Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Today’s guests are Peter Woo, Founder and Chairperson of AAIN and Principal at Jackson Lewis, and Melinda Yee-Dong, Board Member of AAIN, Sr. Risk Manager at Panda Restaurant Group, and RIMS DEI Advisory Council Member. Peter and Melinda discuss their roles at AAIN, its mission and goals, and how it is growing. They talk about social awareness of the anti-Asian hate that rose during the pandemic. In the second segment, Melinda covers how the Panda Restaurant Group managed risk during the pandemic and how they came through it. Listen in for ways to support the Asian Pacific Islander community in the risk industry.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMScast. [:27] In today’s episode, guests Peter Woo and Melinda Yee-Dong discuss the Asian American Insurance Network (AAIN) and the Asian American community in risk management. Melinda tells about risk management efforts at Panda Restaurant Group. [:47] All about upcoming RIMS webinars, workshops, events, and more! [1:28] About RIMS-CRMP. [1:41] About RIMS-CRMP-FED. [2:16] About RISKWORLD 2023 with closing keynote speaker Danica Patrick! [2:32] About recent RIMScast episodes. [2:53] About today’s episode with Peter Woo and Melinda Yee-Dong, Founders of AAIN. [3:16] AAIN will be hosting the Asian American Pacific Islander Community meetup in the DE&I Lounge on Monday, May 1st at RISKWORLD. [3:25] Later, in this episode, Melinda Yee-Dong will discuss her risk philosophies as Senior Risk Manager for Panda Restaurant Group. [3:36] Justin welcomes Peter Woo and Melinda Yee-Dong to the podcast! [3:54] Melinda Yee-Dong is the Senior Risk Manager of the family-owned Panda Restaurant Group that operates Panda Inn, Panda Express, Hibachi-San, Uncle Tetsu, and Yakiya. [4:23] Peter Woo is a Co-founder of AAIN and an Equity Principal Partner at Jackson Lewis in Orange County, Cal. His primary practice area is employment and labor law. [5:08] How AAIN began and why it was important to launch AAIN now. AAIN has 1,300 members on LinkedIn and people showing interest in the country and around the world. [6:24] Peter is a Co-founder and the Chairperson of AAIN, and the president of the network. His role with the other board members is to grow AAIN across insurance lines. [6:56] Melinda is a board member at AAIN and also represents the client side, to bridge the gap between insurers and brokers and the clients’ needs. [7:16] Peter outlines the AAIN mission to amplify Asian American and Pacific Islander professionals in the insurance industry. [7:39] What are the four pillars of AAIN? [8:15] Peter mentions some issues faced by the Asian and Pacific Islander community, including derogatory terms and stereotyping related to the origin of COVID-19. [9:34] Melinda talks about social awareness. API people are part of the community and did not cause the pandemic. It’s important that the anti-Asian hatred not persist. [10:21] AAIN supports the risk management profession through its four pillars. They work with insurance companies and industry organizations to increase DE&I awareness. [11:06] AAIN helps the members talk to each other and help each other reach their professional goals utilizing this network they would otherwise not have. [11:46] Asian Pacific Heritage Month in May increases awareness of the API community for a month. Peter hopes AAIN will amplify API industry voices all year long. [12:52] Peter shares examples of AAIN activities at recent events by RIMS, PLUS, CLM, APIW, NAAIA, and HIRMA. [14:53] Melinda aims not only to elevate the API community in the insurance and risk management space but to elevate the entire insurance and risk management space. [15:04] Melinda was asked recently to join the RIMS DEI Committee and Advisory Council. [15:22] Justin recalls having Omari Jahi Aarons of NAAIA on the podcast and others who look to enhance the profession while driving their