Ho Chie Tsai | TaiwaneseAmerican.org | Oakland Lifestyle Portraits

I don’t know who started it, calling him the godfather of Taiwanese America, but I think the title’s going to stick. Ho Chie has been involved with almost every Taiwanese American organization imaginable, and he even had a hand in creating many of them. One of his ongoing projects is TaiwaneseAmerican.org, an online portal that spotlights events, people, and perspectives in our community.

Ho Chie is the person you imagine when you read books like Tipping Point and Linchpin. He is the indispensable connector who somehow melds ideas and execution seamlessly. He makes things happen while other people are still skeptically sitting in the corner thinking it will be impossible. Through it all, he is always keeping his eye on his personal mission, which centers on empowering everyone else around him to really shine. Oh, and all of this community organizing is just an unpaid passion project. In his other life, he still works a full schedule as a pediatrician.

Below, a collection of portraits that we created one day. Our TaiwaneseAmerican.org mascot Stinky Tofu helps to kick it off.