Meet This Year’s AALEADer Award Winners
The AALEADer Awards are presented by Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) to honor individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to the organization and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Award recipients will be recognized at AALEAD’s 28th Annual Dinner.
Phil Tajitsu Nash and Emi Ireland
Photo credit: Lia Chang. Phil Tajitsu Nash (left) and Emi Ireland (right)
Phil Tajitsu Nash and Emi Ireland are honored with the AALEADer Award for decades of shared service to AALEAD and the Asian American community.
They helped build AALEAD from its earliest years through fundraising training, grant writing support, and mentorship of its founding director, Sandy Dang.
In the early development of AALEAD, they served as trusted advisors and informal executive coaches, offering guidance to Sandy Dang as she navigated complex community and family challenges.
Together, Emi and Phil have long supported community-based and global initiatives including language and land preservation work with the Wauja Indigenous community and Asian American legal advocacy.
AALEAD celebrates Emi and Phil for their foundational role in building the organization and for their lifelong partnership in communities locally and globally to advance equity, care, and opportunity for all youth and families.
Sue Graham
Sue Graham is honored with the AALEADer Award for her years of dedicated service, leadership, and sustained support of AALEAD.
She is an entrepreneur, advisor, philanthropist, and Founder of InfoPro. As Chief Executive Officer, she led the company through strategic growth and was recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, nominated among the Top Twenty-Five Influential Minority Women in Business, and listed in the Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals.
From serving on the AALEAD Board of Directors to being an advisory council member, Sue is a long-time donor and dedicated supporter of AALEAD.
To see the AALEADer Awards ceremony, register for the Annual Dinner here.