Tough. Indefatigable. Patient. Smart. Knowledgeable. Superior communication instincts. Loyal team player. Finds opportunities in challenges. Skilled global advocate for US-Taiwanese bilateral interests and American values. That is my job description for a best entrepreneurial citizen-diplomat in Washington, DC. Fortunately, the job has been filled by someone who has all those qualities: Yeni Wong.
Keep an eye on Yeni Wong. Yeni was elected chairperson of the board of the Institute for Taiwan-America Studies (ITAS). The creation of ITAS was one of the principal foreign-policy innovations in Washington, DC, intended to bring greater coherence to the trilateral relationship of China, United States, and Taiwan. During its first year, much of the ITAS energy was consumed in establishing the foundations of the service. Concurrently, ITAS and its elected leader, Yeni Wong, have had to respond to a recent development in the South China Sea; most notably, the escalating tensions in the South China Sea have continued to build as China recently refused to allow a US aircraft carrier and its accompanying vessels to make a port call in Hong Kong.
Keep an eye on Yeni Wong. Yeni was elected chairperson of the board of the Institute for Taiwan-America Studies (ITAS). The creation of ITAS was one of the principal foreign-policy innovations in Washington, DC, intended to bring greater coherence to the trilateral relationship of China, United States, and Taiwan. During its first year, much of the ITAS energy was consumed in establishing the foundations of the service. Concurrently, ITAS and its elected leader, Yeni Wong, have had to respond to a recent development in the South China Sea; most notably, the escalating tensions in the South China Sea have continued to build as China recently refused to allow a US aircraft carrier and its accompanying vessels to make a port call in Hong Kong.
In order to make the most of its role and its
capabilities, ITAS needs to cultivate the virtues of entrepreneurship:
- being ahead of the market by emphasizing intellectual leadership and innovative policy development,
- using a clear strategy to guide the allocation of its resources,
- seeking new opportunities to advance the US and Taiwanese common agenda and being prepared to take calculated risks for that purpose; and
- building the confidence of its supporters by taking advantage of the leverage that comes with the US-Taiwanese bilateral relationships while exploring the opportunities that lie in its diversity.
Yeni’s leadership as chairperson of ITAS transformed the
think tank from a concept into Washington’s powerhouse of conservative ideas.
ITAS is an independent, nonprofit academic institution. As a think tank based
in Washington, DC, ITAS aims to facilitate better interaction and exchange
between Taiwan and the United States by carrying out academic research projects
and academic activities and by strengthening dialogue with American universities, research institutions, and
the media as well as with private and governmental organizations.
Washington-area think tanks have evolved beyond the scope of Beltway insiders. Today, many of these institutions have expanded toward a “do tank” role by using outreach tools and even grassroots mobilization. They have come to realize that in order to stay relevant and participate in the many conversations happening on matters of policy and advocacy, they need to establish a venue in Washington for focusing on the study of US-Taiwanese relations and to increase the mutual understanding. As Taiwan’s role in Asian and global affairs continues to grow, ITAS is charting a new direction to define a strategic agenda for the US-Taiwanese relationship. ITAS is a unique platform to raise consciousness of US-Taiwanese policy issues in a bilateral, regional, and global context.
Regarding the Sino-US-Taiwanese trilateral relationship that is ever more complex and turbulent, Yeni has made a singular contribution to strengthening the US-Taiwanese bilateral relationship with congressional leaders, all government agencies, think tanks, and friends. She has developed long-range and comprehensive strategies for study and development that will strengthen the critical contribution to America’s interests. She worked closely with others to integrate and coordinate the efforts of ITAS right in the heart of Washington, DC.
I knew there was something special about Yeni when I first
met her. Bilingual and bicultural, she represents the best of the emerging
first generation of Taiwanese immigrants. Her ascension in politics has not
surprised me or the people who know her. Yeni’s abiding faith in the promise of
a better relationship between the United States and Taiwan is so compelling.
Today, Yeni is an eloquent voice for a robust foreign
policy. Watching her operate in DC is refreshing, as she continually seeks
common ground with Congress on issues that increase information and
understanding of Taiwan and the strait’s affairs. Yeni is the real deal, and I,
for one, look forward to watching her contribute to the stretching of the great
US-Taiwanese relationship in the years to come.
