2010 Leadership Community Picnic a success

On Saturday, August 21, 2010, approximately 350 people came to the 2010 Leadership Community Picnic, held at Lake Boren Park, Newcastle.

The Executive Development Institute (EDI) led the Asian Pacific Alliance, comprised of ten organizations that serve Asian Americans in the Greater Seattle area, in planning for the picnic.

NAAAP-Seattle members who served on the planning committee included: Tanantha Couillaird, Vanessa Diego, David Eam, Wai Yin Ho, Elaine Kitamura, Julie Pham, and Andy Yip.

The 20-member committee began planning for this year’s picnic back in January. Over fifty volunteers helped set up games, including dodge ball and volleyball; man information booths; and pass out lunches. Picnickers enjoyed gourmet Vietnamese-style sandwiches from Baguette Box and dessert from Monsoon Restaurant.

“This has been the best APA picnic in my recent memory. My hat is going off to the leaders and all volunteers involved,” said Jiin-chiang Chen, who represented Boeing Asian-American Professional Association (BAAPA) on the picnic planning committee.
Ador Yano and Marie Chow served as the Co-Chairs of the Leadership Community Picnic planning committee.

"The planning team greatly appreciates the financial sponsorship of Microsoft, Prudential, T-Mobile, and Puget Sound Energy. They helped make this community event possible. I also am honored to have worked with representatives from our Asian Pacific Alliance partners. It’s been a lot of fun working with this group for months, and Saturday’s event would not have been possible without their energy and passion for leadership,” said Yano, EDI board member and EDI alumnus 2004.

At the event, over a dozen organizations and companies set up informational booths that also had games and activities for children.

Vivian Nguyen helped kids decorate cupcakes.

"As a first-time volunteer, I enjoyed seeing how NAAAP comes together socially with other leadership groups and meeting new people from all kinds of local organizations," said Nguyen, a volunteer recruited through NAAAP-Seattle.

Washington State Senator 41st District Randy Gordon and King County Assessor Lloyd Hara also came to mingle with picnickers.

Many picnickers commented on how organized the event was.

“The food was fantastic, the games were fun, and the booths were informative,” said Daniel Jo, a current EDI student. “I think the picnic was well organized and everyone seemed to have fun; singles, family’s, kids, adults….it was great.”

For more information on the picnic, please visit www.leadershipcommunity.org. For more photos, please visit NAAAP-Seattle on Facebook.

Photos by Jiin-chiang Chen: (top) Anne Boornjaren manning the NAAAP-Seattle table;(middle) the 2010 Leadership Community Picnic planning committee; (bottom) a watermelon eating contest was one of many activities planned for children at the 2010Leadership Community Picnic.

The “Invasion” left lessons

On May 22, NAAAP-Seattle partnered with the Executive Development Institute (EDI) and Qwest Pacific Asian American Network (PAAN) for a 2010 Leadership Together Educational Forum entitled “Invasion of Social Media - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!”

Charlie Harger, Technology & Social Media Reporter for KOMO Newsradio and President for Bohado Media, spoke to 75 attendees on using social media for professional and business development.

EDI board member and the forum’s organizer, Elaine Kitamura, said she impressed by the number of attendees as well as the breadth of diversity in age and race in the audience.

The event’s sponsor, Prudential, was pleased with the outcome.

“I thought this event was terrific,” said Joneil Custodio, Prudential’s West Coast Diversity Manager and former NAAAP-Seattle PR/Marketing Chair. “My favorite part was hearing actual business owners sharing real life concerns about the use of social media with the audience that really proved the level of safety and comfort created here tonight.”

Social media, literally, brought many to this event.

Liz Shaiken, a development officer at the Wing Luke Museum, learned about the event through NAAAP-Seattle’s Facebook, along with Jeannette Roden, also with the Wing Luke, and Chakrya Lim of Red Lion. For Shaiken and Lim, it was their first time to an EDI event.

“It was a great intro for small businesses,” said Shaiken. “But I wish it showed good and bad examples of how social media is being used in business.”

“I thought it was good,” said Lim. “Though I thought it would be more on personal branding.”

Personal experience with social media varied widely among audience members.

“The content was a big basic,” said Roden, a NAAAP member. “I wish they had delved a bit deeper into the topic.”

“I still have so much more to learn,” said John Tang, EDI board member. “A few things Charlie mentioned, like putting a post up a day, I didn’t realized I could brand myself that way. I just post every now and then but now I’ll try to post more consistently.”

Vichai J. Lim, a Partner at New York Life, was invited to the event by with NAAAP-Seattle member Vanessa Diego.

“I learned a lot,” said J. Lim. “I might look into Facebook. People invite me all the time. I have to learn more about social media.”

Harger also imparted some warnings about social media.

“I learned that I shouldn’t spend too much time on Facebook because I might get addicted and Facebook might start charging me for use!” said Yuwen Dai, a NAAAP-Seattle member.

Colleen Yamaguchi, EDI board member and EDI Navigation coach, said she wished the forum focused more on how social media could be used as a strategic tool for leadership development.

The most important lesson learned?

“Don’t be annoying!” said Yamaguchi.

Photos: Top: Hang-Ping Chen (left), Starr McDonald (seated); Middle: Colleen Yamaguchi, Joneil Custodio, David Eam, Amy Duong; Bottom: Charlie Harger, Technology & Social Media Reporter for KOMO News radio and President for Bohado Media, lectures