Episode 132: APAHM 2021 – SASE CEO Khánh Vu on Allyship for the AAPI Community
In our third Diverse episode during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2021, SWE CEO and Executive Director Karen Horting speaks with Khánh Vu, CEO and Executive Director of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE). Listen as Karen and Khánh discuss the importance to giving visibility to AAPI leaders in STEM, how SASE is responding to the increase in violence against AAPI individuals, and how we can all be stronger allies to the AAPI community.
Khánh Vu
Khánh and his family immigrated to the USA from Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam conflict. Khánh graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in chemical engineering and three minors. He worked for Amoco after graduation as a production engineer. He subsequently went to work for the family businesses: Asian grocery and real estate. He helped grow the family business to become the largest Asian grocer in the region. After selling the retail business, Khánh continued to work in real estate.
His passion for helping young adults and fondness for Mines led him back to accepting the position as the fourth Director of the Multi-cultural Engineering Program (MEP), which Khánh was part of MEP’s inception in 1989 as a student and was instrumental in the founding of the Asian Student Association in the early 90’s, which later became PASES (Professional Asian Society of Engineers and Scientists), eventually merged with SASE. As a Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers (SASE) volunteer, Khánh helped plan the 2011 National Conference. Khánh joined SASE full time as the CEO & Executive Director in late 2011. Khánh oversaw the doubling of the collegiate chapters and tripling its membership during his first year tenure with SASE. SASE has become the largest professional Asian American Organization in the US by numbers of chapters, conference size and organizational support. He looks forward to growing SASE to its full potential.
Khánh enjoys spending time with his wife, Uyển, and four children: Thiên Ân “JP”, Thiên Sơn “Vincent”, Thiên Hải “Dominic” & Thiên Hà “Teresa”. His hobbies include youth ministry, volleyball and being a foodie.
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- SWE Signs Onto Joint AAPI Statement With SASE
- Podcast: APAHM 2021 – Past SWE President Gloria Montano on Assimilation and Self-Acceptance
- Aileen Fong Shane: SWE’s First Asian American Member
- AAPI Reading for All Ages
- Words of Wisdom for the Next Generation of AAPI Engineers
- Podcast: APAHM 2021 – SWE’s New Directors on Diversifying Representation in SWE Leadership
- Let’s Support Our AAPI SWEople
- Lost in Translation: Demystifying and Maximizing Asian Culture
- SWE Condemns Violence Against the AAPI Community
