Growing Leaders
Since its founding in 1982, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) has been intent on “growing leaders” within Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities across the world. When LEAP opened its doors 28 years ago, it had a simple yet powerful idea: that in order for API communities to realize their full potential and to foster robust participation in this increasingly globalized world, these communities would have to begin producing leaders who could advocate and speak on their behalf.
A global, nonprofit organization, LEAP works to achieve its mission by: Developing people, because leaders are made, not born; Informing society, because leaders know the issues; and Empowering communities, because leaders are grounded in strong, vibrant communities.
Guided by its leadership development philosophy that Asian and Pacific Islanders can retain their unique cultures, identities and values while developing new and vital skills that will make them effective leaders within their own organizations, their communities and the broader society, LEAP recognizes that the need for API leadership has two separate but inextricably linked components: quantity and quality. Not only is there a need for greater numbers of API leaders, but these leaders also must be more effective if API communities are to thrive and become full participating members of our global society.
Through the creation of culturally relevant workshops and programs, more than 125,000 people across the nation have participated in over 2,500 leadership development programs, organizational development workshops, career management and diversity trainings for an extensive roster of clients, including colleges and universities, community and student organizations, federal and state government agencies and Fortune 1000 companies across the country.
In addition to our signature leadership development programs and workshops, LEAP has also been publishing focused policy analyses on issues affecting the API community for the last 18 years.
Today, we are the only global API nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging individuals to assume leadership positions at work and in the community, to be informed
and vocal about policy issues relevant to APIs, and ultimately, to become role models for future leaders.
Keywords: Asian Pacific Islander Asian American leadership development nonprofit leaders programs workshops career management diversity