President's Welcome

Hello! Kumusta Po Kayo (Filipino)! Ni Hao (Chinese)! Chao Cac Ban (Vietnamese)! Ahn yawng hah she yoh (Korean)! Sa-Wat Dee (Thai) And my personal favorite Ohio Gozaimasu (Japanese)!

Welcome to Cincinnati & thank you for taking the time to look into the Cincinnati chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals!   With an abundance of heavyweight corporations, well-respected healthcare institutions, and major universities & colleges in the Tristate, believe it or not, Cincinnati is home to over thousands of Asians.  The question is, where are the programs & events designed specifically for Asians in the city?

The answer is there are very, very few- and those events are often overshadowed & rarely advertised effectively. That's where NAAAP Cincinnati is stepping in. Established in June 2007, 9 talented Asian professionals decided to invest in the community & work to develop a plan of action to facilitate a nurturing environment for Asians professionals in the city.

What does this mean?

• Integration into the network of existing professional & cultural organizations in the city
• Events hosted at the multitude of Asian restaurants within a 5 mile vicinity of downtown Cincinnati on a monthly basis
• Charitable events designed to assist the overall Asian community in the Tristate
• Mentorship programs implemented to develop & retain Asian graduates from the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, & Cincinnati State.
• Establishing relationships with Cincinnati's largest corporations to develop career opportunities & provide incentives for our members.

NAAAP Cincinnati is part of over 20 chapters & ventures in the country. That means as a member, you have the ability to travel & meet other Asian professionals in cities such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, & Columbus. I know of instances where NAAAP members have relocated to another city & immediately jumped into a career due to their affiliation!

The main thing is I believe in this city since I arrived here in 1997. I have lived all over the world, and it could have been easy for me to leave Cincinnati after receiving my degree, but I see the potential that this city has to offer. At the end of the day, I want Asian professionals to believe that Cincinnati is a great place to live & that there are places that we can go to and meet other Asian professionals to relax, mingle, & enjoy!

I look forward to meeting you & I encourage you to represent & be part of the change to lend diverse events to Cincinnati!

Best,
Ronnie S. Iquina