Forbes highlights Kamala Harris, May Lee, more AAPI women in first-ever ’50 Over 50′ list

July 12, 2021

Forbes released their first “50 Over 50” list of women who have made an impact, including AAPI women such as Kamala Harris, Miami Marlins manager Kim Ng and journalist May Lee.

50 Over 50: On July 7, Forbes released the compilation of women who are “proving success has no age limits.”

The honorees were chosen from over 10,000 nominees based on three main criteria: achievements after turning 50, their success at scale and women with a pay-it-forward mindset.
Forbes aims to “embody a new movement of women who reject the idea that the most dynamic part of life is the first half” by choosing women who aren’t “letting societal expectations dictate their professional timelines.”
The women were picked by Grameen’s CEO Andrea Jung alongside fashionista Diane Von Furstenberg and Act One founder Janice Bryant Howroyd.
Forbes also announced that they will have three lists under the “50 Over 50” platform: Impact, Investment and Vision.

AAPI women featured: Businesswoman Carmen Chang, founder Miyoko Schinner, CEO Nandita Bakhshi and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) president Eren Ozmen were all featured alongside Harris and Ng.

Not only is Harris the first woman to ever become vice president of the United States, but she is also the first South Asian American and Black woman elected to her position.
Ng is the first woman to become an MLB team’s general manager. She was turned down by the Dodgers, Mariners and Angels before receiving an offer to work with the Marlins in 2020.
Schinner founded Miyoko’s Creamery in 2014 and her vegan cheese products are sold in more than 29,000 stores throughout North America and Australia.
Bakhshi was named CEO of Bank of the West in 2016 and used what she learned about gender equity in finance to “advocate for women in P&L roles.”
Ozmen is the chairman, president and majority owner of SNC, an aerospace and defense company. SNC’s dream chaser aircraft was contracted by NASA for “at least six cargo missions to the International Space Station.”

Impact: This collection includes women such as May Lee, philanthropist Hali Lee, Judge Neeti Pawar and CEO Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou who were named on the Impact list for their outstanding contributions to the community.

At the beginning of 2020, May launched her podcast “The May Lee Show” where she interviews people of Asian descent advocating for Asian issues worldwide and “became a recognized voice in the fight against anti-Asian hate.”
Hali was recognized for her work as the founder of the Asian Women Giving Circle, an organization raising money for New York City-based Asian American women who use arts to promote social change.
Feltch-Malohifo’ou is the CEO, co-founder and director of Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR), a nonprofit organization focused on “cultural preservation, economic impact and well being for Pacific Islanders.”
Pawar became the first South Asian appointed as a judge in Colorado and the first Asian American “appointed to an appellate court in the state” at the Colorado Court of Appeals in 2019.

Featured Image via Kamala Harris (left), May Lee (right)

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