Congratulations to the 2024 Drivers for Diversity Award Winners! 

Most Inspiring AAPI Corporate Leader: Akiko Yamahara, Citi Global Wealth 

Most Inspiring AAPI Community Leader: Lisa Gold, Asian American Arts Alliance 

Most Innovative AAPI Rising Star: Lisa Leong, Chevron 

Outstanding Corporate Citizenship Award for Work in Support of AAPI Employees and Community: Bank of America 

Outstanding Corporate Citizenship Award for Work in Support of AAPI Employees and Community: Marriott International (Runner-Up) 

2024 Drivers for Diversity Finalists

Over 60 Finalist essays were reviewed by an independent judging panel made up of respected diversity, equity, and inclusion experts, and below is their list of 15 finalists for this year’s Drivers for Diversity Awards. 

Most Inspiring AAPI Leader Finalists 

This Award is presented to late-career professionals who have made impactful and timely contributions to AAPI causes in either their workplaces and/or communities. 

Naveen Chopra, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Paramount Global

Naveen led the creation of the Finance Diversity Working Group – a collection of employees within the Finance organization representing a variety of individual backgrounds, businesses, functions and levels – who have volunteered to help develop and implement initiatives and programming that now play a major role in how the organization hires, measures, retains and promotes diverse talent.

Lisa Gold, Executive Director, Asian American Arts Alliance

Lisa’s outstanding work as a steadfast advocate for AAPI artists is an inspiring and exceptional model for Asian American leaders and organizations across the country, which include the creation of the What Can We Do? (WCWD) artist grant, funding campaigns for a fellowship to foster Black and Asian solidarity, and the launch of The Amp, an online and print magazine dedicated to uplifting the voices and perspectives of AAPI artists in NYC and beyond. 

Amy Wong Mok, Founder and CEO, Asian American Cultural Center; President, Asian American Community Partnership.

As the founder and CEO of the Asian American Cultural Center and the President of the Asian American Community Partnership, Amy has made significant contributions to advancing education, cultural diversity, and community service through cultural programming and the arts. She has led scholarship awards for young musicians for over 20 years while serving on numerous boards for the arts and philanthropy. In addition to her involvement in the Asian community, Amy has also been a champion for women's health issues. She has served as the President of TAASA (the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault) and as a member of the Community Council of the Community Action Network (CAN) of Austin. 

Jenny Kim Park, Chief Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Officer, Bank of America

Her personal passion and commitment for the community has driven her to lead at Bank of America’s highest levels and being named the company’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, one of the highest-ranking Asian women at the company. Under her leadership, the Asian workforce continues to thrive at the making, making record strides in representation among management and leadership roles. 

Akiko Yamahara, General Counsel, Citi Global Wealth; Board Overseer, Temple University Japan

As a steering committee member of the Asian Heritage Network, she is advocated for bystander training for Citi employees. She has also brought mentorship for Asian lawyers and law students through global townhalls at Citi, and participated in mentorship programs with minority associates at law firms and mock job interviews with Asian law school students. Akiko lastly serves as a visible and powerful speaker on AAPI causes at law firms, Asia Society, Japan Society, and Citi. 

Most Innovative AAPI Rising Star Finalists 

This Award is presented to mid-career professionals who have made impactful and timely contributions to AAPI causes in either their workplaces and/or communities. 

Maridy Beringuela, Associate Director (AML & Financial Crime Compliance Department), DTCC

Based in Manila, Philippines, Maridy serves as the ARISE Global Co-Chair, the Pan-Asian Employee Resource Group (ERG) at DTCC. In this volunteer role, Maridy hosted Lunar New Year programming, facilitated the “Stop Asian Hate Perspective Series,” and arranged speaking opportunities and professional development for AAPI employees. In her free time, she volunteers with the Sathya Sai School of Pililla Rizal, established by the Indian community in the Philippines to provide free private education for underprivileged children. 

Lisa Leong, Senior Program Integration Manager, Diversity & Inclusion, Chevron

In this role, Lisa has made incredible contributions towards AAPI causes at Chevron, facilitating countless conferences and webinars globally. Lisa is committed to leading her global diversity and inclusion team through mentorship and coaching, and her innovative ways of bringing inclusion to the workplace is most clearly demonstrated in her creation and implementation of experiential learning tools. 

