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2025 LEAP Leadership Experience and Celebration

Every year, LEAP holds its annual Leadership Experience and Celebration to highlight the impact of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) leadership and honor members of our community who continue to preserve API culture, and ensure that our stories are being authentically told.

July 16-17, 2025

Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City
555 Universal Hollywood Dr
North Hollywood, CA 91608

event schedule

July 16, 2025

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM

Opening Session

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM

Leadership Experience Workshops

3:00 PM - 4:20 PM

Leadership Experience Caucus

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Celebration Awards Gala Reception

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Celebration Awards Gala Dinner

July 17, 2025

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Breakfast

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM

Leadership Experience Workshops

11:00 AM - 12:20 PM

Leadership Experience Panel

12:20 PM - 2:00 PM

Lunch

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM

Leadership Experience Workshops

3:00 PM - 4:20 PM

Leadership Experience Caucus

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Closing

2025 HONOREES

INDIVIDUAL AWARD

SHANNON LEE

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, BRUCE LEE FOUNDATION

Shannon Lee is the Founder and President of the Bruce Lee Foundation (BLF), the CEO and Owner of Bruce Lee Enterprises, an Author, Producer and Speaker, and the daughter of martial artist and cultural icon Bruce Lee. Through the BLF she is the creator of programs and community initiatives that focus on youth mental wellness and building community through the teachings of Bruce Lee.

Shannon also hosts the Bruce Lee Podcast and Executive Produced the series Warrior now streaming on Max and Netflix. Shannon also has several more film and tv projects in development. Her first book, Be Water, My Friend, offers insight into how to use her father’s philosophies toward a more fluid life and has been an editor’s pick and popular choice for teaching curriculums in both high schools and universities. Shannon released the first in a series of fantasy YA novels called Breath of the Dragon (a NYT bestseller), which she co-authored with the talented Fonda Lee. She recently launched a short form podcast called A Little Leeway available where most podcasts are found. Shannon and her team are also ideating and developing projects in the experiential space, the videogame space, and the live event space. To connect more with Shannon subscribe to her website at www.leewaymedia.com or follow her on IG and FB @therealshannonlee and on www.brucelee.com and @brucelee (on most social platforms) as well as www.bruceleefoundation.org and @bruceleefoundation to support her public charity initiatives!

Credits to Manfred Baumann for photograph.

COMMUNITY AWARD

COUNCIL FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN ADVANCEMENT
(CNHA)

Kūhiō Lewis serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting the economic, cultural, political, and community well-being of Native Hawaiians. Since taking on the role in 2018, Kūhiō has transformed CNHA into a statewide leader and national advocate for Native Hawaiian advancement.

Under his leadership, CNHA has launched impactful programs such as the Hawaiian Trades Academy, which provides workforce development training across the islands; Pop-Up Mākeke, an online marketplace showcasing local entrepreneurs; and emergency housing and rental assistance programs that have served thousands of residents. CNHA also manages a $20 million loan fund to increase access to capital for underserved communities.
Kūhiō has positioned CNHA at the forefront of policy and systems change, organizing the annual Native Hawaiian Convention, the largest gathering of its kind, and spearheading a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract to transition Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry toward a more regenerative, culturally grounded model.
At the heart of his leadership is a commitment to the idea of “Hawaiians advancing Hawaiʻi”—ensuring that Native Hawaiian voices, values, and leadership shape the future of our islands.

DAVID R. BARCLAY ALUMNI AWARD

JENNIFER “jaE” PI’ILANI REQUIRO

VICE PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, AEG

Jennifer “Jae” Pi’ilani Requiro is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for AEG Worldwide. In this role, she is responsible for developing, implementing, and driving the DEI strategy for AEG. In 2016, Jae also wrote the Foreword to a best-selling business book on diversity and inclusion by Jennifer Brown, “Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace, and The Will to Change”.

Jae currently volunteers on the national non-profit board of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF). . Jae is Chair for the Development Commitment and Co-Chair for the APIAHF Business Leadership which works toward positively addressing the unique and complex challenges facing AAs and NHPIs, while simultaneously creating value for our partners’ brands and businesses.
She started her DEI career at Toyota, building and implementing their diversity and inclusion strategy. Her responsibilities included D&I education, executive accountability, mentoring and ERGs. Jae also developed strategies to enhance Toyota’s reputation around D&I and increase partnerships with certified diverse suppliers.
Living her passion project, Jae served as a Sensei at an Okinawan karate studio in Southern California. The dojo’s teaching philosophy focused on the principles of respect, discipline, and self-defense. The dojo earned a reputation as a nurturing and safe space for students with special abilities to thrive. Jae also encouraged her students to find their “ikigai”.
Jae received recognition as a DEIA Visionary in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Magazine produced by L.A. Times in September 2024. She served as an Expert Panelist with the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDIB) through The Centre for Global Inclusion. In May 2014, Jae was awarded a “California Multicultural Leadership” Award from the National Diversity Council. Jae earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a specialization in stratification, race, and ethnicity and an emphasis in business administration from UCLA. In her spare time, Jae studies traditional Hawaiian language and hula; paddles outrigger canoes; and is a single mother to a college-aged daughter, her source of inspiration and perspiration.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/ in/pjrequiro

MARGARET ASHIDA LEADERSHIP AWARD

CHELSIE EVANS ENOS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAWAIIAN COMMUNITY ASSETS

Chelsie Evans Enos has served as the Executive Director of Hawaiian Community Assets since 2021. As a Native Hawaiian leader, Chelsie has worked with a variety of Hawai‘i nonprofit organizations, serving survivors of domestic violence, keiki displaced from their homes, and youth with barriers to their educational and career goals.

She previously served as the Executive Director of Maui Hui Malama, an organization that focuses on eliminating barriers for at-risk youth. She also worked with the Pana‘ewa Hawaiian Homestead community in advocacy for community development with Lili‘uokalani Trust. She founded Wrapped in Wings, an organization that supports critically ill children and their families, and the Live Like Tre’ Foundation, which honors the life of her late son Tre’ Evans-Dumaran, a dedicated firefighter, by helping those in need. Chelsie serves as Vice President on the board of Ma‘o Farms, the Treasurer of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, and as the only Native Hawaiian member of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau's (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in human services.