ACEL advocate, 2018 winner Mi-Ai Parrish joins group for annual awards

MAP Strategies Group CEO Mi-Ai Parrish visits with Matthew Clyde of Ideas Collide and Sentari Minor of evolvedMD at the 2022 Asian Corporate Entrepreneur Leaders annual gala Saturday at Scottsdale Plaza Resort.

Spurring continued growth, influence and excellence among Asian business executives across Arizona and beyond, MAP Strategies Group CEO Mi-Ai Parrish joined the annual meeting of Asian Corporate Entrepreneur Leaders this week in Phoenix at the group's annual gala to celebrate the group's best and brightest.

Ms. Parrish, who won the 2018 ACEL Corporate Leader of the Year Award and who continues to advocate and mentor those in the community, joined the 2022 winners at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, which included:
• Varesh Chaurasia of OptumCare Arizona, 2022 Corporate Leader of the Year
• Hui Wu-Curtis of SupportU, 2022 Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year
• Mai Le of the Asian American Media Network, 2022 Community Leader of the Year
• Ihman Esturco of the Asian International Film Festival in Arizona, 2022 Trailblazer of the Year

“ACEL means so much to me and the wider business community as those of Asian and Pacific Islander descent continue to wield increased influence as an economic and cultural driver within the state and region,” Parrish said. “The group is a training ground for business excellence and professionalism, and is something that I hold a close affinity for. I would like to see more companies embrace the outstanding talent being cultivated through ACEL.”

During the 2021 pandemic- and misinformation-fueled attacks and harassment against members of the Asian-American community, Ms. Parrish joined hundreds of other peaceful marchers in Mesa to speak out against violence and to share her own stories.

"My whole life has been filled with stories of race, and those are stories that I never talked about," said Parrish, who also served as the president and publisher of The Arizona Republic and AZCentral before forming MAP and joining ASU. "The story that I was four before I met my father's parents because they didn't approve of my mother. The stories of the kids taunting me on the playground pretending they didn't understand what my mother was saying because of her accent, even though she has a Ph.D. from USC."