AAPI ERG: Events and Key Initiatives for 2024
Events & Key Initiatives for 2024
Lunar New Year
In our inaugural year, we hosted AAPI-themed trivia challenges (to learn more about the multitudes of cultures and customs) as well as celebrated major festivals such as Lunar New Year. Last year, we partnered with Ascend, the largest pan-Asian networking community in North America, in order to build AAPI talent pipelines and networks.
AAPI Puzzle Crawl
Last Asian American Pacific Islander Month our employee resource group partnered with Goodera for an AAPI Month Puzzle Crawl for members and allies. Event attendees were divided into small groups to compete in the five-round puzzle crawl detailing important facts in the AAPI culture and history.
Professional Development
Our AAPI ERG emphasizes providing ongoing professional development opportunities including access to executive coaching, McKinsey Connected Leaders Academy, and more. Additionally, we collaborate with other ERGs to host internal “level-up” seminars to provide education through an intersectional lens, such as a recent session with our VOICES ERG focused on communication dynamics related to race, sexuality, and gender identity. Led by our CMO, Megan Schuster, and VOICES ERG Co-Chair, Fred Horn, we discussed how one’s identity may alter how others hear your message, and practical tips on navigating communication (including constructive criticism) in the workplace.
Key Initiatives
The ERG’s main goal for this year is to provide professional development opportunities for AAPI ERG members. Rather than traditional corporate personality assessments, the planned sessions will analyze how your identity (and how others perceive you) impacts your working environment. From there, they’ll build tools to either manage that or change it (depending on if the individual wants to embrace, adapt, or both), largely within communication styles, methods of accountability, and more.
Member Spotlights
This year’s theme is: Advancing leaders through innovation.
"Who is a business leader in the AAPI community that you believe embodies that?"
Melanie Quandt
"A leader who I think is innovating from the AAPI Community is Alex Chao. He is one of the creators of MSFT's Copilot product for their open-source product called Semantic Kernel. He is a core creator of GenAI at Microsoft. He is a speaker; I saw him speak at AI Conf. He was on Vaco's panel last year that I hosted called The Future of AI and Security, Your AI Readiness Checklist. He does blogs, has a youtube channel, and is helping the world leverage real use cases and innovation to change the way we do business using technology."
Diana Lo
“I love beautiful architecture. This spring break, my family visited D.C. and I was reminded some of the most iconic buildings that I.M. Pei had designed both in the U.S. and internationally: East Building of the National Gallery of Art in DC, the glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre, the JFK Memorial Library, etc. Pei lived to 102 years old. He was one of the most influential architects in the US and the world. His creativity will continue to inspire new generations of architects.”
Michelle Ingram
"I absolutely love having background noise while I'm designing - whether it's my favorite vlogger, podcast, or music playing, it's a must for me! Thanks to apps like YouTube, the way we consume content has completely changed. Thanks to Steven Chen, the co-founder and former CTO of YouTube, he has transformed how we connect and share content globally. So next time you're watching your favorite YouTuber, take a moment to appreciate the impact Steven has made not only for the AAPI community but all communities."
Wendy Liu
"I was very inspired by Larry Liu's (Founder & CEO at Weee! Inc.) story and learning about the growth journey of Weee! My family and I have been using their food delivery service now for a few years and they've made Asian groceries delivered straight to your door so easily I never would have imagined the trials and transformation the founder, teams and company identities needed to arrive at present day and much deserved success.
Very grateful for the entrepreneurs, visionaries and dreamers who just never give up and today, I toast to Weee! and all of the joy and convenience it has brought to us with a glass of wine in one hand and a spoon of frozen soup dumplings in the other - Tasting Life to the Fullest!"
Joyce Fang
"The 442nd Infantry Regiment, which includes the 100th Infantry Battalion, is the most decorated in US military history. They were almost entirely Japanese American soldiers, and many left their families in US-led internment camps to fight for the country that interred them. Their motto is “go for broke”, meaning to put everything on the line to win big, a profound saying representing their plight in “two” wars – one against the Axis powers in Europe, and one against racism at home.
In one of my favorite TED Talks, activist George Takei explains, “They expanded what it means to be an American, including Japanese Americans that were feared and suspected and hated. They were change agents, and they left for me a legacy. They are my heroes.”
Vaco understands the significance of drawing the circle wider to broaden our perspective, to connect on a deeper level, and to be a force for positive change in our world. With thousands of Vaconians and clients around the globe, our vision is creating a company – and a world – that places diversity and inclusion at the heart of its culture.