The Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce offices will be CLOSED December 24th-January 3rd in observance of the holidays. The Chamber will reopen on Monday, January 6th.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 
 
 
 
 
 

GAACC LEADERSHIP ACCELERATOR

Join a dynamic group of young professionals leading the way for the next generation.

Build and Grow

For over a decade, the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce  has convened multi-cultural business professionals from all levels – C-suite to young professionals – to tackle meaningful topics that include broader conversations. 

The GAACC Leadership Accelerator establishes an intentional and managed path to expose high-potential AAPI leaders to those topics and introduce them to key organizations, stakeholders, and critical mentors in the Central Texas region.

Build your network and grow your leadership!

WHAT IS IT?

The GAACC Leadership Accelerator is an immersive nine-month program focused on empowering high-potential
AAPI business and civic leaders in Austin.

Six to nine leaders are selected to join each cohort in order to to:

  • Engage with the Greater Austin business ecosystem
  • Strengthen individual leadership skills
  • Complete a project designed to impact the community
 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Invitation to participate in this group is managed through a straightforward application process. Qualified applicants are invited to interview with the Leadership Accelerator committee.

Once selected as a member of the Leadership Accelerator, participants connect with regional business leaders and city officials to network and develop their leadership skills.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

We are looking for those who:

  • Are extremely passionate about global Asian-American initiatives
  • Have a leadership mindset with an impressive professional history and performance
  • Have the ability to lead dialogue to enable positive, impactful change
  • Have 10-15 years of professional experience
  • Willingness to commit 3-5 hours per month
 

What you gain:

GROWTH

Improve your personal effectiveness and contribute to regional economic growth, technological growth, and innovation by completing a capstone project together with your cohort.

LEADERSHIP

Enhance your personal and professional abilities in empathetic and inclusive leadership while engaging with seasoned professionals from sectors across the economy.

MENTORSHIP

Learn from key business, community, and civic leaders in 1:1 mentorships and grow your network.
The GAACC Leadership Accelerator is a dynamic leadership activation program equipping high-potential AAPI business and civic leaders in Central Texas with the knowledge and connections needed to grow their careers. We encourage and empower these individuals to help shape the future of our region. The nine-month program consists of engagements with leaders from Fortune 500 companies and civic institutions through a monthly leadership class, monthly mentoring sessions, bimonthly networking dinners, and a capstone project.

JOIN THE NEXT COHORT

Participation in the GAACC Leadership Accelerator is free.
Applications for the 2025-2026 GAACC Accelerator cohort open in Summer, 2025.

Subscribe to the GAACC Weekly Newsletter to receive announcements and more.

Please note: By completing this contact form, you will receive a complimentary Associate Level membership to the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (GAACC) and you will receive email communications from GAACC and the NextGEN Community.

THE 2024-2025 ACCELERATOR COHORT

Six young leaders were selected to participate in the inaugural GAACC Accelerator cohort following a straightforward but rigorous application process

Niki Chen

Senior Technical Program Manager
Oracle
LEARN MORE ABOUT NIKI

Hussain Hashim

Vice President
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
LEARN MORE ABOUT HUSSAIN

Paul Lam

Chief Strategy Officer, Head of Finance
Bot Auto
LEARN MORE ABOUT PAUL

Sammy Lam

Owner & Sommelier
Wanderlust Wine Co.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SAMMY

Alan Lin

Associate
Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton, LLP
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALAN

Ruishi Wang

Assistant Principal
Georgetown ISD
LEARN MORE ABOUT RUISHI

Applications for the 2025-2026 GAACC Accelerator cohort open in Summer, 2025. Subscribe to the GAACC Weekly Newsletter to receive announcements and more. 

GAACC NEXTGEN COMMITTEE

The GAACC Leadership Accelerator owes its existence to the dedication of the four impressive captains at the helm of our young professionals committee – the GAACC NextGEN Committee. We would like to thank captains Rohan Thapar and Shenghao “Daniel” Wang for their vision, leadership, and dedicated efforts to launch the Leadership Accelerator. Captains YJ Lin and Tu Ta are hard at work developing the GAACC NextGEN Community.

Rohan Thapar  
GAACC Leadership Accelerator Co-Captain

Senior Product Manager
Payments and Enterprise Platform

Shenghao “Daniel” Wang
GAACC Leadership Accelerator Co-Captain

Board Member
Travis Central Appraisal District

YJ Lin 
NextGEN Community Engagement Captain

Sr. Program Manager
Dell for Startups

Tu Ta
NextGEN Professional Development Captain

Partnerships Coordinator
Amplify