Women’s History Month Celebration

On March 29, 2024, ACC’s African American Cultural Center,  Asian American & Pacific Islander Cultural Center, Latin American Cultural Center (El Centro), and the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Center hosted an inspiring Women’s History Month celebration with an empowering Q&A discussion and luncheon. The panel was led by guest speakers:

• • Vanessa Fuentes, District 2 Austin City Councilwoman
  • Thelma “Grandma Wisdom” Williams, Author, Motivational Speaker, & Mentor
  • Yimei Zhao, Senior Director of the Health Division of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas

During the hour long discussion, our guest speakers shared the many challenges and triumphs that they’ve encountered as women in the workplace, while also imparting invaluable advice. The event was moderated by Elaine Lee and held at the TRHT Center at ACC-Highland.

From left to right: Lynn Lau (Director of the AAPI Cultural Center), Thelma “Grandma Wisdom” Williams (Author & Motivational Speaker), Yimei Zhao (Senior Director of the Health Division of the TRS), Vanessa Fuentes (District 2 Austin City Councilwoman), & Elaine Lee (Technical Business Analyst & Event Moderator).

Vanessa Fuentes

Vanessa Fuentes serves as the District 2 representative on the Austin City Council, advocating for the diverse communities including Dove Springs, Del Valle, Pleasant Hill, Dittmar, Easton Park, and Goodnight Ranch, along with key landmarks like Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Circuit of the Americas, and McKinney Falls State Park. As Chair of the Public Health Committee, she champions health equity through legislative efforts spanning displacement prevention, reproductive justice, mental health services, and access to healthy food. Raised in Central Texas to immigrant and military veteran parents, Vanessa intimately understands her constituents’ challenges. From advocating for criminal policy reform to promoting racial justice in healthcare, her career reflects a steadfast commitment to community well-being. Vanessa’s initiatives range from increasing the minimum wage for city employees to expanding childcare and pre-K access, and advocating for environmental justice, notably post-disaster efforts like flood mitigation and burying power lines. She currently chairs the Public Health Committee and the Community Advancement Network Board of Directors, while also serving on committees for Audit and Finance, Mobility, and the CAMPO Transit Policy Board.

Thelma “Grandma Wisdom” Williams

Thelma Williams, also known as Grandma Wisdom, embodies an unforgettable force of nature, an author, motivational speaker, mentor, and grandmother. A trailblazer, she enlisted in the Air Force shortly after women gained entry, becoming one of the pioneering family planning counselors in Texas and among the earliest female Licensed Plumbers in Central Texas. Residing in Austin’s St. John community since childhood, her home serves as a blend of museum and youth center, adorned with poetry, art, and literature, including her own works alongside contributions from local youths and artists. Her mission revolves around cultivating a supportive environment that nurtures camaraderie, entrepreneurial spirit, and interpersonal connections while rejoicing in collective achievements. As an Art-Entrepreneur, she offers an array of yard art products, aiming particularly to uplift Black families burdened by the enduring effects of racism and segregation. Through recounting the history of St. John and Austin’s racially discriminatory policies, she underscores the importance of understanding one’s heritage, encouraging intergenerational dialogue and the sharing of personal narratives, encapsulated in a poem within her Love Yard: “A dream that’s never worked on will always be a dream.”

Yimei Zhao

Yimei Zhao, Senior Director of the Health Division of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, oversees health care procurement, contracting, and financial operations of the TRS-Care and TRS-ActiveCare. Originally from Harbin, a northern city in China known for its Russian influence and bitterly cold winters, Yimei graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology with a degree in Architecture Design and worked as an architect in Beijing and Singapore before relocating to the US. Transitioning to a career in Accountancy, she became a CPA and spent nearly a decade performing audit work with the Texas State University System and University of Texas System. Joining TRS Health Division in 2000, Yimei leads the Health Accounting team while developing the Health Contracting team. Understanding the significance of public education in fostering upward social mobility, especially for the underprivileged, as the eldest child of blue-collar workers and the first generation to attend college, she maximizes TRS’ buying power to benefit school districts, teachers, and retired teachers in TRS’ programs by negotiating with insurance carriers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers to optimize funding for health programs. Additionally, Yimei sponsors the TRS Asian Professionals group, providing guidance for the career advancement of other Asian professionals within TRS.