| keynote speakers |

Atsuko Toko Fish
Former consultant for Governors Michael Dukakis and William Weld
Chairman, Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence

Atsuko Toko Fish recently retired as a U.S.-Japan cross-cultural communication consultant, providing local and national clients with cultural sensitivity practices essential in developing successful collaborations with Japan. Currently, she serves as a Chairman of the Board of Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence. In addition, she is focused on addressing global public health needs through her work with Management Sciences for Health in Boston and is a founder and a board member of HANDS – a Health and Development service in Japan which that seeks to strengthen the public health and advocacy initiative between the Japanese government and developing countries. She serves as an Overseer for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and board member of The Boston Foundation, Simmons College, and the Winsor School. Prior to forming her consulting practice, Ms. Fish served as consultant to former Governor Michael Dukakis in designing long-term tourism and trade strategies, served ten years on former Governor William Weld’s Asian American commission, and received the Governor’s New American Appreciation Award in 1997. Ms Fish also received the Humanitarian Award of the National Conference for Community and Justice in 2003. Fish and her husband Larry have three children.

Joy Wooden
Director of Diversity Relations
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Joy Wooden is Director of Diversity Relations at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. She received her Bachelor’s degree in accounting from North Eastern State University in Oklahoma. She joined Wal-Mart in 1995; 9 months later, she received Rookie of the Year Award. She was promoted Director of Loss Prevention for Wal-Mart China in 1998 and received the International Loss Prevention Director of the Year Award in 1999. During her service at Wal-Mart China between 1998-2003, Joy held the positions as Director of Loss Prevention, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs, and General Merchandise Manager. Joy returned to Home Office in 2003, where she served as International Divisional Merchandise Manager, supporting buying strategy in all 10 International Countries. In 2004, Joy joined the Office of Diversity. As Director of Diversity Relations, she oversees the Pan Asian, Senior Citizens and Disabled markets. Joy resides in Bentonville, Arkansas with her son, Chris of 13 years.

| panel speakers |

Gary Berman, a special guest presenter for the afternoon HS workshop, is a Senior Coach with The Speech Improvement Company, Inc. He has more than 25 years of professional communication experience in the corporate, academic and non-profit world. Gary's presentation training and coaching has helped hundreds of men and women improve their speech and communication skills. He has taught graduate and undergraduate oral presentation at Boston University's College of Communication since 1995. His clients include: The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, Coca-Cola Bottlers, DW Morgan, Biogen, the Town of Braintree, PartyLite Gifts, Inc., The Jimmy Fund, Quinn and Morris, Staples, MetLife Foundation, and many others. Gary studied theatre and speech as an undergraduate at Emerson College and later received his MS in Film Production from Boston University. He also studied hypnotherapy with the American Institute of Hypnosis. Gary's skills as a magician and guitarist add to his unique training and coaching style. Panel IIA - "Presenting Yourself as a Young Leader"

Christina Chan is an actor, activist, and accidental playwright. Her work focuses on Asian American women and immigration issues. Christina is a 2002 Somerville Artist Fellow, a program of the Somerville Arts Council. She was an artist in residence at the Boston Center for the Arts. This year is the tenth year anniversary of her first solo performance piece, Unbinding Our Lives (written by Geralyn Horton), which tours nationally to universities and colleges. She is a graduate of Trinity Rep Conservatory. Career Strategies Panel

Sangita Chandra is a producer for the "Chronicle" news and feature magazine program, which airs on WCVB TV 5, Boston's ABC affiliate television station. She is also former President of the New England chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. While a student at Wellesley College, Sangita completed nine internships in journalism and politics, including a summer spent as an intern for Vice President Al Gore. After graduating with a double degree in English literature and political science, she was the recipient of a Hearst Fellowship in Producing and Writing, and began her broadcast career as WCVB's overnight news writer. She also worked as a weekend news engineering producer before becoming a producer for "CityLine" and "Chronicle" in 1998 and 2000, respectively. Sangita often covers arts, politics, and travel in New England and especially enjoys producing people profile segments. Panel IA - "Identifying Leadership Opportunities Early"

