EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (ELP): Outstanding Leadership Award (2005)

Mae Cheng
New York Chapter

This award celebrates and promotes our own growing ranks of Asian American leaders in the newsroom.

Former AAJA President and current UNITY President, Mae Cheng, is this year's recipient of the ELP Outstanding Leadership Award. She graduated from the NY ELP class of 1998.

Mae has demonstrated leadership in the association, at her workplace, and in the industry as a champion on behalf of diversity. She has been a tireless fundraiser both for AAJA and Unity, making calls on media corporations and foundations, community organizations and others. She and has also been a consistent voice for diversity through her involvement in the industry. She's use her involvement with ASNE and other journalism-related organizations to advance the causes of AAJA as well as diversity. Mae is a tireless AAJA volunteer, having helped run countless programs and co-chaired national conventions. One of Mae's greatest legacies to AAJA will be the endowment that was started during her term as president.

Nominated by
Victor Panichkul
Managing Editor

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR (2005)

Seattle Chapter

This year's Chapter of the Year is a model of revitalization. The Seattle chapter has worked hard to get more students and young journalists actively involved; inspired longtime members to contribute time, work and money; and has been focused in its goal of raising more dollars, and holding more events than ever before to promote the mission of AAJA.

Last year, Seattle chapter started a 5-year endowment-fund drive for Northwest Journalists of Color (NJC) scholarships. (NJC is composed of the four journalists of color associations in Washington State.) Chapter President Sharon Chan took a fundraising class and then trained local AAJA and NJC members to raise money. Last year, those efforts raised $16,000. This year, they raised $25,000.

In partnerships with local news organizations and universities, the Seattle chapter continues to focus on connecting professionals with students by holding monthly student journalism pizza nights and skills building programs. About 200 students to date have taken part in these workshops, discussing topics such as ethics in journalism; learning interviewing skills; and exploring various newsroom jobs.

CHAPTER PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR (2005)

Murali Balaji
Philadelphia Chapter

This year's Chapter President of the Year is Murali Balaji. All of us know how challenging -- in other words, hectic, thankless, hair-pullingly stressful -- it is to rebuild a chapter that has shrunk over the years in membership and activity. It is doubly so when the chapter is in a metro area that seems to have more than its share of unfair media coverage of Asian Americans. Our chapter president of the year tackled both -- and did so admirably.

The chapter, under Murali's guidance, wrote a letter of protest to a local TV station after it aired a special report on restaurant health inspections that used stereotypes and misleading inferences to smear Chinese restaurants. And when a pair of shock jocks launched into a racist routine at the expense of an operator of a call-center in India, Murali worked with Clear Channel to make several public service announcements denouncing the segment, as well as convincing the company to work with AAJA to put together a media sensitivity-training workshop.

CHAPTER MEMBER OF THE YEAR (2005)

Randall Yip
San Francisco/Bay Area Chapter

Randall Yip is proving that leadership goes beyond simply being elected to office. As a member of AAJA, Randall represents our organization to the Radio and Television News Directors Association, while working tirelessly on projects for the Asian Male Broadcasters task force and the mentor program. We all share the demands on our time from work and family. But Randall has dedicated a large portion of his life to accomplishing the goals of AAJA. For his work and dedication. AAJA is proud to name Randall Yip as the 2005 Member of the Year.

For more information on awards, e-mail national@aaja.org.