Akash Patel, Founder, Happy World Foundation

Akash is an innovative educator who through the Happy World Foundation, promotes cross-cultural understanding, citizen-to-citizen diplomacy, and multicultural and multilingual education in schools and communities worldwide using their database of 1,200 volunteers across 150 countries. Patel has trained over 100,000 teachers to use the Global Connect database, a free virtual learning platform, as well as access other multicultural programs.  

Priya Rajani, Director, Head of Americas FX Client Strategy, Global Markets, Citi

A leader of Citi’s NY based Asian Heritage Network’s employee resource group, Priya has spearheaded initiatives that have not only transformed workplace culture but have also set a benchmark for DEI efforts in the company. Her accomplishments include the design and launch of the “7 Cups of Chai” Mentoring Program that strives to offer robust, long-term support to AAPI employees and others in a group setting, launched “Support Hours” for AAPI employees at Citi to discuss anti-Asian hate and allyship, led many professional development and networking programs with AAPI senior leadership, and brought a plethora of Asian cultural events to the company.  

Neha Singh, Vice President, Marketing Strategy, JPMorgan Chase

Neha is involved in a variety of initiatives focused on the advancement of AAPI individuals. She has served in multiple capacities such as the Recruitment Lead for the Commercial Bank's Asian Leadership Forum, driving Asian employee engagement and recruitment; the Mid-Atlantic Regional Liaison for AsPIRE, JPMC’s Asian employee Business Resource Group; and was appointed to the Global Services Leadership Circle for Career Mobility to create programs to foster mobility for employees of the Commercial Bank. She is currently partnering with the company’s Global Head of API Affairs to launch initiatives focused on connectivity between Asian female founders and investors. Neha also co-founded SALUTE, a non-profit organization focused on empowering South Asian women professionals. 

Outstanding Corporate Citizenship Award Finalists 

This Award is presented for work in support of AAPI employees in the corporate sector as well as community. 
 
Bank of America 

Bank of America has a proven track record of leadership for work in Support of AAPI Employees and Community, demonstrated within the accomplishments within the company, with its clients, and within communities nationwide. The Asian workforce continues to thrive at Bank of America with representation at 14% in total, and among 12% of executive and senior-level roles. For the last 25 years, the bank has grown its Asian Leadership Network serving over 18,000 members across 24 chapters. The bank also partners with nearly 200 external organizations to identify diverse talent and to develop its leaders, while setting aside millions to AAPI nonprofits and community organizations. 

Chevron 

Chevron proudly supports the career advancement, belonging, and inclusion, and investment in the AAPI community through many initiatives, most notably its Asian Employee Resource Group, which represents more than 50% of its AAPI workers. The company’s Asian American Leadership Development Program accelerates development and builds readiness among Asian Americans and Asian nationals. The Asian Executive Association (AEA), addresses the challenges faced by the Asian community in advancing to leadership positions. The company also offers a 6-month Pan Asian Mentoring Program, focused on accelerating career and leadership development. 

Citi 

Citi’s Asian Heritage Network (CAHN) has inclusion networks globally that drive engagement and foster an inclusive culture that anchors on the theme of belonging, and is anchored by senior leaders across the firm. Some of their many efforts include celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month annually with a series of programs and celebrations that cover the pillars of culture, career, company, and community. As for professional development, Citi offers numerous culturally-informed opportunities tailored to the specific needs of its AAPI employees.  

 
Marriott International 

Marriott International offers robust initiatives and an unwavering commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion for its AAPI employees. Some of these many efforts include the creation and support of its API Associate Resource Group (ARG), which provides professional development, networking opportunities, volunteering, and cultural celebrations to create a sense of belonging and empowerment. In response to the devastating Maui wildfires in 2023, Marriott donated nearly $5.6 million to support relief efforts, provided essential items for more than 2,500 associates, and volunteered over 15,000 hours. 

 
Welcome to Chinatown 

Welcome to Chinatown’s mission is to amplify and address the critical needs of the Chinatown community and its AAPI entrepreneurs through a robust offering of community and capacity-building initiatives, grants, and resources. Some of their many accomplishments include raising $4 million to support Chinatown’s businesses, and distributing over $500,000 in small business grants to mostly AAPI and women-owned businesses. They also created the first digital directory of 150 local businesses to increase digital access for small businesses.