An honors graduate of Harvard College with a degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics, Joanne Chang left a career as a management consultant to enter the world of professional cooking. She started as garde-manger cook at Boston's renowned Biba restaurant, worked for a year assisting the owner/head-baker of Bentonwood Bakery in Newton, and in 1995 was hired as Pastry Chef at Rialto restaurant in Cambridge. Joanne moved to New York City in 1997 to oversee the cake department of the critically acclaimed Payard Patisserie and Bistro. Returning to Boston a year later with dreams of opening up her own pastry shop, she brought her French and American training to Mistral where she was the Pastry Chef until summer of 2000. Now she has opened Flour, a bakery and café, in Boston's South End. Flour has been featured in Gourmet, Food and Wine, the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Lucky Magazine, and Boston Magazine and has received numerous Best of Boston awards. An avid runner, she has competed in every Boston Marathon since 1991. Career Strategies Panel

Jane Chen is a producer for Blanc de Chine Entertainment. In 2005 she produced the feature film RED DOORS which won the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. RED DOORS has also won the Special Jury prize for Ensemble Acting at CineVegas, the HBO Audience Award at Outfest, and the Grand Jury prize for Screenwriting at Outfest. RED DOORS has been acquired for distribution by Polychrome Pictures and Warner Home Video and will be theatrically released in Fall of 2006. Ms. Chen was most recently Vice President of Strategy at American Vantage Media, the parent company of Hypnotic (producers of The O.C.) and YaYa (video game developer). Prior to AVM, Ms. Chen was Director of Research at <kpe>, an interactive marketing agency for the media and entertainment industry serving clients such as Sony, Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Prior to <kpe> she worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company in New York. She has written numerous articles and reports on entertainment marketing and is one of the foremost experts on the subject within the interactive space. She has been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, The Industry Standard, The Harvard Business Review, and The New York Times. In 2001, she co-wrote and co-produced the short film Educated which has shown in over 40 film festivals worldwide and won the Best Short Film award at the 2002 Durango Film Festival. Ms. Chen graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. Red Doors Filmmakers Q&A

Diane Danielson is the CEO of DowntownWomensClub.com and the founder of the Downtown Women’s Clubs, a social network for professional women with local chapters in Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Washington, DC and Worcester . In addition to spearheading the DWC, Diane is the co-author of Table Talk: The Savvy Girl’s Alternative to Networking (2003); a blogger for the BostonWorks section of the Boston Globe; and is a contributing writer for PINK, a national women’s business magazine. Prior to launching DWC Services Inc. in 2002, Diane was a vice president of business development for Spaulding & Slye Colliers, a vice president of marketing for Meredith & Grew, Inc./ONCOR International, and an environmental attorney. She is a graduate of Colgate University and Boston College Law School. Panel IB - "Branding Yourself as a Leader"

Anuradha Desai is the Executive Director of Organizational Development at Citizen Schools. In her seven years there, she has helped Citizen Schools to grow its annual fundraising revenues from $850,000 to $7 million and spearheaded a $25 million multi-year investment campaign. Prior to joining Citizen Schools in 1998, Anuradha served as a Director of Special Projects at Tufts University’s Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutritional Policy and served in various leadership positions at Oxfam America for over a decade. She was trained as an architect before coming to the U.S. in 1983. She received her graduate degree in urban planning from the Royal Danish Academy in Denmark and her undergraduate degree from the Center on Environment, Planning, and Technology in Ahmedabad, India. After serving as a board member for six years, currently Anuradha serves as an Advisor to Grassroots International’s development committee and as a board member for the Massachusetts Service Alliance. She resides in Jamaica Plain, MA. Panel IB - "Branding Yourself as a Leader"

Arar Han is currently Special Assistant to the CEO of Panera Bread, the nation's leading fast-casual chain concept. She is also co-writing a book on department stores in the 21st century with a professor at the Harvard Business School, and is a partner at a Wiki-based educational startup called Writers Street, LLC. Prior to joining Panera, Arar was a Casewriter at Harvard Business School specializing in Retail Marketing. Arar is a coeditor of Asian American X: an intersection of 21st century Asian American voices (2004). She is a speaker in demand at college campuses across the country for her workshops and lectures on Asian American identity. Arar is also engaged as a consultant to the Rotary Club of Cupertino, an organization currently seeking strategic direction towards greater ethnic inclusivity. Arar's broad range of 'extracurricular' interests at the moment include fusion food, modern symphonic works (Tan Dun and others), and traveling to Sarajevo and San Salvador. Panel IIB - "Gearing up for Leadership in the Real World"

