HBS Asian American Alumni Association (HBS4A) Awards Non-Profit Scholarship

New York, NY, June 22, 2006 --(PR.com)-- The HBS Asian American Alumni Association (HBS4A) announced that Tuhina De O’Connor, Executive Director of the New York Asian Women's Center (NYAWC), is the first ever recipient of a HBS4A scholarship award. The award is for senior non-profit leaders who have the ability to make a significant impact on the Asian- American community to attend the summer program at Harvard Business School for nonprofit leaders. 

The all-volunteer organization will underwrite her tuition at the Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management executive education program to be held at HBS in July. De O'Connor was chosen from a field of strong candidates within the Asian American nonprofit leadership. "It was very hard to make a choice from all the excellent applications we received, but Tuhina's accomplishments really stood out," said Gautam Ramchandani '77, HBS4A President. De O'Connor was enthused to participate in the scholarship program. "I am truly honored to have been chosen by 4A amongst all my esteemed colleagues and look forward to honing my strategic perspective on what it is to be an Asian American leader in today's non-profit community. We can and will be a real force for change."

HBS4A was founded in 2004 and serves over 1,000 graduates of the Harvard Business School, where individuals of Asian descent now comprise over 20% of the student body. The HBS4A Non-Profit Scholarship is a new initiative to increase the club's involvement with nonprofit leadership, in keeping with its mission to be of service to the Asian American community.

The New York Asian Women's Center (NYAWC) helps battered women overcome violence and govern their own lives free of abuse. It was founded in 1982 as the first domestic violence organization on the East Coast to serve the Asian communities. The Center also works to raise public awareness about domestic violence, advocate for the rights of battered women, and create an agenda for social change.

NYAWC began in one tiny, hidden office with its phone locked in a file cabinet and its staff made up entirely of volunteers. Two decades later, 57 permanent staff members fluent in 15 Asian languages provide 400 families a year with services that include housing, counseling, legal referrals, and day care. Additionally, they field nearly 4,000 Hotline calls a year. In her seven years as Executive Director, Tuhina De O'Connor helped more than tripled its shelter capacity. Sensitive to the cultural and language barriers that can prevent many Asian women from leaving an abusive relationship, O'Connor worked to create a safe haven that provides both the concrete services and the emotional support that enable abused women to make a new start for themselves and their children.

NYAWC has received numerous awards for its work with Asian battered immigrant women and their children. In recent years, NYAWC was selected as a Community Champion by Newsday. Robin Hood nominated NYAWC for the prestigious Governor's Award to End Domestic Violence which it was awarded in 2002. Other past accolades include awards from President George H.W. Bush, Governors Cuomo and Pataki, City Council Members John C. Liu and Bill de Blasio, Asian Pacific Network, New York University, United Way, Brooklyn DA's office, Columbia University, National Victim Center, MFY Legal Services, and the Korean American Family Service Center.

For more information on the scholarship or other HBS4A activities, contact:

Amy Chu, NY Chapter Chair
achu<at>mba1999.hbs.edu
or
Tom Leung
tom.leung<at>hotmail.com

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