The summit is intended to increase career and business opportunities for Asian students so they choose to stay and work in West Michigan.
“The goal is for those students to learn more about who we are here in West Michigan and learn about job and business opportunities here in West Michigan, because a lot of these students have talent we need to keep in West Michigan,” says Bing Goei, newly appointed Grand Rapids Third Ward commissioner and board chairman of the WMAAA.
Tickets for the event are on sale.
With a theme of “Casting the Vision,” the WMAAA board created the summit to champion diversity, foster community spirit, and showcase Asian leadership in various sectors.
The summit will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 12, at the Goei Center, 818 Butterworth St. SW in Grand Rapids.
‘Attraction and retention’
“The goal of the inaugural Asian International Leadership Summit is to grow our West Michigan global economy through the attraction and retention of our Asian and international students studying at our colleges and universities,” Goei says. “We also want to support our young Asian and international professionals in pursuing their American Dream and encourage them to stay in West Michigan.”
The summit will feature keynote speeches from George Aquino, vice president and managing director at AHC + Hospitality, and Michelle Li, journalist and co-founder of The Very Asian Foundation.
Other professionals will lead workshops, including:
- Technology: Charles Elwood, founder, SolisMatica LLC, Microsoft AI MVP.
- Education: Jesse M. Bernal, equity and inclusion leader, Grand Valley State University; Debra Kue, Ph.D. student, Syracuse University; and Le Tran, Michigan Art Education Association Secondary Art Teacher of the Year and National…
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