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International Women’s Day SymposiumWitnessing Women’s Power and New Perspectives

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In concert with International Women's Day, the Global Federation of Chinese Business Women (GFCBW)-Atlanta Chapter held the 2023 International Women's Day Symposium at the Overseas Chinese Cultural and Educational Service Center in Atlanta at 2:00 pm on Friday, March 10. Four honorary consultants of GFCBW-Atlanta, Holly Geerdes, Sachi Koto, Charlene Fang, and Ellen Chiang, were invited to discuss how to build self-confidence and professionalism in mainstream society, how to establish networks and to share their professional experiences in the workplace from a female perspective. At the symposium, Jackie Chen, the founding president, arranged a beautiful display of flowers for the audience. The event’s special guests included Director Wang Elliot of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta, Director Ou Hongwei of the Overseas Chinese Cultural and Educational Service Center, Haiti Consulate Representative Marie Orlyne Colas, Doraville Mayor Joseph Geierman, DeKalb County Chief Prosecutor Donna Coleman-Stribling, DeKalb County Councilor Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, women's group representative Gabrielle Rogers, and representatives of other overseas Chinese groups along with members of GFCBW-Atlanta. In all, 50 guests attended.

To open this symposium, Mr. Wang Elliot, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta, expressed his honor in participating in this event and affirmed the outstanding contributions of modern women in various professional fields. He briefly talked about Taiwan's female power, especially in the field of science and technology. This symposium was conducted in the form of Q &A. Ms. Lucy Liu, President of GFCBW-Atlanta Chapter prepared three questions: 1. Please share your professional experience in the workplace or in your business. As a woman, how are you valued and recognized professionally? What mental preparation processes do you use to help you persevere in your professional field? 2. Our four speakers are all valued and affirmed by their peers in the overseas Chinese community and association and in mainstream society. For each of you, what motivation do you have to expand yourself to a wider group of people/communities, and how do you effectively build relationships and cultivate resources? 3. Please give some practical suggestions to all the women here. What do you think are some of the most essential characteristics and actionable traits for a modern woman in the workplace and in business? Is there anything we can start to act on immediately?


Ms. Holly Geerdes, an estate planning lawyer, and the founder of Estate Law Center USA, used her own experience as an example. She worked as a prosecutor in the Georgia state government for four years and found that male prosecutors were paid more than her during the same period, so she decided to open her own law firm. She believes in her own ability and always considers the rights and interests of clients. She always hopes that her clients receive a better resolution after consulting with her.

As a former senior CNN anchor and the head of Sachi Koto Communications, Inc., Ms. Sachi Koto shared that the early communication industry was almost completely male-dominated, and it was difficult for women to become anchors. Women needed to overcome many difficulties and stiff competition from their colleagues. Other than strengthening their own expertise, women should not be easily affected by negative comments and environments. She also suggested that when communicating, women can lower their tones, count from 1 to 10 before expressing their thoughts, and avoid using emotional words.

Ms. Charlene Fang is a current Dekalb County land and property appraisal review committee member. She shared that she has worked as a bank commissioner in the American Chinese Bank for about 25 years. The biggest achievement she feels is how she serves people, especially people in the Chinese community. After retiring as the bank commissioner, she is devoting herself to serving society in general such as helping new immigrants. She has received affirmation and love from mainstream society. She said that as long as she feels it is the right thing to do, she must stick to it and speaks out without asking for anything in return.

Ms. Ellen Chiang is currently Taiwan’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Commissioner of the Southeastern Region of the United States. She is also the financial manager of a construction company. She is a certified public accountant. She said that she has extremely high expectations for herself and is always ready to always look her best and make the company value her professionalism. She said that she is very honored to be an honorary member of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission so that she can help overseas Chinese more directly.

To conclude, these four honorary consultants of GFCBW-Atlanta Chapter encouraged participants to maintain an honest and responsible attitude towards their own professions and industries so that they can develop and mature over time. They all commented that only by cherishing and loving yourself, can you really help those around you. You need to cheer for yourself often. It will give you the confidence to achieve anything you set out to accomplish.

Participants of this symposium said that they learned a lot of valuable information that would benefit them. They also learned a lot more about these four outstanding women personally. GFCBW-Atlanta Chapter also prepared flower gifts for every guest making this International Women's Day in March celebration an emotional and intellectually stimulating event.



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