Yishan (Sherry) Yao, MSW
Yishan (Sherry) Yao, MSW, is a social enterprise professional with experience working with cross-cultural populations across a variety of organizations including non-profits, public agencies, and business sectors in both China and the U.S. Most recently, Yishan served as a consultant with key roles in a $4 billion, FEMA-funded, Hurricane Sandy Resiliency project at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). In addition to developing outreach operations strategies, Yishan helped to serve over 2,600 Sandy-affected Asian American residents citywide. As a result of her advocacy, the Asian residents’ project engagement rate increased by 50% over the historical NYCHA rate. Yishan has also provided program planning and development strategies for various social services. In 2013, she evaluated and developed recommendations for the Global Teens Program at the International Service of the YMCA of Greater New York. Previously, Yishan has been dedicated to promoting the wellbeing of thousands of multicultural individuals and groups through a range of leadership roles on multiple Student Union Boards at Columbia University. Yishan graduated from Columbia University with a MSW in Social Enterprise Administration. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Organizational Leadership and Management Information System, both on the Dean’s List.