Grace Huang, MD, is the Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the Shapiro Institute for Education and Research at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. She is a hospital-based internist at BIDMC and also directs Continuing Medical Education Online at HMS. She received undergraduate degrees in English and in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, and an M.D. degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her residency in internal medicine was completed at BIDMC. She has spent a number of years designing web-based modules on clinical skills, including computer-based case simulations ("virtual patients"), physical diagnosis tutorials, interactive diagrams, and procedure-based instruction. Her career focus on medical educational technology and simulation has led to a leadership position at the Association of American Medical Colleges as well as speaking and writing engagements around the country. Panel IA - "Identifying Leadership Opportunities Early"

Renee Inomata is a Partner at Burns & Levinson, where she co-chairs the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group and is also a member of the Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Groups. She concentrates her practice on all aspects of employment and intellectual property law, including developing and applying employment policies, negotiating and drafting employment, noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements; advising on electronic communications and privacy in the workplace; defending employers in wrongful termination, discrimination and wage act claims; training employers on harassment and discrimination prevention; securing, obtaining, enforcing and maintaining trademark, service mark, trade dress and trade secret rights and copyrights. Renee Inomata received her J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law and her B.S. from Brown University. She currently resides in Watertown, MA. Panel IIC - "Evolving as a Leader"

Jiyoung Koo, recognized worldwide as a leading specialist and private dealer of Korean Art in the United States, started KooNewYork in 2001. Prior, Ms. Koo joined Sotheby’s in 1991, quickly rising to Director of the Korean Art Department in 1996. As one of the youngest Vice Presidents in the company, she oversaw a banner 1997 year of auctions totaling US$5 million. In 1999, she was appointed Managing Director of Sotheby’s Korea. Ms. Koo is in high demand as a frequent guest lecturer on Korean and Chinese Art at museums and universities. She lectures regularly at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Born in Seoul, Korea, she immigrated to United States in 1977. She is a graduate of Vassar College with a B.A. in Art History. Panel IC - "Leadership at the Top"

Anita Lai is currently the Director of Multicultural Market Development at Turner Entertainment. Prior to that, Anita has been with A Partnership as VP Account Director for over 5 years. During that period, she has contributed to the rapid growth of the agency from 6 people in the New York office in 2000 to over 30 employees in both New York and LA offices and one of the largest Asian American advertising agencies in the U.S. Before moving to the U.S., she spent over 10 years working in both the advertising and marketing industries in Hong Kong. As a Communications graduate, Anita started the first 4 years of her career working at some of the largest international advertising agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, Leo Burnet, EURO RSCG and Saatchi & Saatchi. She then moved over to the marketing side, first with Chase Manhattan Bank as Advertising and Promotion Manger and subsequently HSBC as Advertising and Sponsorship Manager (Asia) in the Group Public Affairs Department. During her five years with HSBC, she was involved in the planning of a number of award-winning campaigns in Hong Kong and in Asia and was nominated by the industry as Client of the Year in 1997. Panel IC - "Leadership at the Top"

Erica Lee is the Director of ASPIRE's Youth Leadership Program, a year-long leadership/internship program specifically tailored to the cultural and developmental needs of underserved Asian American high school girls in the greater Boston area. Originally from Kingston, PA, Erica graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University in 2003. Upon graduation, she joined the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School as a research assistant on the National Institute of Mental Health-funded Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia (COGS) study. She is also currently enrolled in the premedical studies program at the Harvard Extension School and is planning to attend medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry. She serves as an English as a Second Language tutor at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, volunteers with the Asian Task Force on Domestic Violence, and works with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Chinese American Mental Health Outreach Project. Panel IA - "Identifying Leadership Opportunities Early"

After graduating from Harvard with a degree in Biochemistry, Georgia Lee worked for management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. While at McKinsey, Lee was selected by Martin Scorsese to apprentice on Gangs of New York after he saw Lee’s first short film, The Big Dish: Tiananmen ‘89. Her subsequent short film, Educated, showed in over 30 festivals around the world. Lee’s first feature film, RED DOORS , won the Best Narrative Feature Award in the NY, NY Competition at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. Red Doors has gone on to win the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting at CineVegas, as well as the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Award for Screenwriting at Outfest. Red Doors will be coming out in theaters Fall 2006. Red Doors Filmmakers Q&A

