Famous Asian American Moms

Asian Pacific American (APA) women blazing trails  

By Cameka Crawford

Asian Pacific Americans have made great strides in paving new inroads into business, fashion and media, making Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mother’s Day the perfect time to celebrate the innovations of famous APA moms who manage to balance being a mother as well as a trailblazer in their respective industries.

Ranked third on Forbes’ “World’s 20 Most Powerful Moms” list in 2012, PepsiCo Chairperson & CEO Indra Nooyi is no stranger to accolades. For more than a decade, Nooyi has directed the company’s global strategy and led many highly successful mergers and acquisitions.

Designers Vera Wang and Kimora Lee Simmons have pioneered new trends in the world of fashion by carving out their own unique niche. Wang is internationally known for her wide range of haute couture bridesmaid and wedding gowns and Simmons created the popular female urban fashion line Baby Phat.

In the culinary world, chef Cristeta Comerford has been the White House Executive Chef since 2005, making her the first woman and first APA to be selected for the post. Another mom who knows a little about food is ‘Top Chef’ host Padma Lakshmi, who has received two Emmy Award nominations for her work on the hit show.   

Speaking of television, Julie Chen, Juju Chang and Lisa Ling have become fixtures of broadcast news while actress Ming-Na will star in the highly-anticipated adventure series ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ this Fall.