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On October 20, 2023, the East-West Center honored civil rights champion Dr. Amefil “Amy” Agbayani with the 2023 Women of Impact Award for her lifetime of working for a more equitable and inclusive society—most recently as a member of the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Panelists at the event included Ambassador Kelley Currie, EWC Board of Governors member; Dr. Zakia Adeli, EWC Research Fellow; and Jemeih "Miah" Bonilla, Amy Agbayani Scholarship recipient.
Dr. Agbayani came to Hawai‘i in 1964 on an East-West Center fellowship and earned her doctoral degree at UH Mānoa. After receiving her PhD in political science, she successfully established programs that promote multi-culturalism, civil rights, and improving the status of Filipinos and other underrepresented groups at the University of Hawai‘i.
The Women of Impact Award was established by the East-West Center Board of Governors in 2022 to recognize the important role of women’s leadership and impact in governance, diplomacy, and society. Awardees are selected based on their outstanding accomplishments, including important career achievements, civic leadership, and significant contributions to the Center’s mission of better relations and understanding among the people of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The recipient of the inaugural award was US Sen. Mazie Hirono.
On October 20, 2023, the East-West Center honored civil rights champion Dr. Amefil “Amy” Agbayani with the 2023 Women of Impact Award for her lifetime of working for a more equitable and inclusive society—most recently as a member of the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Panelists at the event included Ambassador Kelley Currie, EWC Board of Governors member; Dr. Zakia Adeli, EWC Research Fellow; and Jemeih "Miah" Bonilla, Amy Agbayani Scholarship recipient.
Dr. Agbayani came to Hawai‘i in 1964 on an East-West Center fellowship and earned her doctoral degree at UH Mānoa. After receiving her PhD in political science, she successfully established programs that promote multi-culturalism, civil rights, and improving the status of Filipinos and other underrepresented groups at the University of Hawai‘i.
The Women of Impact Award was established by the East-West Center Board of Governors in 2022 to recognize the important role of women’s leadership and impact in governance, diplomacy, and society. Awardees are selected based on their outstanding accomplishments, including important career achievements, civic leadership, and significant contributions to the Center’s mission of better relations and understanding among the people of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The recipient of the inaugural award was US Sen. Mazie Hirono.