Since 1991, Vivien Li has been Executive Director of The Boston Harbor Association, a non-profit, public interest organization founded by the League of Women Voters and the Boston Shipping Association to promote a clean, alive, and accessible Boston Harbor. TBHA was the first public interest organization to call for the clean up of Boston Harbor, and continues to actively work for the restoration of harbor beaches for urban residents and the completion of a 47-mile HarborWalk public access network along the waterfront. Previously, Vivien was senior staff to Governor Michael Dukakis and was elected to serve two terms on the Board of Directors of the national Sierra Club. She is the recipient of numerous awards, the most recent being the Boston Theological Society's 2005 Annual Humanitarian Award and the first John W. Gaston, Jr. Award for Public Administration presented earlier this year by the American Society of Public Administration. Vivien and her family live in Boston. (Globe article) Panel IIC - "Evolving as a Leader "

Dr. Xiaochun Luo is the Vice President for New Technology and New Product Innovation in Avon's Global R&D organization, where she heads the new technology programs that lead to breakthrough products in key CFT categories. Dr. Luo received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1990. After her graduation Dr. Luo spent close to ten years in the Global R&D organization of Procter & Gamble. Her early focus was primarily on studying biological control of hair and skin, and later on developing and launching Hair Care technologies and products, including products in the Pantene and Head & Shoulders brands. She spent three years in Japan building and leading a New Technology organization for P&G’s Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Luo joined Avon in December of 1999 as Director for Global Hair Care in R&D. She was promoted to Executive Director in May of 2001, and to the current position in December of 2002. In her role as Vice President for New Technology and Innovation, Dr. Luo is directing all key technology programs for Avon R&D, including the anti-aging skin care technology program, that led to many breakthrough products in Avon's facial and body skin care categories, as well as in the Color Cosmetic area. Dr. Luo has authored numerous scientific papers, book chapters and patents in biological and cosmetic research fields. She has been the invited speaker for several Dermatology, Cosmetic and other related scientific conferences and forums. She is the adjunct professor of the School of Chemical & Material Engineering of China's Southern Yangtze University. She is a founder and President of Chinese American Cosmetic Professional Association. She is married with two boys whom she enjoys spending time with after her workday. Panel IC - "Leadership at the Top"

Kaberi Banerjee Murthy is a program officer at Hemenway & Barnes, responsible for educational grantmaking for Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust and Jane's Trust. Prior to moving to Boston, Kaberi was a program oficer at the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation in Chicago, valuating grants in education, community development, health, and arts and culture. Before entering the world of philanthropy, Kaberi was an account executive at Leo Burnett, a global advertising agency based in Chicago. Kaberi graduated from Carleton College with a BA in History and Women's Studies in 1995. She certified to teach Social Studies in Minnesota the same year. She graduated from Harvard University with a Masters of Education in 2000, focusing on issues of access and equity for students of color in higher edcation. Kaberi is on the national board of Asian-American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and on the Steering Committee for the Boston chapter. She serves on the Oversight Committee for the Black Ministerial Alliance Boston Capacity Tank and co-chairs the Grantmaking Committee. She is on the board of Casa Myrna Vazquez and a founding member of the Saffron Circle, an Asian-American Giving Circle. She is the Vice-Chair of Carleton College's Multicultural Alumni Board. Finally, she serves as a mentor for Third Wave Foundation's Why Give program for young women of color. Panel IIB - "Gearing up for Leadership in the Real World"

Mia Riverton has worked in film, television and theater as an actress, writer and producer. Her most recent project is the award-winning and critically revered feature film, RED DOORS, to be released in theaters this fall. Other feature film acting credits include 13 Dead Men, The Last Race, Recoil and CEO, by acclaimed Chinese director Wu Tian-Ming for Beijing Film Studios. Recent TV appearances include One on One for UPN and Strong Medicine for Lifetime. Mia has also performed on stage in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston; recent work includes Voices We Remember at the Geffen Playhouse and the Ovation Award-winning musical bare. As a producer, Mia has created and/or worked on a number of programs and features for Fox Entertainment, including Malcolm in the Middle, Son of the Beach and The Crasher. Her cross-media producing approach has been featured in Variety and the Los Angeles Times. She is also the founder and president of Harvardwood, a nonprofit arts and entertainment association. Originally from Indianapolis, Mia attended Park Tudor School and was honored as a Presidential Scholar in her senior year. She graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University. Red Doors Filmmakers Q&A

