Boston, Oct. 20, 2014, –The National Association of Asian American Professionals Boston Chapter (NAAAP Boston) is proud to announce that NAAAP Boston won two 2014 NAAAP National Awards of Excellence-“NAAAP Leader of the Year” and “NAAAP Program of the Year”-among the 27 NAAAP chapters and associate chapters in North America at the NAAAP National Convention in Anaheim in September.
Gary Locke speaks at the NAAAP National Convention Gala as a keynote speaker (provided to bostonese.com).
Yan Yu, the Director of Public Relations of NAAAP Boston, won “Leader of the Year” Award along with Albert Shen of Seattle and Anita Ranhotra of Kansas City; Meanwhile, NAAAP Boston’s Career Success Conference Series (CSCS) was honored with “Program of the Year” Award, which recognized the Conference Series as the best program in 2014 throughout all the NAAAP chapters.
The two awards were presented among other awards by NAAAP National President Fabian J. De Rozario and NAAAP National Board of Chairwoman Rose Olea at NAAAP Convention Gala at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, California. The Gala featured Gary F. Locke as keynote speaker, who is the former U.S. Ambassador to China (2011-2014), U.S. Secretary of Commerce (2009-2011), and Governor of the State of Washington (1997-2005).
“It was such a pleasant surprise and definitely a big milestone in my NAAAP experience,” said Yu at the Gala who was nominated by NAAAP Boston Chapter for this National Award earlier and got to know her win right before the Gala. “This Award is not only for me; this award is for NAAAP Boston, and for all my NAAAP Boston colleagues who have worked with me, helped me, and mentored me during the past two and a half years.”
Volunteering at NAAAP Boston as the Director of Public Relations, Yu and her Public Relations team help NAAAP Boston extend its brand as a premier leadership organization in the community by working with local media, community organizations, government agencies as well as other professional-orientated organizations. “By utilizing her expertise and leadership skills, Yan has helped NAAAP Boston reach far and wide than ever before,” said NAAAP Boston President Eric Lam. “She is someone who embodies the spirit of the NAAAP vision and mission. She fulfills its mission of being a great leader and building a phenomenal team.”
Cheering for another big award after the announcement of the “Program of the Year” at the Convention, NAAAP Boston is excited that the four-year-old Career Success Conference Series has transformed from a regional known conference to a nationally recognized program.
“Here in Boston, the Career Success Conference Series is known for its innovative programming and has a loyal following,” said Lesley Chuang, the Vice President of Programming of NAAAP Boston who received the award at the Convention on behalf of the whole Professional Development Committee and CSCS planning team. “It is wonderful that CSCS is now a nationally acknowledged professional development conference for Asian American Professionals.”
According to Joanna Chua, the Director of Professional Development Committee of NAAAP Boston who has led the Conference planning for the last two years, the CSCS is an original program developed by the NAAAP Boston’s Professional Development Committee. Introduced in 2010, the Series was created and uniquely designed to help Asian professionals develop critical strategies for career advancement and leadership. The all-day conference consists of keynote speakers and series of workshops that address current and trending topics that are relevant to all Asian American professionals. Each year, the Series focus on a specific theme with recent themes includes “Strategies for Communicating Effectively” in 2013 and “Making Innovation Real” in 2014. Participants get in-depth meaningful exploration and discussion with real-life perspectives, learn tools and frameworks through action-learning workshops, and connect with like-minded professionals through networking opportunities.
“By highlighting essential leadership skills and promoting life-long learning, the CSCS empowers the Asian American leaders of today and tomorrow for professional excellence,” said Chua.