LEAP-2022-Website-Hero-Background.jpg
 

July 21, 2022


TICKETS & SPONSORSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE

 

 
 

LEAP’s 40th Anniversary and Leadership Awards Celebration!

LEAP’s annual Leadership Awards Celebration brings together individuals from across the corporate, nonprofit and higher education sectors to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander (API) leaders and organizations.

In honor of LEAP’s hallmark 40th anniversary, we will be driving into the importance of acknowledging and celebrating the sacrifices and investments our ancestors have made for us to thrive and how we’re intentionally building upon those foundations for future generations to succeed. Join us for a day filled with meaningful conversations, networking, inspirational stories and more.


WHEN

Thursday, July 21st
10am-6pm PST Virtual


INDIVIDUAL TICKET PRICE

$350

 

LEAP LEADERSHIP AWARDS
2022 HONOREES

 


Individual Award

Versha Sharma
Editor in Chief
Teen Vogue

Versha Sharma is the Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue, where she is focused on covering social justice, culture, fashion and politics through the lens of young people. Previously, she was Managing Editor and Senior Correspondent at NowThis, where she led audience growth on new platforms from Instagram to Facebook to YouTube, working at the social video-first company since 2014. She’s produced several short documentaries and filed dispatches on immigration from the U.S.-Mexico border, reported from mass protests in St. Louis, and traveled to Moscow, Russia for the show she hosts and produces, The Russia Desk. Versha won an Edward R. Murrow award with the NowThis Reports team for a short doc about the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Versha has long been an enthusiastic voice for the most innovative models in digital journalism. Prior to NowThis, she worked as a reporter and editor for Vocativ, where she managed a team of international reporters. She covered the 2012 presidential election for MSNBC and got her start in journalism with an internship at Talking Points Memo in 2009.

 


Community Award

Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi

In 2002, the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi started with a question: “How do we make this an opportunity to move Hawaiʻiʻs economy away from our over reliance on the tourism industry and keep our talented students in the islands with living wage jobs?” Beginning with the ACM Film School at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, ACM System has grown to include ten public campuses – 3 four year and 7 community colleges. This unique, integrated approach of complementary programs serves as a catalyst for 21st century jobs in Hawaiʻi as part of the global creative marketplace and as a platform for our indigenous stories to be told to the broadest possible audience. With over a thousand students enrolled across the state, ACM System is the first majority Asian/Pacific Islander creative media school in the country. Our disciplines include cinema, animation, social/transmedia, video games, eSports, music production, event technology, digital photography, web interface design, computational media and more.

 


David R. Barclay
Alumni Award

Kyle Reyes, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs
Utah Valley University


Dr. Kyle A. Reyes currently serves as Vice President of Student Affairs at Utah Valley University (UVU)—the largest university in the state of Utah with over 41,000 students. From 2014-2017, Dr. Reyes served as UVU’s Senior Diversity & Inclusion Officer and led the development and implementation of UVU’s nationally-recognized Strategic Inclusion Plan consisting of nearly 40 initiatives focused on making UVU a more inclusive campus. He has been at UVU for 19 years in various offices and programs: TRIO Upward Bound, GEAR UP, Multicultural Student Services, Student Success & Retention, the School of Education, and the Office of the President.

  • Dr. Kyle A. Reyes currently serves as Vice President of Student Affairs at Utah Valley University (UVU)—the largest university in the state of Utah with over 41,000 students. From 2014-2017, Dr. Reyes served as UVU’s Senior Diversity & Inclusion Officer and led the development and implementation of UVU’s nationally-recognized Strategic Inclusion Plan consisting of nearly 40 initiatives focused on making UVU a more inclusive campus. He has been at UVU for 19 years in various offices and programs: TRIO Upward Bound, GEAR UP, Multicultural Student Services, Student Success & Retention, the School of Education, and the Office of the President.

    Dr. Reyes is also a tenured Associate Professor of Education at UVU and taught courses in Multicultural Education, Family & Community Partnerships, and Arts-based Integration. His research focuses on arts-based student empowerment; leadership for equity and access; and institution-wide inclusion and diversity strategic planning.

    In addition to serving on the board of Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education, Kyle serves on the Utah Governor’s Multicultural Commission. He is the past president of the Utah chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education. Dr. Reyes has also served as the co-chair of the College Access Network for the Utah System of Higher Education and a member of the board of directors for the United Way of Utah County and American Indian Services.

    Most importantly, Kyle and his wife, Michele, have seven children and deliberately try to build their cultural heritage (Hawaiian, Navajo, Filipino, Japanese) into their family learning and engagement.

 


Margaret Ashida
Leadership Award

Tammy Tran
Senior Manager, Local Public Affairs
Southern California Edison

Tammy Tran has over 15 years of experience working in government, media, and nonprofit organizations. Currently, Tammy serves as Senior Manager in Local Public Affairs at Southern California Edison (SCE), leading its Orange County Government Relations Team. Tammy joined SCE in 2013 as Senior Community Liaison where she had responsibility for developing, maintaining, and enhancing strategic engagement and partnerships with community stakeholders across SCE’s service territory. In this role, she also served as a strategist to inform SCE’s senior management about important matters that impact diverse communities. Tammy have served in other roles including Government Relations Manager, Senior Manager for Community Engagement, and President of Ascend, SCE’s Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group.