Phitsamay Sychitkokhong Uy is a fourth-year doctoral candidate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Her current research compares the academic achievements of Southeast Asian American youths with East and South Asian American youths. Formerly an elementary school teacher, she now works as a researcher at the Education Development Center, Solicits Editor for the Harvard Educational Review, and a diversity trainer for the Anti-Defamation League. In addition, she serves on the Institute for Asian American Studies of Umass Boston community advisory board, the Chea Uy Trust Fund executive board and acts as the board chair of the Southeast Asian Action Resource Center (SEARAC), a national advocacy group based in Washington D.C.

Beverly Stern is currently a Retail, Product and Marketing Consultant. For the past 2 years, she has helped start or reinvigorate various consumer companies on the West Coast. Some of them are Oakville Grocery in Napa Valley, Boppy Inc in Colorado, and Bright Idea Toys in Oakland, California. She most recently held the position of Senior Vice President at Gymboree. Prior to that, she served as Executive Vice President, Merchandising and Marketing at Dean and Deluca. Stern's retail-industry career has spanned more than twenty years and includes the successful launch and stewardship of babyGap. In her career, Stern has held senior merchandising, marketing and new business development positions at a variety of retail companies, most notably at Pottery Barn / Williams-Sonoma for 5 years, as well Gap, Inc., where she spent 14 years in its divisions Gap, Banana Republic and babyGap. Stern earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Panel IIC - "Evolving as a Leader"

Greer Tan Swiston is a software engineer by training. She graduated from MIT and has worked on projects such as the Space Flight Operations Center at NASA JPL, an image processing software package for a startup company, as well as the Y2K intiative at Fidelity and the MLDirect online trading project at Merrill Lynch. She was recently awarded the Outstanding Leader award by the Newton Girl Scouts. She currently serves as: advisor for Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence (ASPIRE); President of the Chinese Alumni of MIT; Chair of the Newton Republican Ward Committee; and is a board member of the Newton West Little League. Formerly she was: President of the Boston Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers; an Aid for Dependent Children (AFDC) mentor; and on the Executive Committee of the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association (GBCCA). She was the first Asian woman to run for state office in 2004 and is currently pursuing local office as an Alderman-at-Large in Newton.

Grace Talusan is a writer and teacher. She earned an MFA in fiction writing from the University of California, Irvine, and was an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Oregon. Grace was awarded a Massachusetts Artist Grant, and other grants to support research and writing. She was an English major at Tufts University, where she currently teaches. She is a member of the Writers' Room of Boston and teaches for grub street. Panel IB - "Branding Yourself as a Leader"

Millie Tan is Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Monster.com. She is responsible for overall marketing strategy and development for Europe and Asia Pacific. Millie has had over 20 years in global Marketing and Sales with responsibilities ranging from strategic planning, new product development, new business development, corporate branding, and brand management. Her previous employers include Polaroid Corporation, the Gillette Company, Xerox Corporation. With Polaroid, she traveled extensively and lived in Hong Kong and Japan. Millie has an MBA from The Tuck School at Dartmouth College, an MA from Columbia University, and a BA from Skidmore College. She lives in Marlborough, MA with her 7 year old daughter, Ellie. Panel IC - "Leadership at the Top"

Hang Tran is a sophomore at Boston College, class of 2008. She has been actively involved with ASPIRE since its founding in 2001 and is currently the youngest member on ASPIRE's Board of Directors. A graduate of Boston Latin School, Hang was a part of the CAPAY YouthLearn program in 2002, and Steering Committee in 2003. Currently, she is the Boston College Vietnamese Students Association External Representative in the New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Students Association. Ms. Tran is majoring in education with a focus on teaching high school immigrant populations. Panel IA - "Identifying Leadership Opportunities Early"

