Four Americans from the media, financial and political sectors were honored alongside women from Niger, Mongolia and Cambodia on October 2, 2007 at Gotham Hall in New York City October 3, 2007 by Americans for UNFPA. The 2007 Honorees, granted the Award for the Health and Dignity of Women, are individuals who recognized that they are part of a common humanity in which the actions of one woman (or man) make a difference to all women. They combine passion and entrepreneurship with social and civic responsibility to advance the health and dignity of women.
One of the honorees is Wendy Cai-Lee, Director, Chinese Services Group, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
Cai-Lee immigrated with her family from Shanghai to New Jersey at age 12. She recalls being the only Chinese student in her new school, trying to learn English and fulfill the school's European language requirement at the same time. She looked to her grandmothers and parents--who survived the most tumultuous period in Chinese history--for motivation to thrive.
Cai-Lee became an investment banker, co-founded a software company, and was the driving force behind raising multi-million dollar ventures and building alliances in the United States and China. She has earned distinction as one of Working Women magazine's "20 Under 30" and Crain's "40 Under 40." Cai-Lee also serves on the board of Asian Women in Business, a nonprofit that helps women realize their potential as entrepreneurs, and leads its initiative to raise scholarship dollars for women of Asian descent.
Through her dedicated mentorships of women in China, at Deloitte, and throughout the U.S. Asian community, Cai-Lee has built a professional life that honors her heritage and empowers Asian women to mine their right and ability to succeed.
Americans for UNFPA is a non-partisan, 501(c) (3) charitable organization funded by private foundations and individual donors. The U.S. Committee for UNFPA, now Americans for UNFPA, was founded in 1998. We are the official committee for UNFPA in the United States. We support UNFPA by generating awareness of UNFPA's work, fundraising for field programs, and advocating for U.S. policies in support of UNFPA, including the release of Congressionally-allocated U.S. funds that have been withheld by the Administration since 2002.