May 7, 2021
Top Virtual Speakers of the Month – May 2021
Asian American Pacific Heritage Month is this month, a time to celebrate the rich history and culture of the AAPI Community. Here are just a few notable speakers who proudly talk about their Asian heritage.
ANNA CURRY
- Emmy Award-Winning Journalist
- Executive Producer & Reporter; PBS Series “We’ll Meet Again”
- Host, TNT/TBS Series “Chasing the Cure”
- National and International Correspondent for NBC News (2012-2015)
What is the Ann Curry difference? She is more than a highly esteemed, award-winning journalist. Ann brings stories to life. Her reporting is raw, bold, and deeply personal, because she knows how to connect with each person she interviews. Her passion to share someone else’s truth so that she can better inform the world, comes from a deep understanding of the importance of service and it continues to be the driving force of her work on and off camera or stage. Audiences praise her for her “…genuine interest, insights, compassion for others, passion for your work, and obvious intellect and talents … Your message was inspirational.” (Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, Inc.) Her celebrity status in the “Who’s Who” of the journalism world is a wonderful vehicle bringing her to events around the world, but at the end of the day, Ann is a person who will connect with every member of an audience and share a message that will leave each person forever changed.
SOCIAL MEDIA
LISA LING
- Emmy Award-Winning Journalist
- Executive Producer and Host of CNN’s This is Life with Lisa Ling
- Former Executive Producer of Our America on the Oprah Winfrey Network
- Former Co-host, The View
Lisa is the Executive Producer and host of This is Life on CNN, now its eighth season. For the show, Lisa has embedded with a notorious biker club and explored the medicinal use of psychedelics in psychotherapy.
For five seasons prior, Lisa EP’d and hosted Our America on OWN. She was also a field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and contributor to ABC News’ Nightline. For these shows she reported from dozens of countries; covering stories about gang rape in the Congo, bride burning in India and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, among other issues that are too often ignored.
Lisa was the first female host of National Geographic’s flagship show Explorer which sent her to cover the phenomenon of female suicide bombing, the spread of the MS-13 gang—considered the world’s most dangerous gang, and the humanitarian crisis inside North Korea.
She got her start in journalism as a correspondent for Channel One News where she covered the civil war in Afghanistan at 21 years of age. She later went to become a co-host of ABC Daytime’s hit show The View, which won its first daytime Emmy during her time at the show.
Lisa is the co-author of Mother, Sister. Daughter, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood, and Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and The Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home that she penned with her sister Laura.
SOCIAL MEDIA
MELISSA KING
- Winner and Fan Favorite of Top Chef: All Stars
- Trailblazing Modern Californian-Asian Cuisine Chef & Entrepreneur
- Asian American and LGBTQ Advocate
- Face of IBM’s 5 in 5 series, highlighting 5 innovations that will change our lives in 5 years
Known for her technical precision and ability to blend modern California cuisine with Asian flavors, Chef Melissa King is a proud Chinese American and queer chef who is also creative and entrepreneurial outside of the kitchen. Chef King is best known as the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef All Stars: Los Angeles Season 17 and is also the winner of All Star’s Fan Favorite. With over 15 years in the industry, Chef King has helmed several Michelin starred kitchens in San Francisco and is acclaimed around the world.
As a proud Asian-American, queer woman, Chef King is passionate about cultural inclusivity, media representation, environmental sustainability, and social justice. Most notably, she donated her $10,000 Fan Favorite prize money in support of marginalized Black, Asian and LGBTQI communities, and she continues to support them through active work, help raising awareness, and funding through her entrepreneurial ventures.
Chef King is also a food entrepreneur with a passion for partnerships, and has created ice cream and sauces that sell out in minutes. She’s the face of IMB Research’s 5 in 5 series, focused on 5 innovations that will change our lives within 5 years. She’s called on as a creative consultant for companies around the world.
TOPICS:
- The Pandemic and Racism with the Asian Community
SOCIAL MEDIA
TAN FRANCE
- Star of Emmy-winning Netflix hit Queer Eye
- Fashion Designer & Entrepreneur
- Bestselling Author of “Naturally Tan”
Successful fashion designer Tan France is renowned as the witty wardrobe wiz leading the charge in the fashion department on the Emmy-winning makeover hit and Netflix re-boot, Queer Eye. Ready to make America fabulous again, one makeover at a time, France showcases how the experience is so much more than just new clothes; it’s about real-life issues, changes, and acceptance on all sides.
Following the global success of Queer Eye, Tan released his New York Times bestselling memoir, Naturally Tan, which reveals what it was like to grow up gay in a traditional South Asian family, as one of the few people of color in South Yorkshire, England. Tan also released the 1st season of his viral YouTube series, Dressing Funny, which features him making over his celebrity friends, including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Nick Kroll, Miranda Sings, Pete Davidson, and John Mulaney. He also co-hosts a Netflix competition series Next in Fashionand a MasterClass Style for Everyone.
With his trademark wit, humor, and radical compassion, Tan shares empowering lessons on creativity and innovation, diversity and inclusion, and what it takes to break down barriers to foster human connection and acceptance. He provides a unique perspective on the happiness found in being yourself.
TOPICS:
Renowned as the witty wardrobe wiz leading the charge in the fashion department on the Emmy-winning Netflix hit Queer Eye, TAN FRANCE s a beacon of acceptance and radical compassion. Ready to make America fabulous again, one makeover at a time, France showcases how the experience is so much more than just new clothes; it’s about real-life issues, changes, and acceptance on all sides. Following the global success of Queer Eye, Tan released his New York Times bestselling memoir, Naturally Tan, which reveals what it was like to grow up gay in a traditional South Asian family, as one of the few people of color in South Yorkshire, England. Tan also released the 1st season of his viral YouTube series, Dressing Funny, which features him making over his celebrity friends, including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Nick Kroll, Miranda Sings, Pete Davidson, and John Mulaney.
With his trademark wit, humor, and radical compassion, Tan shares empowering lessons on creativity and innovation, diversity and inclusion, and what it takes to break down barriers to foster human connection and acceptance. He provides a unique perspective on the happiness found in being yourself.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
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