STEPHANIE TANNY

Age: 36

Ethnicity: Chinese Indonesian

Occupation: President & Head Rainmaker of Kasih Initiative

Tanny and her family immigrated from Indonesia to the US when she was two years old. She grew up in Denver and is highly involved in the community. She loves the outdoors, playing the ukulele, traveling, and anything related to zombies.

Stephanie Tanny has won national leadership awards including NAPAWF’s Top 15 Asian American Women Leaders in 2011. She has been interviewed by MSNBC, Denver Westword, The White House Project, and has appeared live on C-SPAN and at TEDxMileHigh. As an international speaker, she has shared the stage with public figures such as President Bill Clinton, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, and John Oliver from Last Week Tonight.

How would you describe your job?

What I love most about our work is that we get to help Executive Directors make a greater impact by taking care of the stuff that not a lot of other people like – raising money, writing grant proposals, and calculating project budgets. I care very deeply about issues such as sustainable communities, restoring the ecosystem, conservation, and environmental justice. And I also just love helping others achieve their own dreams of impact.

Even the name of our company - ‘Kasih’ is an Indonesian word that means both to give and to love, which is how we view our work - as conduits for money to flow to causes we care about.

What advice do you have for students curious about nonprofit management?

There are many professional avenues to pursue within a nonprofit. For our work, we focus on the one that is in the highest demand: fundraising, specifically grant writing and tracking.

If you like to work independently behind the scenes; have a competitive spirit and strategic mind; and are interested in making a real impact in the world with your writing skills, I suggest looking for an internship as a grant writer - in fact, reach out to us at hiring@kasihinitiative.com.

What do you want to be known for?

Making our planet a more harmonious place to live and thrive - for humans and animals alike.

The Origin of Kasih Initiative

I never thought the most traumatic moment of my life would lead me to my purpose. As a survivor of sexual assault, I learned firsthand the traumatizing ways in which the administration at my university handled these cases. I was shocked and angry at the injustice of it all - and I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through that experience.

I ended up starting a movement and passing a bill during those college years that has now provided over $2 million dollars for sexual violence support services and prevention education at my alma mater, Colorado State University.

These experiences helped me realize my passion and my strength - raising money and resourcing worthy causes to make the world a better place.

Karen Fukutaki

Ethnicity: Third generation Japanese American from Los Angeles

Occupation: General Adult and Forensic Psychiatrist

Fukutaki’s parents were in Japanese internment camps (Poston and Gila Bend) and sacrificed to support her through Yale University for her undergraduate degree.

How would you describe your job?

I am often tasked with performing evaluations and offering opinions regarding “the state of mind at the time of the commission of the alleged act or acts” as a criminal forensic psychiatrist. My work sometimes requires me to testify in court. My passion, however, is providing clinical care to the disadvantaged and seriously mentally ill.

What do you want to be known for?

I would like to be known as a loyal, dependable friend who tries to help others.

Karen Fukutaki’s extensive experience includes providing clinical care in inpatient and outpatient community and forensic settings. She has worked at mental health centers in Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. She has worked at Denver Health Medical Center, Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan, Department of Corrections, and Division of Youth Corrections.

Age: 50

Ethnicity: Filipino

Occupation: Senior Manager/ Director

Egonio-Norman immigrated to the US when she was 14 years old with the sponsorship of her aunt and uncle. During her first week in the US, she attended a membership meeting in Aurora to meet other Filipinos with her aunt and uncle, who had been volunteering since the early 80’s.

What are your hobbies/interests?

I have discovered that I obtain deep satisfaction from growing food and feeding others. I’ve had productive vegetable gardens the last three summers. I continue my quest to speak Italian fluently, have keen interests in travel and F1 racing, exercise regularly, maintain three sourdough starters that I use almost every week in various cooking projects (giving much of what I make to my friends), and enjoy socializing and laughing with my friends.

VIVIAN EGONIO-NORMAN

How would you describe your job?

I have been in senior management for more than 25 years from running a small automation business to leading a large contact center. I enjoy working with people but I especially love helping people.

My workday consists of multi-tasking between my full-time job and FACC. After my regular workday I go home to make dinner for my family. After dinner, I start working on more FACC stuff. From responding email, looking for grants, ways to save FACC money and raise money.

What do you want to be known for?

Being an individual that helps others recognize their purpose and inspires them to believe they can make a difference.

Growing up, Vivian Egonio-Norman observed the formation and growth of the Filipino American Community of Colorado, known as FACC, in Edgewater. She now serves as the president of the grass-roots organization.

What are your hobbies/interests?

I love cooking for my family and friends, and I love the outdoors. When we are not at FACC my husband and I love hiking, or we are in Florida at our oasis enjoying the beach.