Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.
Anne Chen/Explore Gwinnett
Anne Chen serves as the Senior Sales Manager (Associations, International, Corporate) with Explore Gwinnett Tourism & Film, the county’s official tourism organization dedicated to strengthening Gwinnett County’s economy by marketing all areas of Gwinnett County as a destination for conventions, sporting events, meetings, and leisure travel.
Anne’s Taiwanese heritage and Mandarin fluency has allowed her to drive substantial new inbound international business to Gwinnett. Additionally, she has also created unique partnerships for Explore Gwinnett with the Georgia Department of Economic Development Tourism’s China Initiative, Partnership Gwinnett Economic Development, and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Explore Gwinnett has worked to educate and train hoteliers and attractions on the needs of international clients, and several of the hotels have gone through official training programs as a result, allowing them to better service to the Asian market.
Besides being a very busy working single mother of two, Anne serves on multiple boards and committees. Current boards include Leadership Gwinnett’s Alumni Committee, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for Meeting Planners International Georgia Chapter, and the PR Committee for Rotary Club of Sugarloaf. She is very passionate about serving and giving back to the community, a graduate of the 2016-2017 Leadership Gwinnett class, and a graduate of 2022 Regional Leadership Institute with the Atlanta Regional Commission. Anne was recognized as a member of Connect Association magazine’s “40 Under 40” in 2018, defined as “influencers and innovators helping to head the industry by thinking outside the box, acquiring new skillsets and forging unconventional paths to success.” In 2017 and 2019, she was recognized by the Georgia Asian Times as one of Georgia’s 25 Most Influential Asians in Georgia, “recognizing contributions and dedication in their roles within the community.”
Anne works closely with several organizations to assist various programs, committees, and panels for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. She has been very proactive with educating the various organizations on Asian American Heritage programs and helping create awareness on Asian Hate, stigma, biases, and Asian-American history.
Another passion of hers is food insecurity for lower-income families and the homeless population. One of the aftereffects of COVID in the community is the rise in homelessness for women with small children. The impact of this is evident in the schools, most of which offer summer meals, coat, and food pantries, as well as subsidized breakfast and lunches. Anne works closely with nonprofits throughout Metro Atlanta to help address these issues and to organize food drives and volunteer efforts with Rotary, Nothing but the Truth Ministries, Gwinnett County Schools, Explore Gwinnett, Buford Co-op, The Rest Gwinnett, and Laotian-American Society. Her passion is to unify our communities and help give back to see us thrive as one.
Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by
