It’s already February. How did that happen so fast?
Here at the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, we are incredibly excited about 2025 and passionately digging into preparations for another full and amazing year.
In Chinese culture, the snake is considered a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. The Year of the Snake – which just began last week according to the Lunar Calendar – is seen as a time for transformation and new beginnings, a time for reflection, improvement, and growth. These are all great portents for 2025 and, at GAACC, we are most definitely focused on growing and improving in everything we do in the year ahead.
You may remember our theme for last year’s State of the Chamber event (and, in fact, our theme for all of 2024) was “Level Up.” This year, our focal theme is “Be Heard!” We will be talking more about what this means at the upcoming State of the Chamber, so please join us on February 13th to learn all about our plans for the year and to hear from very special guests like Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, Chancellor of Austin Community College, who will share his vision for ACC, education, and workforce development in Central Texas.
Join us at the SotC and learn how we are building on 2024 success with next month’s Asia x Austin International Summit, Asian Eats ATX in April, and our plans for the GAACC Foundation. You’ll also hear about Small Business Summer, connect with the GAACC NextGEN Community, meet our inaugural Leadership Accelerator cohort, and so much more.
I am truly excited to see you at next week’s event and to share with you our exciting plans.
I am also pleased to let you know that our Board of Directors is already off to a fast start this year with the addition of two new Board Members: Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon and Vidya Moorthy! Please join us at the State of The Chamber to meet these two dynamic and talented leaders and welcome them to the GAACC Board.
As we take a moment to welcome our incoming Board Members, I want to take more than a moment to recognize and thank the outgoing Board Members who are rolling off in 2025. This Chamber is incredibly fortunate to have had the leadership and support of passionate and dedicated business and community leaders like Ali Khataw, Rashed Islam, Yuen Yung, and Kannan Kaliyur for many years. Quite literally, we would not be what we are today without their work and dedication. Term limits prevent them from serving again this year, but you will still see them at our programs and events. When you do, please take the time to say hi and join me in thanking them for all their contributions – and their many years of service to the community.
Finally, returning to our 2025 theme of being heard, please take a moment to participate in the 2025 Central Texas Asian Impact Survey! As the Asian community in Central Texas grows, our voice has greater impact, and the Impact Survey is an essential tool for demonstrating and building that voice, growing our advocacy, and shaping policy in Central Texas. Did I mention you could win great prizes for participating? Last year’s survey received almost 300 responses and, for 2025, we want to hear from at least 500 of you. Please help us spread the word so we can all Be Heard!
Let’s make 2025 a year to remember. Join us on February 13th!
Warm regards,
Minh Tran
Chair – GAACC Board of Directors