ITAS is a hub of Taiwan-related activities in the
Washington, DC, area. ITAS’s efforts combine innovative research with a
repertoire of outreach activities and events that encourage the broadest
possible debate and dialogue among scholars, policymakers, students, NGO and
business leaders, and all those with an interest in the US-Taiwanese
bilateral relationship.
A wise personality, a model leader, and a woman of broad
vision, Yeni has played an important role in the development of this
institution and in the rise in her staff’s level of influence. As chairperson
of this institution, she has contributed significantly to the increase in
ITAS’s influence in the Sino-US-Taiwanese
trilateral relationship arena. Her contributions toward the resolution of
problems in the region—in particular in advancing reconciliation among
Sino-US-Taiwanese trilateral relationships—are
worthy of commendation. Yeni says she is looking forward to enhancing US-Taiwanese
relations. There is no better advocate.
I’ve often said that this promises to be the women’s
century, and Yeni is exactly the kind of refreshing leader who is—by word,
deed, and example—creating new opportunities, removing obstacles, and making a
real difference in others’ lives. And as a devoted, hands-on mother of two, she
is also nurturing the priceless personal
connections that matter most.
Yeni is the most generous person I have ever known—a
gracious and humble woman who shares her love of Taiwan with the world. Her
real-estate company, Riverdale International, brought her wealth, but her
success comes from her genuine understanding of people, her steadfast
dedication to community and the arts, and her profound commitment to
philanthropy. As an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a patron of the
Chinatown community, Yeni is unmatched in her willingness to help others
fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
In a time of great challenge and even greater opportunity,
Yeni Wong understands intuitively the potential of social networking to create
positive change on a grand scale. She’s helping people make the most of a more
open, more transparent community. I had the good fortune of meeting Yeni some
years ago, when we teamed up on a Taiwan Benevolent Association of America
activity. To me, she embodies the very best of a new generation of leaders,
flourishing and creating shared value in an era of unprecedented societal
change and community advancement. Her energy, passion, and relentless optimism
are infectious, inspiring all of us who’ve had the chance to work with her.
Once in a while, a gifted organizer comes along—think of the radical empathy of Jane Addams or the populist tactics of Cesar Chavez—who knows how to create social change from the bottom up. Yeni, part of the first generation of prejustice immigrants from democratic Taiwan, has been growing into that role ever since she was a restaurateur outraged by the stories of undocumented workers, often immigrants or women of color, who labored long hours for low pay as waitresses and other kitchen workers.
When she was recognized by the Ms. Achievement Medal for Overseas Chinese Women Entrepreneur in 2002, she was already trusted by hundreds of women who had been treated as unskilled and expendable yet were responsible for raising children, caring for the ill and elderly, and facilitating the daily lives of hundreds of families in the Chinatown community.
Yeni’s gift for creating worker-led groups and utilizing empathetic tactics has made the National Women’s Business Center into an umbrella organization with satellites around the United States. Thanks to its policy initiatives and lobbying, the center offers training and support services to woman-run organizations. It helps in the development of female entrepreneurs through financial and technical assistance. In addition, the business center organizes workshops, seminars, and counseling sessions.
The organization was founded in 1996 and is based in Washington, DC. Yeni has made the center so successful by showing the humanity of a long-devalued kind of work. This goes beyond organizing to transforming. As she says, her goal is “peace and justice in the home.”
When she was recognized by the Ms. Achievement Medal for Overseas Chinese Women Entrepreneur in 2002, she was already trusted by hundreds of women who had been treated as unskilled and expendable yet were responsible for raising children, caring for the ill and elderly, and facilitating the daily lives of hundreds of families in the Chinatown community.
Yeni’s gift for creating worker-led groups and utilizing empathetic tactics has made the National Women’s Business Center into an umbrella organization with satellites around the United States. Thanks to its policy initiatives and lobbying, the center offers training and support services to woman-run organizations. It helps in the development of female entrepreneurs through financial and technical assistance. In addition, the business center organizes workshops, seminars, and counseling sessions.
The organization was founded in 1996 and is based in Washington, DC. Yeni has made the center so successful by showing the humanity of a long-devalued kind of work. This goes beyond organizing to transforming. As she says, her goal is “peace and justice in the home.”
