4A News Item

4A 2002 Community Awards
September 27 Bridgewater, New Jersey

Members of the Asian/Pacific American community near and far came together on September 27th to celebrate its successes at the 4A 2002 Community Awards held at the Bridgewater Marriott, New Jersey. 4A-AT&T hosted leaders of national Asian/Pacific American advocacy organizations, state and local government officials, AT&T executives, and its members to an evening of recognition, cultural performances, and opportunities to build bridges among the communities.

The evening kicked off with a traditional Chinese lion dance welcoming the audience of over 290 gathered in the Grand Ballroom. Larry Uno, the event chair, then introduced New Jersey Public Advocate, Seema Singh, who read a proclamation from Governor James McGreevey.

Lex and the Lion. Photo by Sammy Hui Uno and Singh. Photo by Rahul Patel
Left: Lex McCusker meets the lion. Right: Larry Uno and Seema Singh.

In its twenty-one years of holding award ceremonies, 2002 marks the first time 4A has reached out beyond its usual boundaries to recognize leaders and organizations supporting the Asian Pacific American community at large.

4A-AT&T National President Murthy Vangala urged the guests to take the event's theme of "Building Bridges to Communities" to heart and use this evening as an "excellent opportunity for AT&T executives and political and community leaders to mingle with Asian American employees and share in the celebration of combined successes, gain understanding of this thriving new American community and display solidarity." He pointed out that 4A's strength and resolve lie in its members and supporters. But to enhance the association's effectiveness, President Vangala actively set out to expand 4A's sphere of operation to include community organizations serving the Asian Pacific American community at large. This evening he asked the audience to join him in thanking the leaders and representatives of the seven advocacy groups in attendance for their unwavering pursuit of their organizations' mission to provide support to the Asian Pacific American community.

Vangala. Photo by Sammy Hui

4A President Murthy Vangala
[Text of speech]

Ken Sichau, Executive Vice President of AT&T, was the Community Awards' featured speaker. Mr. Sichau touched upon the window of opportunity that has opened for AT&T in the midst of the telecommunication industry's current turmoil, and how the people of AT&T -- and the Asian American associates in particular -- can dedicate themselves to leveraging this unique opportunity. He highlighted the leadership roles played by Asian American managers in the Asia-Pacific and U.S. markets. With the Asian community in these two markets representing some of the fastest growing market segments for AT&T, the expertise and insights of Asian American associates are highly valued by the corporation. Mr. Sichau did acknowledge that continued effort is needed in the area of recruiting and "building a talent pipeline" to get better minority representation in the upper management ranks. To this, he cited 4A's mentoring program as a prime resource in this crucial effort.

Sichau. Photo by Rahul Patel
In closing, Mr. Sichau renewed the corporation's support for 4A and the other Business Resource Groups. He noted that "diverse, talented, energized people" -- well-represented in 4A -- are key to executing the strategy that will bring success to the members of this community.

Left: Ken Sichau was the featured speaker.
[Text of speech]

More on the Community Awards: Award Recipients | Comments & Photos

In its twenty-one years of holding award ceremonies, 2002 marks the first time 4A has reached out beyond its usual boundaries to recognize leaders and organizations supporting the Asian Pacific American community at large.
4A-AT&T National President Murthy Vangala urged the guests to take the event's theme of "Building Bridges to Communities" to heart and use this evening as an "excellent opportunity for AT&T executives and political and community leaders to mingle with Asian American employees and share in the celebration of combined successes, gain understanding of this thriving new American community and display solidarity." He pointed out that 4A's strength and resolve lie in its members and supporters. But to enhance the association's effectiveness, President Vangala actively set out to expand 4A's sphere of operation to include community organizations serving the Asian Pacific American community at large. This evening he asked the audience to join him in thanking the leaders and representatives of the seven advocacy groups in attendance for their unwavering pursuit of their organizations' mission to provide support to the Asian Pacific American community.
		4A President Murthy Vangala [Text of speech]

Ken Sichau, Executive Vice President of AT&T, was the Community Awards' featured speaker. Mr. Sichau touched upon the window of opportunity that has opened for AT&T in the midst of the telecommunication industry's current turmoil, and how the people of AT&T -- and the Asian American associates in particular -- can dedicate themselves to leveraging this unique opportunity. He highlighted the leadership roles played by Asian American managers in the Asia-Pacific and U.S. markets. With the Asian community in these two markets representing some of the fastest growing market segments for AT&T, the expertise and insights of Asian American associates are highly valued by the corporation. Mr. Sichau did acknowledge that continued effort is needed in the area of recruiting and "building a talent pipeline" to get better minority representation in the upper management ranks. To this, he cited 4A's mentoring program as a prime resource in this crucial effort.
		In closing, Mr. Sichau renewed the corporation's support for 4A and the other Business Resource Groups. He noted that "diverse, talented, energized people" -- well-represented in 4A -- are key to executing the strategy that will bring success to the members of this community.
		Left: Ken Sichau was the featured speaker. [Text of speech]