Hispanic and Asian Pacific graduates honored by EDI
The Executive Development Institute (EDI), honored 35 graduates with over 200 sponsors, mentors, friends and family at a dinner at the Hilton Bellevue earlier this month. Graduates represented emerging leaders and managers from leading Pacific Northwest companies.
This year, EDI launched a new version of its foundational Leadership Discovery program, which is culturally tailored for Hispanic professionals, with nine graduates. In addition, 26 graduates of the 2009 Asian Pacific Leadership Discovery program were honored.
The EDI graduates include professionals at organizations including Microsoft, The Boeing Company, Weyerhaeuser, Wells Fargo Bank, city of Seattle, State Farm Insurance, Google, KeyBanc Capital Markets, KeyBank, The Seattle Times, CV Partners, Symetra Financial, Parkwest Care Center and NW Asian Weekly.
Marlee Ginter, KOMO-TV news reporter, emceed the graduation, while Linda Villegas Bremer, Director of General Administration for the State of Washington, made opening remarks. Bremer applauded the hard work of the Hispanic graduates in striving to achieve their dreams, many of whom are first generation Hispanics born in Mexico, Puerto Rico, or Panama.
“Effective leadership requires constant awareness and leveraging of the culturally diverse and dynamic business environment,” said Maria-Cristina Spiak of The Boeing Company, when asked to name a valuable lesson learned from the EDI program.
Like Spiak, many of the graduates said they felt a renewed sense of validation in their cultural heritage and how it can be applied at the workplace, given today’s globalized economy.
Wesley Hom, retired IBM Vice President, gave the keynote address which focused on today’s globalized economy and how emerging leaders should adapt.
“I think the biggest challenge for all of us is to become more flexible, adaptable, and more collaborative in all our approaches in life and in business,” Hom said. “Be patient, be persistent, but more than anything maximize your passion and strengths.”
EDI provides culturally-tailored leadership programs that position Asian-Pacifics and Hispanics on a fast track for successful executive service and other leadership positions. They programs, provide leadership training that focuses on practical, real-world problem-solving in a multi-cultural context.
Graduates shared their teambuilding and leadership experiences serving on community projects with non-profit organizations including Art with Heart, Campana Quetzal, iLEAP, International Community Health Services, Community Health Care, Kids Without Borders, The Tronie Foundation and Page Ahead.
Since its inception in 1994, EDI has graduated more than 500 Asian Pacific professionals from its Leadership Discovery program. Last year, the organization launched Leadership Navigation, a program for mid- and senior-level Asian Pacific professionals.
Major community and business sponsors for EDI include Microsoft, KeyBank, Boeing, Nordstrom, Puget Sound Energy, Weyerhaeuser, State Farm Insurance, Prudential, and Nikkei Concerns.
