Phoebe Eng is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir, “Warrior Lessons: An Asian American Woman’s Journey into Power,” her account of empowerment and leadership in a changing world. The book has been an inspiration to both AAPI women and men.

Although she acknowledges that “writing is my outlet,” she’s much more than just an author. She worked with the Ford Foundation as a coordinator for the UN Conference Against Racism in 2001, and currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Ms. Foundation for Women (the only national fund for women in the U.S.). She says she also does “a lot of mentoring, and care a lot about developing the next generation of AAPI young women.”

Those dual passions of the Asian American Pacific Islander community and women have been constant in Eng’s very interesting career. From helping build A. Magazine in the early 1990s as its first publisher and Chair of its holding company Metro East Publications, to being a founding sister of national networks such as the Asian Pacific American Women’s Leadership Institute and National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum in DC, Eng has dedicated her life to uplifting the voices and perspectives of Asian American women and women in general.

Phoebe will talk about what it means to live an empowered life – how our personal choices can be meaningful and have impact in the world. Having worked with some of the nation’s leading changemakers in the private and public sectors as well as with everyday heroes, she will show us how the world changes when we align our actions and choices with our values – and that each of us can do it.

For over 15 years, Eng has chosen to work with a range of Fortune 100 companies such as IBM, JP Morgan Chase, AOL, Dell Computers, Hewlett Packard, Procter & Gamble, the city of Miami, foundations, and federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and Commerce Department, helping them to promote diverse talent and create relationships with emerging international and domestic markets.

As the Vice Chair of the Ms. Foundation for Women, co-founded by Gloria Steinem and Marlo Thomas, Eng has helped conceptualize programs to elevate the voices of women leaders in public policy. Eng has also served on the Advisory Board of Working Mother Media’s Best Companies for Multicultural Women list, the largest award showcase honoring the best practices of companies worldwide.

In 2005 she co-founded the think tank The Opportunity Agenda with colleagues from The Ford Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Beltway leaders, and now directs Creative Counsel, its creative arm.

Creative Counsel, housed at the Tribeca Film Center in New York City, connects the arts & entertainment world to causes that matter. One of its key projects has been the story site, 1000 Voices Archive.

Internationally, Eng is proud of her work with the Ford Foundation and the UN, as a project coordinator in presenting the UN World Conference Against Racism in South Africa. She has received the New York City Mayor’s Innovator Award, the Phoenix Award (from the Asian Women’s Center), Arthur T. Vanderbilt Medal, and a Distinguished Service Award from NYU School of Law. Eng started her career as a mergers and acquisitions attorney with an international firm, practicing in New York, Paris, and Hong Kong.

Eng’s work has been covered in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Far Eastern Economic Review and in John Naisbitt’s Megatrends Asia, as well as in several books and other media. Her viewpoints have appeared on MSNBC, on newswires such as Reuters and AP, and on PBS affiliate stations.

She’s married to photographer Zubin Shroff, who grew up in the UK and whose family lives in Mumbai.

We were fortunate to see Yul speak during last year’s Democratic National Convention in Denver, and more recently during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month at an event in Denver. He’s a great role model because of his accomplishments, and because he’s on a mission to dispel myths and stereotypes about Asian American Pacific Islanders, and to urge AAPIs to enter the political process.

Yul has a diverse background in law, politics, technology, business, and media — except for his exceptional “Survivor” victory, he’s almost a model for the “model minority” myth!

He received his B.S. in theoretical computer science from Stanford University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. He clerked on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, practiced law at two firms, served as a legislative aide to a U.S. Senator, worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, and joined Google’s business operations and strategy group.

Yul won the “Survivor” prize in 2006, and gave part of his $1 million prize to charities, including a bone marrow drive for Asian Americans (his college roommate died of Leukemia, and he may have been saved if there were more AAPI marrow donors). He also co-founded the Asian Political Leadership Fund.

His recent activities include working as a guest lecturer for the FBI Academy, a host for the Discovery Channel, and a special correspondent for CNN.

He is also the Northern California franchisee for Red Mango frozen yogurt, one of the fastest-growing retail brands in the country.