Vivian Tseng is Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Welch’s and Chief Legal Officer of Welch’s parent, the National Grape Cooperative Association, Inc. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Boston Bar Foundation, the Council of the Boston Bar Association, and the Board of Editors of the Boston Bar Journal. Vivian is also a member of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel, and the Legal, Tax & Accounting Committee of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. Vivian served as president of South Cove Manor, a non-profit nursing home providing bilingual and bicultural long term care in Boston. Vivian is a graduate of New College and Georgetown University Law Center, and she holds graduate degrees from Yale University and Boston University School of Law. Panel IC - "Leadership at the Top"

Emily Tsiang is a strategy consultant in the City Advisory Practice at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), a not-for-profit urban economic development firm founded by HBS Professor Michael Porter. An advocate of sustainable strategies, her interest is in bridging urban reform on the education, economic development, and environmental fronts. Recently, she has been invited to join Boston Mayor Menino's Advisory Council and was honored twice by Los Angeles Mayor Riordan for her commitment to public service. She has also worked with Teach for America, Credit Suisse First Boston, Kaplan and consulted for the duPont Foundation. Emily graduated from UCLA with a dual BA in Economics and East Asian Studies as well as a minor in the Community Education Leadership program. Panel IIB - "Gearing up for Leadership in the Real World"

As an anthropologist, consultant, performing artist and founder of Aha Solutions Unlimited, Judy Tso's life mission is to help humans relate across all differences. Judy holds degrees in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and Applied Anthropology from University of Maryland. She is a member of the National Speakers Association, a board member of the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology and is a 2002 Boston Artist Fellow. Ms. Tso has appeared in the New York Times, on television on Boston’s Asian Focus and on various radio shows nationwide. She has written for such publications as the Design Management Journal, Practicing Anthropology and Nursezone.com. Panel IIC - "Evolving as a Leader"

Connie Wong is currently an Assistant Clerk and Trial Magistrate at Suffolk Superior Criminal Court where she works directly with judges and other court personnel handling felony cases. Prior to joining the judiciary, Connie was an Assistant Corporation Counsel at the City of Boston Law Department, and moved on to become chief legal counsel for the Boston Fire Department. Outside of work, Connie serves on the Board of Directors for the Asian American Civic Association, and is the Co-Chair of the Chinese American Women's Oral History Project, a collaboration of the Chinese Historical Society of New England and the Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University. In March 2006, Connie was appointed by Governor Mitt Romney to the Massachusetts Asian American Commission. Connie attended the Winsor School in Boston, Boston College and Suffolk University Law School. Career Strategies Panel

Tia Wou founded Tote Le Monde in 1994 to create functional and beautiful accessories to "carry the world!" Tia's design interest developed at an early age, inspired by her architect father. She later persued a Fine Arts degree at Brown University and worked with several New York based designers after graduation. Tia created her first collection of American Market Tote Collection (made out of recyclable plastic) from boutique to boutique herself, while her business partner Anna oversaw the production of each bag in Bolivia - the inspiration for these bags. The collection is now carried by Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Henri Bendel, and in boutiques worldwide. Tote Le Monde products have received recognition from Elle, Elle Decor, InStyle and Oprah. Their bags have been seen on television shows Sex in the City, Ally McBeal and Will & Grace and celebrities Cameron Diaz, Jenna Elfman and Ashley Judd. Tote Le Monde remains entrepreneurial in spirit with employees working out of a New York loft. Tia splits her time between New York, California and South America to ensure that Tote Le Monde's mission is upheld - to create innovative designs where function finds form. Career Strategies Panel

Sandra Wu joined the staff of Boston-based Cook’s Illustrated Magazine as associate editor in June 2004. Her daily job duties include cooking, eating, and writing (not necessarily in that order). Before moving to Boston, she worked in Chicago as food editor in the cooking magazine division at Publications International, Ltd. Prior to getting a “real job,” the native Southern Californian interned at the food sections of the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, Seventeen Magazine, CosmoGIRL! Magazine, the Marin Independent Journal, and Organic Gardening Magazine. Sandra holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in print journalism and a certificate of professional cookery from Kendall College, is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association, and is a freelance editor/writer/recipe developer for Lee Kum Kee. Panel IIB - "Gearing up for Leadership in the Real World"