Assunta Ng, founder and publisher of the Seattle Chinese Post and Northwest Asian Weekly who has devoted her life to promoting and mentoring women and youth, is the 2011 recipient of the 91探花’s Charles E. Odegaard Award, Vice President for Minority Affairs and Vice Provost for Diversity Sheila Edwards Lange announced Monday.
The award will be presented at the 41st annual EOP Celebration, F茅te and Honors hosted by 91探花Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMA&D) and the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) on Thursday, May 5, at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center. The dinner and scholarship fundraiser will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Established in 1973, the Odegaard award honors individuals whose leadership in the community exemplifies the former 91探花president鈥檚 work on behalf of diversity. It is the only University and community-selected award, and is regarded as the highest achievement in diversity at the UW. Ng joins a long list of civic leaders who have received the award including former Seattle mayor Norm Rice and Washington state representative Phyllis Guti茅rrez Kenney.
鈥淎s founder and publisher of the Seattle Chinese Post and the Northwest Asian Weekly, Assunta鈥檚 leadership embodies everything this award represents,鈥� Edwards Lange said. 聽鈥淗er accomplishments, as well as her generosity to the 91探花and its programs, are an inspiration to us all. We are indebted to Assunta for the knowledge, creativity and business savvy she brings to both the 91探花campus and our community.鈥�
A native of China, Ng came to the United States in 1971 and supported herself through nearly her entire college education. She received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in international studies and education from 91探花in 1974, before earning a teaching certificate in 1976 and a master鈥檚 degree in communication in 1979. Ng began her journalism career as an undergraduate writing for the 91探花Daily.
She taught social studies to immigrants at Mercer Junior High School for a few years until becoming increasingly aware of the lack of information available to Seattle鈥檚 Chinese community. It was then that she founded the Seattle Chinese Post in 1982, the first Chinese newspaper in the Pacific Northwest for half a century. One year later, she founded the Northwest Asian Weekly, the only English-language Asian weekly in the Northwest.
In addition to serving as the publisher for two newspapers, Ng devotes countless hours to volunteer efforts. She has established several community projects and organizations including the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation, an organization that designs leadership, community-building and diversity training programs for youth and adults. Ng also established the Women of Color Empowered luncheon series to showcase women of all ethnicities.
She has helped to raise millions of dollars for many charitable causes including those that benefit foster children and the victims of domestic violence. In addition, Ng has donated funds to OMA&D鈥檚 EOP Scholarship program and raised money for scholarship endowments in the 91探花Evans School of Public Affairs and the 91探花Foster School of Business.
Ng has received countless awards and honors including the 2008 Wells Fargo Trailblazer Award for women in small business, the 2006 Hillary Clinton and Maria Cantwell Women of Valor Award, the 2005 Puget Sound Business Journal鈥檚 Women of Influence Award and the 1998 Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Distinguished Alumnus Award. She was inducted into the 91探花Department of Communication Alumni Hall of Fame in 2004 and was named a 91探花Department of Communication Distinguished Alumna in 2005.
For more information on Celebration 2011 or the Charles E. Odegaard Award, please visit the Celebration web site.
Charles E. Odegaard Award Recipients
2011聽聽聽聽聽聽 Assunta Ng
2010聽聽聽聽聽聽 Nelson Del Rio
2009聽聽聽聽聽聽 W. Ron Allen
2008聽聽聽聽聽聽 1968 Black Student Union
2007聽聽聽聽聽聽 Alan T. Sugiyama
2006聽聽聽聽聽聽 Charles Mitchell
2005聽聽聽聽聽聽 Mike McGavick
2004聽聽聽聽聽聽 Jeff and Susan Brotman
2003聽聽聽聽聽聽 Herman McKinney
2002聽聽聽聽聽聽 Constance L. Proctor
2001聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ernest Dunston
2000聽聽聽聽聽聽 Vivian Lee
1999聽聽聽聽聽聽 Albert Black
1998聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bill Hilliard
1997聽聽聽聽聽聽 Andy Reynolds
1996聽聽聽聽聽聽 Hubert G. Locke
1995聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ron Moore
1994聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bernie Whitebear
1993聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ron Sims
1992聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sandra Madrid
1991聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ken Jacobson
1990聽聽聽聽聽聽 Herman D. Lujan
1989聽聽聽聽聽聽 J. Ray Bowen
1988聽聽聽聽聽聽 Frank Byrdwell
1987聽聽聽聽聽聽 Andrew V. Smith
1986聽聽聽聽聽聽 Phyllis Guti茅rrez Kenney
1985聽聽聽聽聽聽 Norm Rice
1984聽聽聽聽聽聽 Nancy Weber
1983聽聽聽聽聽聽 William Irmscher
1982聽聽聽聽聽聽 Mark Cooper
1981聽聽聽聽聽聽 Millie Russell
1980聽聽聽聽聽聽 Minoru Masuda
1979聽聽聽聽聽聽 Toby Burton
1978聽聽聽聽聽聽 Vivian Kelly
1977聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sam and Joyce Kelly
1976聽聽聽聽聽聽 Leonie Piternick
1975聽聽聽聽聽聽 Larry Gossett
1974聽聽聽聽聽聽 Dalwyn Knight