Annie Chen
Annie Chen was born in Shanghai to an affluent family, where she was the youngest of three children. During her childhood, she excelled in all her classes, allowing her to eventually matriculate to the University of Shanghai, where she graduated with top honors in mechanical engineering. With a stellar academic record, Annie was selected to be a fellow at General Electric – an opportunity that positioned her into launching one of the largest marketing firms in Shanghai. Yet, despite this early success, she had always harbored the tremendous ambition of living in the United States.
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As such, in 1995, Annie left behind an extraordinary career to move to the United States. Despite the daunting obstacles she faced as a newly immigrated woman with no connections and no network, Annie’s career quickly progressed. After five short years, she was recognized with the John Hancock Manager of the Year award, a firm-wide honor reserved for one candidate a year. She has since made a transition into leading her own agency, which has been consistently recognized for its stellar performance by institutional partners like AIG and Blue Shield.
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Although Annie has experienced great professional success, she also pursues non-profit advocacy, where she has spent much of her time advancing issues unique to the Chinese American experience. 20 years in the United States has given her a distinct understanding of the subtleties of being both Chinese and American. As such, she joined the Diamond Bar Chinese American Association, where she was the longest-serving President in the organization’s history. This gave her a platform to help steward and teach Chinese Culture to 1st generation students, allowing her to help pass on the treasure of cultural heritage. Other board members have called her work consolidating and innovating for the DBCAA, “some of the most pivotal in the organization’s 30 year history.”
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Additionally, Annie noted that there was a need for a network that supported other Chinese American Women. She became the 2nd President of Jinguo Committee (2020-2022). This committee has been tremendously successful in pursuing a goal of advancing female community leadership and Sino-American relations.
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In year 2020, the Jinguo committee has been praised for its proactive work in response to the WuHan Health Crisis. Under the leadership of Annie, the network has made a concerted campaign in aiding the Public Health effort in China. The organization has been lauded for its role in rallying the Southern California Chinese Community into making a coordinated drive to donate medical supplies and capital to aid the containment of the Novel Coronavirus.
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Beyond her work in both the insurance and philanthropic sectors, Annie is an avid reader, who believes that the process of learning is one that never ends. She also greatly enjoys traveling and adventurous dining, which speaks to a larger motivation to seek out new and enriching experiences.
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Award:
Winner of 2020 orange county women of influence - Woman Breaking Barriers leadership Award.
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The 11th World Chinese Outstanding Youth
2015-2018 President of Diamond Bar Chinese Association
2020-2022 President of Jinguo Committee
2019 Aig National Top 100 Broker
2019-2023 Platinum Partner of largest insurance general agency
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