of the ABL-SF, the program was a six-part series devoted to addressing issues and challenges confronted by minority women — specifically Asian American women — in today’s business environment.
“It was wonderful to meet and network with other Asian women leaders,” said program participant Audrey Yamamoto, executive director of the Zeum. “This was a valuable experience and I will definitely apply what I’ve learned to my role at the Zeum.”
“There are a lot of unwritten rules on what it takes to make it to the senior level and what this program does is provide participants with the tools to get there,” said John J. Lee, chairman of the ABL-SF, who notes that there will be a similar program for men next year.
The other graduates included Stephanie Chen, partner of Tinicum Capital Partners; Kathy Doan, assistant vice president for regional banking human resources of Wells Fargo Bank; Samantha French, senior director of corporate development of Robert Half International, Inc.; Dianne Le, channel partner manager of HP; Carol Lee, director of financial planning and analysis for All Covered Inc.; Julia Ling, director of fund development for Chinese Community Health Plan; Carol Lowe, partner of Steine and Lubin LLP; Susan Mostajo, audit manager for Louie and Wong LLP; Cindy Pon, partner of Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP; and Rannie Yoo, director of media relations for TriplePoint.
ABL-SF also honored Linda Kuang, a senior at Galileo High School in San Francisco and ABL Youth Program participant, with a scholarship. Kuang, an aspiring interior designer, said the ABL has taught her to be more outgoing and to speak up.
The ABL-SF is one of the first and oldest organizations in California devoted to the promotion of Asian Pacific Americas in business. The organization routinely offers seminars, panel discussions and training programs devoted to leadership topics of interest in business.
The world is still not aware of the current and future impact of the real and potential contributions of Asian women, dominated by women of Chinese heritage, perhaps due partly to the larger percentage of Chinese women. ABL, which has been around a few years, has been a notable organization for years, but recently, it appears that the infusion of a large number of young Asian women, the organization has made a great leap forward.
I have not formally conducted a survey, but if anyone checks the honor roll at Lowell High school, I bet that girls dominate. Last years graduating class was lead by two girls, with 4.7 and 4.5 GPAs. I doubt that any male student came close to those GPAs.
In the American business world of the Fortune 500, there are two large corporations with female CEOs or Chairman of the Boards. They are Andrea Jung, Avon CEO and Christine Poon, Chairman of the Board, Johnson and Johnson (a $600 billion corporation.) Seems like some people can break through the glass ceiling. Taking nothing away from Andrea Jung, Christine Poon’s story must be quite a tale. To be appointed CoB of JNJ is a stunning achievement for a female and Asian. She had to have had many male competitors, yet JNJ appointed Poon – no doubt because she had to be so good that they feared she would go to a competitor.
In the diplomatic field, we have had at least two female American Ambassadors, they are Linda Yang and Julia Chang Bloch. If there has been a male US Ambassador, and there may have been one or two, I don’t know who they are. Women, the late comers to the game, have already made a major impact. We can look forward to many more achievers.
So look out world, Asian women are now liberated from traditional constraints, and many are going to show us how good they really are.
If you are interested, these female heroines can be found in the website at http://www.chineseamericanheroes.org.
Welcome to the games ladies. Glad to have you on board.
Roger S. Dong
Don’t forgot U.S. Ambassador March Fong Eu as well.
She may have been the first Asian American women to serve as ambassador.
She was also the first Asian American women elected to statewide office in the United States, as Secretary of State for California.
You are so right “not a prude.” Ambassador March Fong Eu is also on the Chinese American Heroes website. How could I have overlooked her, she was our pioneer.
My senior memory had a senior moment.
Thanks for catching my blooper.
Roger
Dear Roger S. Dong:
As someone who truly admires and roots for your CAH endeavors, I must, reluctantly, note a point of divergence here on my unhumble part, to wit:
Heroes and heroines, sexist terminologies apart, are ALL worthy of acknowledgment, but, in this opinion, there is one caveat:
What significations, what implications, what ensuing consequences evolve from these acts of “heroism:?
In short, does mere, or simple, achievement, be it “office” or deed, qualify?
Or are the consequences more important?
As Dr. Koo has noted, S.B. Woo’s attainments, for one, do NOT merit his argument on behalf of political opportunism in re the likes of the Richardson appoinhtment.
And the achievements of our distaff betters is no more persuasive, in that, in this belief, what Johnson and Johnson DO is more to the point than their individual achievement of “advancement.”
Because advancement is rarely progress. As in what is inherently “good,” as opposed to what is inherently insignificant, like individual “achievement.”
Sorry, Roger, but them’s my sentiments, such as they are or can be.
And so long as “our” institutions and corporations and “leaders” thereof are more interested in themselves than in the “greater” “good,” so long shall they be less than “meaningful” to the rest of us.
Frank
P.S.:: The more Obama that emerges, the more I doubt the man, even as I note that he has yet to be proved, one way or t’other.
Dear Frank,
The Chinese American Heroes’ selection committee always stews over whether a nominee to our website deserves recognition on our website. When Ms. Poon was originally nominated for recognition, I immediately endorsed her nomination, because having worked for a large corporation, I knew how difficult it is for any Asian American to rise to the top of a large corporation. Ms Poons rise to one of the largest multinationals in the world truly impressed me.
The CAH selection committee did not concur with me, and insisted that unless we could document more than achievement in business, CAH would not include her on our website.
Further research disclosed that Ms. Poon, in addition to her extraordinary business achievements, was recognized in 1005 by American Geriatrics Society’s Foundation for Health in Aging Discovery Award, in recognition of her philanthropic and business leadership and J&J’s longstanding commitment to the well being of older adults. She has also made philanthropic contributions serving as a Board Member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center.
As Chairman of the Board for a multi-national corporation like J & J, Ms Poon must be a very busy person, and having time to make major philanthropic contributions, earned her recognition on our website.
Your thoughtful comments are always welcomed.
Roger