nwasianweekly.com
Sept. 15, 2007

“Mentors & Community
Legacy”

What: A luncheon honoring women who have raised the bar in their professions or community leadership, as well as mentored other people of color; organized by Women of Color Empowered

When: Friday, Sept. 21, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Where: China Harbor Restaurant, 2040 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle

Cost: $20-$30

Honorees’ eyes fixed on the future

By Carol N. Vu
Northwest Asian Weekly

Picture a thick jungle. No one’s ever been there, so no roads or trails exist. There isn’t even a map to guide you to where you want to go. That first person has the opportunity to create that first path — a path that hundreds, perhaps thousands, will travel on in the future.

It’s a thrill to be that first person, but it can also be a burden.

When you’re the first, you’re basically alone out in that jungle.

But that’s what establishing a legacy is about. That first person is not only responsible for building a path, but also creating a map for others to follow. It’s not an easy task, but the pioneer takes on the responsibility for the good of the future.

It’s these legacy builders who will be honored at the next Women of Color Empowered luncheon, to be held Sept. 21 at 11:30 a.m. at China Harbor Restaurant in Seattle. The theme will be “Mentors & Community Legacy.”

Thirteen diverse women from the Greater Seattle area will be honored for setting the standard or raising the bar in their professions or community leadership, as well as for mentoring other people of color to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Tickets to the luncheon are $20 per person if purchased in advance. The walk-in price is $30. Admission includes a multicourse Chinese meal and a gift bag full of goodies. For tickets, call 206-223-0623 or e-mail rsvp@nwasianweekly.com.

Attendees will get to know each of the honorees through a lively question-and-answer format that will be emceed by Dr. Sandra Madrid, an assistant dean for the University of Washington Law School who is also an honoree.

Learn what makes a good mentor. Find out their motivations for guiding the next generation of leaders. Hear personal stories about the challenges and achievements of mentoring others.

Most importantly, give these mentors the applause, appreciation and respect they deserve.

Learn more about the honorees here.

Dr. Sandra Madrid
Emcee & honoree

Madrid has been assistant dean for students and community development at the University of Washington School of Law since 1989.

She serves on the national board of directors of Girl Scouts of the USA and the executive committee of the American Association of Law School Minority Groups Section. She is the immediate past board chair of the National Hispana Leadership Institute and United Way of King County.

Madrid’s many honors include the King County Bar Association’s Champion of Diversity of Award. In May, she gave the commencement speech at her alma mater, the University of Colorado-Pueblo.

Lilly J. Aguilar
Honoree

Aguilar has more than 25 years of experience working with governmental and community organizations to address diverse public policy issues. She has served in executive and professional positions with the City of Tacoma, Sound Transit, Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light.

A noted community leader, Aguilar is an alumna of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, co-founder and first chair of Washington Women United, first chair of the King County Women’s Advisory Board and chair of the “Yes on 7, No on 10” campaign in 1986, which successfully thwarted an attempt to abolish King County’s Fair Employment Practices ordinance.

Elaine Akagi
Honoree

Akagi is governor of the Japanese American Citizens League’s Pacific Northwest district.

A member of the civil rights organization for more than four decades, she has served in a variety of roles, including Junior JACL chapter president in Detroit, historian, secretary, national convention delegate and Seattle chapter president. She recently chaired JACL’s regional convention in Tukwila.

Akagi used to be a special-education teacher in Detroit and Seattle. She worked primarily with visually impaired students.

Sylvia Cavazos
Honoree

Cavazos is a strategic asset manager for Seattle Public Utilities, where she has provided leadership in regional water issues, tribal and intergovernmental relations, and communications and community relations, among other areas. Passionate about inclusiveness and collaboration, she has worked with diverse groups and agencies, including Northwest tribes, to address environmental issues.

Cavazos is the only person to receive the Asia Foundation Fellowship twice, in 1995 and 1997, which allowed her to lead Indonesian government officials in a project that improved the city of Surabaya’s water supply system.

She is a past president of the King County Civil Rights Commission, the Mexican American Women’s Association and the Seattle Management Association.

Martha Choe
Honoree

Choe is director of the Global Libraries program for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The initiative provides libraries with access to computers and the Internet.

