Charlotte, NC

Dr. John Chen serves as the Vice-Chair of the Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Chen is an “unsung” hero in Charlotte for his immense contributions and involvement in devising creative methods to engage “at risk” youth.

Dr. Chen is part of Crossroads Charlotte and the FBI Multicultural Advisory Council, and is a contributing columnist for the Asian Herald newspaper. He also serves as an active member of the United Way of Central Carolina, and is the Founder and Chair of the Charlotte Dragon Boat Club.

Dr. Chen started several tutoring initiatives at local high schools to help Asian students, particularly the Hmongs, who have fallen through the cracks academically. These students’ parents don’t speak English and lack a formal education; they find themselves unable to help their children. Dr. Chen has worked to assess the needs of the students, and convinced others to join his efforts and to help out by tutoring.

Over the years, Dr. Chen has spent countless hours at his own expense, sometimes traveling thousands of miles, to try and build bridges between Asians and their Charlotte neighbors by identifying common concerns and bringing programs to Charlotte to increase diversity and improve the quality of life. His energy is seemingly boundless as he continues to seek and provide answers to daunting questions and to explore opportunities to connect and grow with our next generation of leaders.