April 21, 2023
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – As an Asian-American young professional living and working in Green Bay, Mai Nu Vang said she sought a professional group of her peers to connect and bond with.
The Green Bay Area Public School District middle school teacher said discovering and attending a meeting about the Asian Corporate & Entrepreneur Leaders-Northeast Wisconsin (ACEL NEW) provided that opportunity.
“I went to (an event) and a light bulb went on,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is just what I want.’ As a teacher, you give and give, and this is an (opportunity) for me to receive, to keep learning, to talk openly and safely talk to others who have my experience so I can continue to learn and improve as a leader.”
Vang, who now serves as the vice president of events and serves on the board of directors for the organization, said that is one of the benefits of ACEL NEW, the eighth chapter of the national nonprofit.
Getting started
The journey to establishing the chapter encompassing the 18-county, Northeast Wisconsin region started in 2020, when a group of like-minded, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) professionals sought to formalize a networking and professional development group specifically for Asian Americans.
The group’s goal was to provide opportunities to work together to enhance Asian American leadership in their careers, communities and local government in the communities in which they live and work.
As one of the fastest-growing communities in one of the fastest-growing populations in Northeast Wisconsin (38,000 people in 2021), Barbara Koldos, vice president of business development for New North, Inc. and ACEL NEW chapter president, said having an area chapter poses a huge opportunity and serves an important need given that “we know people stay where they feel connected and like they belong.”
“Having a chapter like this is one solution to the workforce/talent recruitment and retention challenges,” she said.
Although born in Northeast Wisconsin – two months after her parents arrived in the U.S. – Koldos said she has lived all over the country.
She returned to Northeast Wisconsin 13 years ago.
Koldos said she knows ACEL is not the solution, but said it is part of it.
“We connect, collaborate and build community because we know once people feel connected to a community, they are more apt to stay,” she said. “Among the many ways we’ll do that is to provide visibility to AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) leaders and work with individuals at varying levels of their career.”
As someone who has had the opportunity to serve on committees and boards, Koldos said she is taking her experiences and translating them to ACEL.
“Whereas Mai Nu is newer in her career,” she said. “I am hopeful she is learning from what she sees, and am hopeful she will join other boards in the community.”
Koldos said ACEL is intended to not only showcase the visibility of Asian American professionals but further connection, collaboration and build community among them to ultimately grow the next generation of Asian American leaders in Northeast Wisconsin.
Koldos said she was exposed to ACEL when she lived in Phoenix, as the nonprofit’s founder and president Jason C. Wong created the organization in 2006 in that area because he saw a need for a support system to develop leadership and professional growth within the AAPI community.
In Northeast Wisconsin’s chapter, which began with a launch party in early March, Koldos said the first step is elevating what began as an informal professional/social meetup group to a whole new level.
//tbnapp.cdn.bubble.io/f1682083362255x783691921542632300/richtext_content.webpPictured are some of the ACEL NEW board members following a regular monthly board meeting. Submitted Photo
She said the event unveiled the organization’s plans, which include building brand awareness, increasing its membership (all are welcome), further growing its committees and its board of directors and launching a series of events including the InspirASIAN speaker series that will feature an Asian American presenter’s leadership journey every other month.
“In addition to addressing the needs of existing APIDA professionals, we know there is a wave of young APIDA kids coming up,” Koldos said. “We had one of the most successful launch events to date… a lot of that is because we are the organization for this audience in Northeast Wisconsin.”
At the launch event, Koldos said she was approached by an attendee who fueled her and the chapter’s commitment to keeping the momentum going.
“I had someone approach me and say, ‘This is the first time I feel like I could be myself and didn’t have to put up a front when attending a networking event,’” she said. “That was impactful.”
Locally focused
Koldos said she is excited to review the successes of other chapters and then pick and choose what works for Northeast Wisconsin.
She said networking events will be integral to building connections within the community, and hopes to lay the foundation to offer a mentorship program in 2024.
“That’s where the rubber will hit the road for us – matching seasoned professionals with an up-and-coming (professional) or college student,” Koldos said. “That’s where you see a community being built. We’re fortunate the national chapter in Phoenix is on its 23rd cohort, so it’s a well-oiled machine we get to benefit from.”
Koldos said that is where the heart of ACEL lies – making an impression on younger AAPI professionals.
“Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of professionals who looked like me in professional settings,” she said.
Last year, Vang said the Green Bay school district offered an Asian American Summit with the theme of “See It. Be It.”
She said she is hopeful ACEL can sustain the same message to the community every day of the year.
“It makes a huge difference to see yourself in others, whether that’s a Hmong person participating in the Olympics or the recent Miss Universe,” Vang said. “I am Hmong, and I saw the spark and talk in the community of how inspiring that is. And to see Hmong people you have a connection with succeed (makes us realize), ‘Wow, those pathways and opportunities can be open to me.’”
Koldos said the organization’s main focus this year is its launch of the InspirASIAN speaker series – with the first set for 5-7 p.m. Monday, April 24, at Meade Street Bistro in Appleton.
The event will feature Mai J. Lo Lee (she/her), a Hmong American educator and director of the Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs Office at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
She received the 2023 Fox Cities Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Educator of the Year award for her mentorship, advocacy work and impact as a role model and community leader.
“We want to build this, and we are inviting others to join our community and help to build this community,” Koldos said.
The series plans to host five AAPI speakers.
More information on the events and other chapter details can be found on ACEL NEW’s Facebook page.
An allyship
Koldos said ACEL is focused on helping create more connection and visibility within the AAPI community and beyond – noting ACEL NEW membership is not limited to people who identify as AAPI.
“Nationally, 20% of ACEL membership is non-Asians,” she said. “So, it’s allyship. We encourage those who want to learn more about our culture and who want to be connected to AAPI professionals to join us. We can’t go at this alone.”