She previously was state coordinator of the Boeing 7E7 Project Management Office. While serving as Gov. Gary Locke’s director of state Community, Trade and Economic Development, she led successful trade missions to Mexico, Japan, South Korea and China and managed a staff of more than 300 and a biennial budget of $1.1 billion.

Prior to joining CTED, she served on the Seattle City Council. Before that, she was a vice president at the Bank of California in Seattle and Bellevue.

Cynthia del Rosario
Honoree

Del Rosario recently moved to a newly created position as director of graduate minority recruitment and retention for the University of Washington College of Education and The Information School. Prior to that, she spent almost seven years developing public programs for the UW Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program.

The new position brings together her experience and educational background in diversity initiatives and programming, student support and community engagement, as well as her research interests in the recruitment, support and retention of students and faculty of color.

Del Rosario is working on a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies.

Sen. Rosa Franklin
Honoree

Franklin is the first African American woman elected to the state Senate.

She began her political service to the people in Tacoma’s 29th district, where she was elected to the House of Representatives in 1990. Three years later, she was sworn in as senator of the same district. Franklin is now in her third term in the Senate and currently serves as Democratic assistant floor leader.

Franklin is also active in the League of Women Voters, Tacoma Urban League, the NAACP and Safe Streets.

Before entering politics, she worked for 42 years in the nursing profession.

Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange
Honoree

Three months ago, Lange was appointed vice president for minority affairs and vice provost for diversity at the University of Washington. She has been at the UW since 1998, most recently serving on an interim basis in the same position.

Her areas of scholarly interest include higher-education policy, diversity in higher education and underrepresented student access to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Lange serves on the board of the Women in Engineering and Program Advocates Network. In 2005 she received the Diversity Award for Community Building from the UW.

Jan Levy
Honoree

Levy is executive director of Leadership Tomorrow, a civic leadership training program founded by the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and United Way of King County. She is a graduate of that program and has served as its director for more than 18 years.

A self-proclaimed “leadership junkie,” she has a deep commitment to developing community leadership. She served on the board of the Community Leadership Association for nine years, completing her term as immediate past board chair in 1999. She has assisted in the formation of community leadership programs in Vancouver, Victoria, and the counties of Kitsap, Thurston, Skagit and Snohomish.

Emma Medicine White Crow
Honoree

Throughout her career, Medicine White Crow has worked on achieving equal access to health care for children, teens, adults and elders. Her vast network of friends and associates helps her bridge gaps by connecting those with needs to those with solutions. Her vision is to empower communities to express their own needs, work together to find solutions and sustain the effort together.

She is the consumer representative for the Governor’s Interagency Coordinating Council on Health Disparities. She has also served on the American Indian Advisory Board for Loma Linda Medical University, as well as the state Alliance for Healthy Communities of Color.

Dr. Constance Rice
Honoree

As managing director for prevention and family support at Casey Family Programs, Rice’s work covers five states. When she becomes Casey’s managing director of knowledge management, her duties will expand to at least 20 states.

She previously served as founding executive director of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, senior vice chancellor for the Seattle Community Colleges and interim president of North Seattle Community College.

Rice is past president and founder of Strategic Education Centers, which is dedicated to adolescent livelihood and the abatement of HIV/AIDS. She also founded the Seattle Health and Nutrition Project, which educates low-income families about nutrition. Her many awards include the 2006 Woman of Influence honor from the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Maile Taualii
Honoree

Taualii is associate director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, an epidemiology and research center that provides national leadership in raising awareness about the deficiencies of health care for urban American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Active in the Pacific Islander community, Taualii’s volunteer work includes advocating for the health and wellness of Pacific Islanders. She also coordinates conferences on the health concerns of the local Pacific Islander community.

She has a master’s in public health and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in health services at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Patrinell Wright
Honoree

In 1973, Pastor Wright founded Total Experience Gospel Choir, a noted ensemble that has performed in 38 states, on five continents and in 22 countries. Wright is a performer and director for the choir. In 2005, she released her first solo CD, entitled “I’m So Glad! A Spiritual Reunion of Drums & Voice.”

She has performed on the same billing as Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Steely Dan, Dionne Warwick and Michael Bolton, to name just a few.

In 1997, she co-founded and became pastor of the Oneness Christian Center, a spiritual refuge for those who have been hit by some of life’s hardest challenges. Her most recent volunteer work includes helping victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their lives.

Carol N. Vu can be reached at carol@nwasianweekly.com.

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