Finding common ground with other Asian American professionals

Rachel Sankey

Past Staff

October 17, 2023

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – It’s important to have a sense of belonging in your community and to have a group of people who share some commonality with you.

This, Barbara Koldos, president of Asian Corporate & Entrepreneur Leaders (ACEL) and vice president of business development at New North, Inc., said, is exactly why the Northeast Wisconsin chapter of ACEL was launched earlier this year.

ACEL, Koldos said, is meant to provide a space for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the area to grow in professional development and leadership skills. 

As the organization thought of ways to grow and highlight professionals in the community, Koldos said she and her fellow board members recognized that they didn’t see many AAPI leaders while they were growing up.

“We were like… ‘there are so many amazing AAPI professionals in our area, how do we highlight what it is they’re doing and how can we help our next generation see it, and give visibility to those leaders?’” she said. 

After further discussions and planning, Koldos said the InspirASIAN Speaker Series was born.

About the series
Anyone is welcome and encouraged to attend the event, Koldos said.

It is free for ACEL members to attend and $25 for non-members.

Though ACEL is still in its first year, Koldos said the organization has tried to have four to five speakers per year, or about one each quarter.

“We highlight the (AAPI) leaders we have in our community and ask them a simple question,” she said. “‘What is your leadership journey?’ So then, others like us, and the younger generation coming after, can see it and learn from it.”

When it comes to finding speakers, Koldos said they look for leaders in the community who are AAPI and willing to share their stories.

“I say those who are in leadership positions, but also those who are perceived leaders, too,” she said. “Leadership doesn’t necessarily mean a title.”

Since Koldos said ACEL “didn’t know what the reception would be like” to the series, she said she appreciates the speakers from this year who were willing to “take a chance on us.”

Previous speakers who have taken part in the series already this year include Suzanne Wittman, executive director of the Shawano County Chamber of Commerce; Irene Strohbeen, owner of Irene Strohbeen & Associates, LLC; Evan Lin, attorney and managing member of Lin Law LLC; and Mai J. Lo Lee, director of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA) at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

The final speaker for InspirASIAN this calendar year is Sachin Shivaram, CEO of the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry.

“(Shivaram is also) the co-chair of New North and is now on the board of directors for the Green Bay Packers,” she said. “He embodies what leadership could look like for Asian American professionals.”

Though each speaker shares their story in a different way, Koldos said, the event is always casual.

“Evan Lin had more of a fireside chat type of format,” she said. “Mai Lo Lee talked about how her journey derived from her family being farmers… and how to farm and cultivate leadership.”

Accessibility, belonging
A lot of times, Koldos said leadership in the community can be viewed as inaccessible or unattainable, which is why the InspirASIAN series is important.

Shivaram, she said, will be a great example of how leaders in the area aren’t as far out of reach as some young professionals may think.

One of the missions for the InspirASIAN Speaker Series, Barbara Koldos said, is to show the younger generation of AAPI professionals that they belong in the community. Photo Courtesy of ACEL

“I would love for folks to come and attend and see how he is accessible and he is open to sharing his journey,” she said. “It’s great when you have an opportunity to meet these high-caliber leaders in a smaller, more intimate setting. It’s one thing to go to a big event (where) they’re on stage… and there’s like 800 people there – but you don’t have that (intimate) interaction.”

After each speaker series event, Koldos said she hopes each person in attendance walks away having learned something new. 

“(I also want people to) see what ACEL is all about, meet other members, meet our board and learn about the community building we are doing,” she said.

As she reflects on why ACEL and the InspirASIAN Speaker Series were started now, Koldos said it’s no different from other associations.

“People who are in care clubs together, or people who go to a Packers game together or people who congregate in a church together – it’s finding that common ground,” she said. “It’s no different than that or joining a professional association. We just happen to be Asian Americans.”

Having an Asian American focused organization, Koldos said, also helps with visibility.

“Ten percent of students in the Green Bay Area School District identify as AAPI, and I believe the number in the Appleton Area School District is somewhere around 12-14%,” she said. “So, we have this large population of AAPI students growing in the area, and we want to keep them here and retain them.”

And, most importantly, Koldos said she wants the younger generation to feel welcome and have a sense of belonging.

“We want (ACEL) to be a way for them to say, ‘I belong here, too, I belong in this community,’” she said. “‘I’m a part of this community, and I can make a change in this community.’”

ACEL’s InspirASIAN Speaker Series with Sachin Shavaram will be from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 25, at Hinterland Brewery (1001 Lombardi Access Road) in Ashwaubenon.

To learn more, visit ACEL’s Facebook page.