| Ding-Wen Hsu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948 (age 76–77) Taiwan |
| Occupation(s) | Businesswoman and community leader |
| Spouse | Tai-Dan Hsu |
Ding-Wen Hsu (born 1948) is a Taiwanese businesswoman in Denver, Colorado. She is the co-founder and current Director of Federal Facility Management Division of Pacific Western Technologies. She is one of the co-founders of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, one of the largest Asian festivals in the Rocky Mountains.
Biography
Ding-Wen Hsu was born in Taiwan in 1948.
Hsu arrived in the US in 1976 with her husband Tai-Dan Hsu, who attended graduate school at the University of Iowa. Her husband received a job as hydrologist, and the family moved to Colorado in 1978.
Hsu became a US citizen in 1981.
Hsu co-founded Pacific Western Technologies, Ltd. with her husband in 1987.
Advocacy
When Hsu arrived in Colorado, she felt invisible. Colorado has a history of anti-Asian sentiment, embodied in the anti-Chinese riot of 1880. Hsu recognized the small enclaves of different Asian cultures, and wanted to host an event outside of just the Chinese American community.
Hsu, John Chin and Howie Solow created the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival and held the first event in August 2001. This became the largest Asian festival in the Rocky Mountain area. They started the event with a grant for $1000 from the city of Denver. The organizers anticipated attendance of 3,000 people, and were shocked when over 15,000 people and mayor Wellington Webb attended.
Hsu is a national fellow of the Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute.
Personal life
Hsu is married to Tai-Dan Hsu.
Recognition
Representative Ed Perlmutter gave a tribute to Hsu in the Colorado House of Representatives in 2007.
In 2011, Hsu was honored as one of the Asian American Heroes of Colorado by the Asian Chamber of Congress.
Hsu was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2012.
Regis University awarded the Civis Princeps award to Ding-Wen Hsu, an award for outstanding citizens of Colorado.
References
- "Leadership". PWT.
- ^ "Ding-Wen Hsu". Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.
- "Spotlight on Ding-Wen Hsu" (PDF). New American Economy.
- ^ "Immigrant to Denver Founds Dragon Boat Festival that Attracts 120,000 Attendees Annually". New American Economy.
- ^ Chuang, Tamara (July 26, 2019). "Dragon boat racing, with its unlikely rise and massive Denver festival, is adapting to include everyone". Colorado Sun.
- Asakawa, Gil. "Colorado Dragon Boat Festival: Connecting the community through culture and competition". Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
- "Congressional Record - Extensions of Remarks" (PDF). Congress.
- "2011 Asian American Heroes of Colorado". Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network.
- Regis University. "Academic Catalog 2017-2018" (PDF).