Tagline
Our Mission
API Forward’s mission is to inspire, develop, and advocate for Asian American and Pacific Islanders to become civically engaged and socially responsible leaders in Oregon and Washington.
Our Vision
API Forward believes in a world where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are empowered and have equal opportunities to thrive as leaders in their communities.
Our Core Values
* Growth mindset
* Service
* Diversity, equity, and inclusion
* Collaboration
* Compassion
* Integrity
Founders
Ping Khaw
Founder & Past President
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Born in Malaysia, Ping immigrated to Portland in 1990. Her two decades of community outreach efforts include community art projects with disadvantaged youth, communities of color and immigrants that have gained her multiple awards. Her business endeavors include product export, strategic sales, fundraising management, and event production. In the 2010 U.S. Census, she served as the Oregon partnership co-team lead that assisted in hard-to-count operation. Since 2016, she has managed the CELs (Community Engagement Liaisons) program which pairs experienced liaisons to assist government agencies and private entities to effectively engage underserved populations and immigrants to integrate more effectively into local communities.
In 2014, Tracey Lam and Ping co-founded API Forward Foundation. In the past, she has served on the board for New Portlander Policy Commission, Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OCAPIA), Golden Leaf Education Foundation, state adviser for the US Civil Right Commission, Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce of Oregon and SW Washington (APACC), IRCO Works LLC, Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), and Mass Mutual women advisory council.
Tracey Lam
Founder & Past Secretary
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Tracey is a proud immigrant from Hong Kong, whose parents gave up everything to come to the U.S. in hopes of providing a better future for their children. Today, Tracey is an award-winning communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in journalism, public relations, program development, fundraising and equity work. She is the director of programs and communications at Partners in Diversity, a nonprofit that helps employers enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
Prior to Partners in Diversity, Tracey worked at the OHSU Center for Diversity and Inclusion, served as the communications manager at Make-A-Wish Oregon and executive producer of special projects at KATU-TV.In 2014, she co-founded API Forward with Ping Khaw. She served on the boards of the Public Relation Society of America Oregon Chapter and the Asian American Journalist Association. She also organizes a monthly book club.
Why Asian Leaders are Needed
As our population grows more diverse, people in high-level positions remain overwhelmingly white.
According to a 2011 study by the Center for Talent Innovation, Asian Americans are far more likely to have a college degree than the average person, and while they make up just five percent of the population, they constitute 18 percent of the student body at Harvard and 24 percent at Stanford. They have little trouble getting hired, yet they struggle to reach senior management. Asian Americans account for just 1.4 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs and 1.9 percent of corporate officers overall.
In Oregon, Asians represent 4.3 percent of the population, yet there hasn’t been an Asian to serve in the 90-member Oregon State legislature since Senator John Lim left office in 2009.
The story is the same at educational institutions. According to the American Council on Education, nearly seven percent of tenured faculty members in American universities are Asian American, but make up just less than one percent of presidents and chancellors, compared with Hispanics (3 percent of faculty and 4.6 percent of presidents) and African Americans (4.5 percent of faculty and 5.8 percent of presidents).
In national politics, there are 11 Asian Americans in the House (4%) and one in the Senate (1.8%). Currently, there are no Asian Americans in the Obama cabinet. In Oregon, Asians represent 4.3 percent of the population, yet there hasn’t been an Asian to serve in the 90-member Oregon State legislature since Senator John Lim left office in 2009.
The disparity is important. It means API voices are not being heard, leading to policies that fail to take their needs into account. Diversity in leadership helps us better connect with an increasingly multi-ethnic community and enhances inclusiveness.