Rockville resident Vivian Kim came to the United States from Korea in 1963 to study education at the D.C. Teachers College. She worked for the federal government for 32 years, helping small businesses learn about the procurement process. In 1987, she founded the National Association of Professional Asian American Women. She’s retired from the federal government, but is still the group’s chairwoman.
What are the goals of the National Association of Professional Asian American Women?
We promote the social and professional status of Asian American women. We want to strengthen their presence in public decision-making positions and to have them pursue public issues. Every year we have a conference that draws about 350 women from all over the U.S. We try to teach networking and communications skills and train participants in effective leadership and management.
Do Asian-American women face different challenges than other professional women?
Asian society is changing, but historically women are taught you cannot talk back to your husband, your father, your boss — you must respect what they say no matter what. You come here, it’s totally different: You have a right to an opinion.
What are some of the tips you give people?
Communication is very important, especially when you’re speaking English as a second language. It’s important to learn to voice your opinions in the workplace.
What made you think it was important to create this organization?
I was divorced at a young age with two children. For almost 30 years, I was a single mom. When I worked at the federal government, I saw other single moms having a difficult time and I wanted to help them.