  • Tammy Tran has over 15 years of experience working in government, media, and nonprofit organizations. Currently, Tammy serves as Senior Manager in Local Public Affairs at Southern California Edison (SCE), leading its Orange County Government Relations Team. Tammy joined SCE in 2013 as Senior Community Liaison where she had responsibility for developing, maintaining, and enhancing strategic engagement and partnerships with community stakeholders across SCE’s service territory. In this role, she also served as a strategist to inform SCE’s senior management about important matters that impact diverse communities. Tammy have served in other roles including Government Relations Manager, Senior Manager for Community Engagement, and President of Ascend, SCE’s Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group.

    Prior SCE, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director for then California State Senator Lou Correa. She has also served as a campaign manager, political consultant, executive director for a nonprofit combating human trafficking, policy advisor to a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, and field representative for a California State Assembly Member. Tammy, being fully bilingual, has also co-hosted a weekly current events Vietnamese television program aimed at promoting civic engagement and bringing government closer to the people.

    Tammy is a community organizer at heart. She is strong champion for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and in leadership across different sectors. She is advocate for youth leadership, political engagement, and civic participation. She regularly volunteers to mentor immigrants, college and high school students with career coaching, internship, and job placements. She is an active board member of several nonprofits including her children’s school Parent Teacher Association, Orange County Youth, Orange County Forum, DEI Advisory Committee for the Rancho Santiago Community College District, Asian Americans in Action, and the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE).

    A proud product of Orange County public schools, Tammy earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with a minor in Health Communications and Masters in Public Administration. Both degrees are from the University of Southern California. Tammy and her husband live in Little Saigon and are the proud parents of two active, bilingual citizens of Planet Earth, Annalise-Quynh & Viet-Zander.

 
 
 
Schedule of Virtual Events (PST)




10am-11:30am

Identity Art and Shoes: Walking in Multiple Worlds Master Class Workshop led by honoree, Kyle Reyes

This interactive art workshop will explore issues of identity, power, credibility, story, authenticity, and advocacy. This session will be part presentation and part art workshop with each participant equipped to facilitate similar discussions in their spaces of influence. This is a limited space session as art materials will be provided for participants.



11:45am-12pm

40th Anniversary and Leadership Awards Ceremony Welcome by LEAP’s President and CEO, Linda Akutagawa



12:05pm-1:05pm

Building the First Majority AAPI Creative Media School Facilitated by LEAP’s President and CEO, Linda Akutagawa

Join us for an insightful and inspiring conversation with the founder of University of Hawaii’s Academy for Creative Media, Chris Lee, along with current and former students from the program to discuss the impact the program has had for Hawaii, how it’s changing the future of the state, the evolving landscape for creative professionals and more.



1:10pm-2:10pm

Telling Our Stories: Creating an Impact as an API Author Moderated by Jafreen Uddin, Executive Director of Asian American Writers Workshop

Jafreen Uddin, Executive Director of Asian American Writers Workshop, will lead a conversation with notable API authors, Dave Liu (The Way of the Wall Street Warrior: Conquer the Corporate Game Using Tips, Tricks, and Smartcuts), Syed Masood (The Bad Muslim Discount, Sway With Me) and Joanna Ho (Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, Eyes that Speak to the Stars, The Silence that Binds Us). Learn more about their journeys through print, advice for API writers, what motivates them to continue their work and more.



2:15pm-3:15pm

Women in Leadership: API Entrepreneurs Bridging Culture and Food in Business Facilitated by Hannah Kim, Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer for Neiman Marcus Group

Hannah Kim of Neiman Marcus Group will moderate a panel with three dynamic and inspirational API female entrepreneurs: Hazel Bourget (Shima’s Jerky Chips), Sana Javeri Kadri (Diaspora Co.) and Sahra Nguyen (Nguyen Coffee Supply). Learn more about how these brands were founded, the impact they continue to make for the API community and their thoughts on how future generations of APIs will continue to shape business.



3:20pm-3:50pm

Dining with our Ancestors Presented by Diaspora Co.

Sana Javeri Kadri, founder of Diaspora Co., will guide us all through an easy and delicious dinner demonstration utilizing vibrant and fragrant spices from Diaspora Co.!



4pm-5:30pm

Leadership Awards Ceremony and Exclusive Performances by Eric Nam and Thuy

Hosted by journalist, David Ono, LEAP’s annual Leadership Awards Ceremony will highlight the accomplishments of members of our community who continue to go above and beyond in creating new foundations for future generations of API’s to thrive. This year, LEAP is proud to honor the following:

Versha Sharma, Editor in Chief, Teen Vogue - Individual Award

Academy for Creative Media at The University of Hawaii - Community Award

Kyle Reyes, Ph.D., Vice President of Student Affairs, Utah Valley University - David R. Barclay Alumni Award

Tammy Tran, Senior Manager, Southern California Edison - Margaret Ashida Leadership Award

 


Special thanks to the following for making this celebration possible.


Thank you to our Title Sponsor:

 
 
This event is supported by: