2023 National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Awards

The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) will recognize NAAAP 100, NAAAP Inspire, & NAAAP Pride honorees at 2023 leadership convention.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, August 11, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) will host its 2023 annual leadership convention in August, which will feature 700+ emerging and accomplished leaders, speakers, and visionaries.

NAAAP100

Sharifa Khan (She/Her) has dedicated her life to “building bridges of understanding,” between government bodies, media, and businesses, and Canada’s thriving multicultural communities. She is credited as the visionary founder of Canada’s multicultural marketing discipline. Forty years ago, Sharifa founded her agency, Balmoral Multicultural Marketing, when multicultural marketing was relatively unknown.

Sharifa is a community-builder, volunteer and mentor. Her efforts include founding the Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival, chairing major events, and serving on various boards. Sharifa has been recognized by the Canadian government, is a three-time Jubilee award recipient from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and in 2021, she received Canada’s highest industry honor as an inductee into the prestigious Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends.


Ai-jen Poo (She/Her) is a labor leader, organizer, author, and prominent voice in the women’s movement. She serves as President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Executive Director of Caring Across Generations, Senior Advisor to Care in Action, Co-Founder of SuperMajority, and Ford Foundation Trustee. Ai-jen authored "The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America" and co-hosts the Sunstorm podcast. She was recognized by Fortune’s 50 World’s Greatest Leaders, Time’s 100 Most Influential People, and a 2014 MacArthur "Genius" Award.

Ai-jen is a #MeToo movement advocate and attended the 2018 Golden Globe Awards for #TimesUp. She has published in The New York Times, TIME, and Cosmopolitan. She helped pass rights bills to protect home care workers, working with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and initiated Caring Across Generations.


NAAAP Inspire

Michelle Li (She/Her) is an award-winning journalist who co-launched the Very Asian Foundation with fellow journalist Gia Vang. Her response to a racist voicemail became a global movement. The Very Asian Foundation launched a national awareness youth literature campaign called The May Book Project, and started the Very Asian Creators microgrant program.

A Korean adoptee, Michelle supports adoptees through heritage camps and volunteer tours to Korea. Her program supporting Missouri children in foster care led to a congressional award in 2010. Michelle has won a national Peabody Award, four national Murrows, and multiple regional Emmys. Her work on the Asian American experience in St. Louis during the pandemic was named a duPont finalist in 2023. Michelle has appeared on CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and The Washington Post. She is the author of a children's book: A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food.


​​Stephanie KyeongSeon Drenka (She/Her) is a co-founder and Executive Director of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society and Founding Editor of VISIBLE Magazine. She previously served as Communications Director for Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, part of a national 14-place initiative by The W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Stephanie was adopted from South Korea at the age of three months and is a committed advocate for adoptee voices. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from DePaul University, with minors in Asian American Studies and Women’s Studies. Her photography and writing have been featured in Washington Post, HuffPost, USA Today, Newsweek, and more. Stephanie was a 2019-21 Public Voices Fellow and is now a Facilitator/Coach with The OpEd Project.


NAAAP Pride

Michael Liu (He/Him) As the Public Affairs Manager for Dow Alberta Operations, Michael’s mission is to harness the power of words, images, and stories to build inclusive communities. He is a steering team member of Dow’s Asian Diversity Network and an active participant in in the GLAD employee resource group.

Michael’s passion is shaped by his lived experiences as an immigrant, Asian professional, and LGBTQ+ community member. With support from the Asian Diversity Network and GLAD, Michael continues to work to break down barriers for AAPI and LGBTQ+ members. This year, he developed communications campaigns at Dow to break the stigma around AAPI mental health and participated in the NAAAP panel, From Erasure to Visibility: The Impact of Queer Asian Representation on Mental Health. He has volunteered extensively to support initiatives like Pride Week, Lunar New Year, Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank, and the United Way.

Sophia Toh
National Association of Asian American Professionals
[email protected]