As we
approach the end of 2012, the organization’s vibrant health reflects
strengthened staffing capabilities and focused program-based development – two
strategic objectives set by the Chairman and Board in April 2012.
Staffing
Capabilities. This
year's milestones were amplified by the gains from the team's continuous
strategic learning journey. I am grateful to have engaged Columbia Business
School to provide us with professional development opportunities via a series
of high impact executive education courses. Our team’s valuable takeaways
include grasping the fundamentals of change leadership and creating
breakthrough strategies for C-100. C-100 applications of key lessons learned
already produced impressive results in strategically positioning C-100 in the
Washington DC policy community.
September
celebrated three remarkable years in my role as C-100 Executive Director. As I
review the past three years, I can say without reservation that each year’s
accomplishments surpass those of the previous year. I attribute these
impressive milestones to the stewardship of the Chairman and the Board of Directors
in advancing C-100’s mission, to the members’ substantive contributions and to
our professional staff, whose focused commitment and esprit de corps keep the
organization strategically impactful.
This
month’s newsletter charts the robust growth path of the Committee’s three core
programs—Educational Exchange, Public Diplomacy, and Leadership Development—and
upgraded operational capabilities.
This month’s newsletter highlights new approaches in how the Committee carries out its mission through three core programs—Education, Diplomacy, and Leadership Development. Each program compartment has set parameters for specific program development, funding, member engagement, and customized program products. The organization’s research and communication capabilities are fully integrated into each program area to enhance program content and optimize social media-based delivery platforms. New tools and features include:
This January 2012 issue outlines the impact of the Committee’s continued efforts in building the organization’s capabilities in three core areas - Education, Diplomacy, and Leadership Development.
Education: The 2011 Journalist Delegation Program created a transformative experience for three highly influential American journalists: Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist and Associate Editor of the Washington Post; Nicholas Goldberg, Editor of the Editorial Pages of the Los Angeles Times; and Rekha Basu, Columnist for the Des Moines Register. All three journalists were first-time visitors to mainland China. A post-program evaluation component was incorporated into the 2011 delegation to measure the personal and professional impact on each delegate’s perceptions of China.
September marks my two-year anniversary as Executive Director of the Committee of 100. I am pleased to report that I continue to find my work stimulating and gratifying, both in its intellectual content and enormous impact. For every day of the last two years, I have been driven by the Committee's critical mission to strengthen the U.S.-China relationship and to advance the prospects for Chinese Americans.
Recently, for example, I had the opportunity to collaborate closely with a number of our members in preparing a rapid response to a slanted op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about America's past exclusion of Chinese American immigrants. (See "Committee of 100 Responds to Distorted Op-Ed in the WSJ") The spontaneous outburst of talent, insight, vision and commitment of our members reaffirmed my principal attraction to the Committee of 100 in 2009—our incredibly gifted members are deeply passionate and committed to our C-100 mission.
For our 20th Annual Conference in May, we chronicled the past 20 years of our organization and of the U.S. – China relationship. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll learn about what has changed, what has stayed the same and why it matters.
In 1990, the world, and the world order, were vastly different - the Berlin Wall had just fallen, and Deng Xiaoping was on the verge of unleashing China’s monolithic economy. Back then, our small pioneering group of Committee 100 members understood China’s scale and anticipated China’s economic clout and political influence when they assembled in New York to launch our inaugural conference and boldly called for a yearly forum to strengthen the U.S.-China relationship and to address American misperceptions of an awakening giant.
My past year as Executive Director of C-100 has been quite the whirlwind, with conferences on both sides of the Pacific, our notable sponsorship of the USA Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai, as well as meetings in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Hong Kong, Nanjing and Beijing. In all my travels, I have been most impressed by C-100 members’ overwhelming cheer, energy, and passion. Additionally, I have been blessed with a dedicated and efficient staff who maximize the impact of our well-run projects and activities.
After more than six years as the Executive Director of this dynamic organization, I am moving on to become the Director of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). While I regret leaving the Committee of 100, this was not a hard decision to make as MOCA, like C-100, provides a vital voice and platform for Chinese Americans to tell our stories – our very American stories.
I am not going far – from midtown Manhattan to downtown – and will continue to pursue my passion for highlighting the journey of Americans of Chinese descent and, in doing so, promoting the creation of new opportunities for Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life.
As many of you know, the Committee of 100 was founded in the aftermath of the Tiananmen tragedy in June 1989, so this month marks the 20th anniversary of our organization. The Committee gave Chinese Americans a strong voice to share concerns about China. Whether you were a third or fourth generation Chinese American or a recent immigrant from Taiwan, Hong Kong or China, the images of the student protests in 1989 touched a common core among us all. These past few days watching what has been happening in Tehran in the aftermath of the recent Iranian presidential election not only brings backs images of June 1989 in Beijing but similar scenes following leadership changes in Taiwan, Korea or Thailand in years past. Twenty years later, we are still striving for the same things—to be heard.
The importance of Sino-U.S. relations is just one part of our dual mission. No less important is the other half of our mission, to promote opportunities for Chinese Americans and Asian Americans in all fields of American life.
Anniversaries are times of reflection on the past and looking toward to the future. In line with the theme of this year’s annual conference, “Learn from the Past, Create the Future (承前啟後),” 2009 is such a year. Not only does 2009 mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of relations of the United States and China, it is also the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Committee of 100. At our conference, we will reflect upon these two events which have shaped the Committee of 100, and we will celebrate the achievements of Asian Americans and Chinese Americans as we look toward the future we want to create for ourselves during these trying economic times.
I had the pleasure of interviewing our founder Mr. I.M. Pei last week for a video that will be shown at the conference. His reflections remind us of the journey we have traveled and inspire us to go further.
