LEADERSHIP FOR INCLUSION & DIVERSITY AWARD RECIPIENTS

“An individual or organization who/which has displayed pioneering efforts in promoting and celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) through workforce development, mentoring, and collaborations”

2022 – Yuri Kochiyama Cultural Center at UMass Amherst

The Yuri Kochiyama Cultural Center (YKCC) originated in 1989 to support the growing population of Asian and Asian American students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  It was first known as the United Asia Cultural Center (UACC).  In 1993 it reopened with administrative support from the United Asia Learning Resource Center (UALRC) and in succeeding years was renamed the Yuri Kochiyama Cultural Center in honor of Yuri Kochiyama for her belief in liberation and social justice.

The mission of YKCC is to affirm the cultural expression, pride and engagement of Asian and Asian American Pacific Islander students through:

  • Programs that celebrate cultural traditions
  • Programs that deepen students’ understanding of their own and others’ multifaceted identities
  • Providing a nurturing and welcoming space for studying and meeting new people
  • Provide resource referral to support student success

2019 – Saffron Circle

Saffron Circle is a group of multi-generational Asians committed to creating positive social change in the greater Boston Asian community. Contributing members of Saffron Circle represent many different Asian cultures, areas of expertise, and interests who have come together to support social change by pooling resources, sharing talents, and learning about issues and giving opportunities.

Each contributing member has the opportunity to participate in grant making and in developing the giving circle. Established as a donor-advised fund at the Boston Foundation in 2006, Saffron Circle has already made over $70,000 in grant awards to non-profit organizations that serve, advocate on behalf of, and promote the social well-being, artistic and cultural heritage of the Asian community in Massachusetts.

2018 – Wheelock Family Theatre

2018 marks Wheelock Family Theatre’s 37th year of creating professional theatre productions and education experiences for all generations. We are committed to access, inclusion, and affordability, colorful casting, and to storytelling that connects, challenges and inspires. WFT’s current season (In the Heights, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) continues with the E.B. White classic Stuart Little (through May 13). WFT produced Seussical at the Boston Children’s Museum last December, and up next on our mainstage is the Teen Performance Ensemble’s production of Into the Woods (May 19 & 20, 2018). WFT strongly believes that live theatre transforms lives – of those in the audience, onstage, and behind the scenes.

2017 – Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank was Founded in 1818 and based in Boston, Eastern Bank is America’s oldest and largest mutual bank, with $10 billion in assets and over 120 locations serving communities in eastern Massachusetts, southern and coastal New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Eastern Bank, which includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance, is known for its outspoken advocacy and community support that has topped more than $100 million in charitable giving over the past 20 years.

Embracing diversity and inclusion makes Eastern a better employer and a better provider of service to its customers, including those in the Asian American & Pacific Islanders community. A dedicated team of Eastern employees annually organize the company’s participation in the Lunar New Year Celebration, the Hong Kong Boston Dragon Boat Festival, and the Southeast Asian Water Festival. Last year, Eastern hosted hundreds of people at a small business event and workshop produced in partnership with the Asian American Commission and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

2016 – John Hancock Financial

John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada, and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were $904 billion (US $697 billion) as at March 31, 2016. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

2015 – MassMutual

MassMutual was founded on May 15, 1851. And from the beginning, we’ve had a single purpose: to help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. More than 160 years later, that commitment remains our guiding principle. It’s behind everything we do and every decision we make. It’s how we continue to deliver products and services to help our policy owners and customers achieve their financial goals, and protect those who matter most.

2014 – Xiao-Li Meng

Xiao-Li Meng, Dean of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and Whipple V. N. Jones Professor of Statistics, is well known for his depth and breadth in research, his innovation and passion in pedagogy, and his vision and effectiveness in administration, as well as for his engaging and entertaining style as a speaker and writer. Meng has received numerous awards and honors for the more than 120 publications he has authored in a dozen theoretical and methodological areas, and on pedagogy and professional development; he has delivered more than 400 research presentations and public speeches on these topics. Meng received his BS in mathematics from Fudan University in 1982 and his PhD in statistics from Harvard in 1990, and was on the faculty at the University of Chicago from 1991 to 2001. He was the Chair of Statistics from 2004 until his appointment as GSAS Dean in 2012.

2014 – Lowell Community Health Center

Lowell Community Health Center‘s mission is to provide caring, quality and culturally competent health services to the people of Greater Lowell, regardless of their financial status; to reduce health disparities and enhance the health of the Greater Lowell community; and to empower each individual to maximize their overall well being. Health Center patients may choose a primary care physician, nurse practitioner or certified nurse midwife from our team of more than 40 board certified medical providers. Behavioral health services are integrated into the care provided at the Health Center. Patients are able to schedule visits with certified mental health professionals working at the Health Center. Our employees speak 28 different languages, and at least 40 staff are trained medical interpreters.