Yul is active in a wide range of charitable efforts and has been profiled in VIBE Magazine’s annual “Juice” issue of people with power and People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” issue.

visualizAsian.com is thrilled to get the chance to talk to Yul and learn what drives him to excel!

Here’s an interview with Yul Kwon on the CBS “Early Show” by Julie Chen:

(Note for the curious: Our interview with author and social activist Phoebe Eng, which had been scheduled for Tuesday June 2, has been postponed. Stay tuned for the new date!)

Secretary Norman Mineta

Not only is he the first Asian American to be appointed to a Cabinet position (Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton), he is also the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in U.S. history (under George Bush). He was a co-sponsor, along with Congressman Frank Horton (R-NY) of both the 1978 House Resolution establishing Pacific/Asian Heritage Week and the 1992 bill that expanded the week into “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.”

Secretary Mineta’s career in public service has been both distinguished and unique. He served in Congress for over twenty years and the Cabinet of both Republican and Democratic presidents. Mineta is well known for his work in the areas of transportation – including aviation, surface transportation, and infrastructure – and national security. He is recognized for his accomplishments in economic development, science and technology policy, foreign and domestic trade, budgetary issues and civil rights.

His years in political office came in contrast to his childhood experience, imprisoned during World War II in a Japanese American internment camp.

Mineta was born in San Jose, California, to Japanese immigrant parents who were not allowed to become U.S. citizens at that time. During WWII the Mineta family was interned in the Heart Mountain internment camp near Cody, Wyoming, along with thousands of other Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans.

While detained in the camp, Mineta, a Boy Scout, met fellow Scout Alan K. Simpson, future U.S. Senator from Wyoming, who often visited the Scouts in the internment camp with his troop. The two became, and have remained, close friends and political allies.

He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Business Administration (since named in honor of Walter A. Haas, Sr.) in 1953 with a degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, Mineta joined the US Army and served as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. He then joined his father in the Mineta Insurance Agency.

He began his public service at a local level.

For almost 30 years, Mineta represented San Jose, California – the heart of Silicon Valley – first on the City Council, then as Mayor, and then from 1975 to 1995 as a Member of Congress. Throughout that time, Mineta was an advocate of the burgeoning technology industry. He worked to encourage new industries and spur job growth, and he supported the development of the infrastructure to accommodate the industry and its tremendous growth.

Mineta served as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Public Works Committee from 1992 to 1994, after having chaired the Subcommittee on Aviation and the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation. He was the primary author of the groundbreaking Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991.

In 2000, Mineta was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the United States Secretary of Commerce. At the Department of Commerce, Mineta was known for his work on technology issues, for achieving international cooperation and intergovernmental coordination on complex fisheries issues, and streamlining the patent and trademark process.

Mineta was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President George W. Bush in 2001, where he served until July 2006. Following the horrific terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Mineta guided the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, the largest mobilization of a new federal agency since World War II.

Mineta was also a Vice President of Lockheed Martin where he oversaw the first successful implementation of the EZ-Pass system in New York State.

Currently, Secretary Mineta is Vice Chairman of Hill & Knowlton, based in its Washington, DC office. Mineta provides counsel and strategic advice to Hill & Knowlton clients on a wide range of business and political issues.

Other Information
Globally recognized for his leadership, Mineta has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom – our nation’s highest civilian honor – and the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, which is awarded for significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States. He is also the recipient of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

He was the co-founder of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and Chair of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.

Secretary Mineta is married to Danealia (Deni) Mineta and has two sons, David K. Mineta and Stuart S. Mineta, and two step-sons, Robert M. Brantner and Mark Brantner

About visualizAsian
visualizAsian is a website that will feature free interviews with leading Asian American Pacific Islanders from politics, pop culture, business and more, as a way to inspire and empower other AAPIs to follow in their footsteps. A second interview has been scheduled for June 2 with author Phoebe Eng, and future interviews will include actor and activist Tamlyn Tomita, “Survivor: Cook Islands” winner Yul Kwon and journalist/activist Helen Zia.

visualizAsian.com’s founder are Erin Yoshimura, a Denver-based trainer and Certified Personal Branding Coach (www.empowerful.com), and Gil Asakawa, a journalist and online media expert (www.nikkeiview.com). More details can be found at www.visualizAsian.com.