The Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute (APAWLI) is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing and enriching leadership skills for Asian American and Pacific Island women leaders. Our mission is to address the challenges facing us and to nurture trusteeship within our communities by expanding leadership capacity, fostering awareness of Asian American and Pacific Island issues, creating a supportive network of Asian American and Pacific Island women, and strengthening community.
~ APAWLI 1996-2005

When one looked at corporate America back in the mid to late '90s, there appeared to be no women of Asian American or Pacific Island background to be found in leadership positions. That is not to say there were none, it just meant that they did not stand out. Martha Lee, whose is second generation Chinese and was working at ABC company, knew a number of Asian women who were in leadership positions, but realized their's and others leadership contributions were often unrecognized in the American cultural norm. There were stereotypes about Asian American women to overcome and perhaps more significantly, the women's own beliefs about lacking leadership qualities, that needed to be broken down. In 1996, Martha Lee together with 18 other successful Asian American women, who called themselves the Warrior Sisters, founded the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute.

The aim was to develop more Asian American and Pacific Islander women for leadership roles in the United States. Since 1996, APAWLI's signature program has been the Fellowship Program, which each year selected a group of outstanding women to take the three-week leadership training course and finish up by having each one develop a leadership impact project that would positively change the lives of at least 25 people. One - day programs were offered to members through the Intensive Leadership Training Workshops. Women came together discuss issues, learn new skills, connect with each other and celebrate their successes at bi-annual Summits and regional seminars. APAWLI commissioned research studies "Leadership Challenges and Opportunities: An Asian American and Pacific Islander Women's Lens" and worked with the Gallup Organization on a report on leadership strengths that Asian American and Pacific Islander women bring to their work and communities "Closing the Gap". Hundreds of women across the country have benefited from APAWLI programs.