 Wonder Woman: Adrienne PonPublished: February, 2007  Adrienne Pon Since opening its doors eight years ago, Zeum has gained recognition as a unique venue for children. Zeum integrates digital technology, animation, filmmaking, visual and performing arts, and storytelling in a hands-on interactive environment. Today under the leadership of Zeum's CEO, Adrienne Pon, this arts, media and technology museum continues to fulfill its mission to foster creativity in young people of all ages, backgrounds, and learning styles. Pon's father was a Chinese American WWII veteran and scholar who died when she was young. Her mother, a civic activist in the Chinese community, was a strong role model for Pon's own service to society. Born and raised in San Francisco, she describes herself as a product of the public schools. After graduating from prestigious Lowell high school, she earned a B.S. in Health Science from San Francisco State and went on to receive an MA in Public policy from Golden Gate University. While in college, she landed a job at Pacific Bell and was attracted to its corporate policy emphasizing community relations. Her years in the private sector, mostly at Pacific Bell/SBC, include developing funding projects focused on relevant and innovative uses of technology, such as Women and Girls Tech Up!, and the Asian American/Pacific Islanders Future Communities Project. A strong believer in building networks to increase community access to resources, tools, training and decision-making, Pon has been active in numerous civic and community organizations, cutting her nonprofit volunteer teeth with children's rights and childcare advocacy organizations. Appointed to the San Francisco Civil Service Commission in 1993, she recently completed an unprecedented 10 years of service spanning two mayoral administrations, including four consecutive terms as president and two as vice president. She currently serves on the boards of the San Francisco League of Women Voters, the Asian Law Caucus, and the Community Technology Policy Council. Pon is a 2000 recipient of the Jessie Bernard WISE Woman Award from the Center for Women's Policy Studies in Washington, DC, and the 1998 Big Heart Community Service Award from the Greenlining Institute. Under Pon's helm, each year, Zeum reaches over 250,000 youth, families, teachers, schools and community-based organizations through general admission, school field trips, camps, workshops, initiatives and free family-oriented public events. What's your favorite quotation? "Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate. Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American." Malcolm X said that in 1964. You have to wonder, how far have we come in 42 years when we're still asking the same questions about equity, fairness, immigration, civil and human rights? What's the most important thing you learned in the "school of hard knocks?" | ||
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