The US immigration debate brings out the worst in some and
the best in others. Yeni represents the finest of her generation, putting
herself through graduate school partly via scholarships and graduating with a
PhD in chemistry. An undocumented postdoctoral scientist confronted with legal
barriers to pursuing her American Dream, she chose to fight for the right to
contribute to the country she has called home since she was young.
As an entrepreneur in Chinatown, Yeni promotes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who, as she did, came to the United States before they were twenty-five, attended college or graduate school, and are of good moral character. Yeni takes on powerful opponents with grace and conviction, saying, “We are Americans, and Americans don’t give up.”
When one meets Yeni, now seventy, one is drawn to her
seemingly boundless energy, focus, and magnetism. I was drawn to her because
she is a leader in one of our most complex areas: the citizen
diplomacy and Sino-US-Taiwanese
trilateral relationships. Yeni cares for citizen diplomacy and is dedicated to
facilitating better interaction and exchange between Taiwan and the United States
by carrying out citizen diplomacy, which is a new
form of political engagement that opens up diplomatic dialogue to citizens at a
grassroots level.
Distinct from lobbying, Yeni funded and established ITAS
to influence Washington not to accommodate Beijing’s demands to stop selling
arms to Taipei as long as China continues its military buildup opposite
Taiwan’s shores. Individuals from ITAS are able to call the US administration
to comply fully with the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act. In turn, congressional
leaders and the government are able to strengthen relationships with the
ordinary citizens they are meant to serve.
Yeni is an advocate, promoter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and artist. She is a woman of wisdom, determination, generosity, and courage. Now, as a leader of this new think tank, she’s devoted to facilitating a closer mutual relationship between the United States and Taiwan. ITAS does so by advancing the idea that US interests are best served by maintaining the status quo policy toward Taiwan and that the United States must craft its policy related to Taiwan with the ultimate goal of preserving peace, prosperity, and stability in the region.
Equally important, Yeni has been thoughtful and
tough-minded about where and how Chinese Americans should engage their
prestige, resources, and themselves in the community. She is an idealistic
realist and a superb community leader who has served the people and community
well.
I can say from personal experience that her presence is
already inspiring a new generation of women, particularly from the Chinese
American diaspora, to get involved in public service and to make a difference.
In her new role in ITAS, her impact will only be amplified. Yeni Wong is a
woman to watch.
A leader is someone who understands the people’s vision of a better tomorrow and is willing to guide them there. In Chinatown and throughout the United States, we dream of a future of progress, prosperity, and peace. I believe that by focusing on education, Yeni is on the right track to make that dream a reality.
A leader is someone who understands the people’s vision of a better tomorrow and is willing to guide them there. In Chinatown and throughout the United States, we dream of a future of progress, prosperity, and peace. I believe that by focusing on education, Yeni is on the right track to make that dream a reality.
To optimists, she has become the fearless, enthusiastic
warrior, guiding ITAS out of the ivory tower toward its lofty goal of citizen
diplomacy. For pessimists, her persistent reluctance to pursue rapid and broad
reform of the Taiwan Relations Act has put its future—and the stability and
strength of the US-Taiwanese bilateral relationship—at serious
risk. Whichever story line proves true, Yeni Wong will leave her mark on this
area for decades to come.
She has indelibly imprinted her leadership on all areas of the citizen diplomacy and the Sino-US-Taiwanese trilateral relationship—from managing its complex inner workings to raising consciousness of US-Taiwanese policy issues in a bilateral, regional, and global context, all while designing breakthroughs into the citizen- diplomacy pipeline.
She has indelibly imprinted her leadership on all areas of the citizen diplomacy and the Sino-US-Taiwanese trilateral relationship—from managing its complex inner workings to raising consciousness of US-Taiwanese policy issues in a bilateral, regional, and global context, all while designing breakthroughs into the citizen- diplomacy pipeline.
Highly ethical and always thoughtful, she projects
calmness but can be tough when necessary. Like the great diplomatic
entrepreneur William D. Pawley, Yeni knows that her commitment to excellence is
inseparable from the incredible ensemble she leads at ITAS.
Yeni’s chance has come. What a beginning!