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Tong Yuan Douville
MBA candidate | Consortium and Forté Fellow
Tong Yuan Douville is a current MBA student at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business, Class of 2025.13 She is currently serving as a Senior Program Manager Intern in Field Operations Returns & ReCommerce at Amazon.
Professional Background
Before pursuing her MBA, Tong Yuan worked at The Asian American Foundation for two years.5 She transitioned from this role to begin her full-time MBA studies at the University of Washington.
Education
- MBA: University of Washington, Foster School of Business (Class of 2025)13
- Undergraduate: Southern Methodist University
Interests and Involvement
Tong Yuan is actively involved in various aspects of her MBA program and community:
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Net Impact Club: She serves as a VP for the Foster Net Impact Club, which focuses on empowering students to drive transformational change in the workplace and the world.1
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Social Impact: She has demonstrated a strong interest in social entrepreneurship and program management.6
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Community Engagement: Tong Yuan participates in educational activities about local history and culture. For instance, she recently joined other Foster MBA students in learning about the legacy of redlining in Seattle's Chinatown/International District.4
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Alumni Relations: She has been involved in welcoming new MBA cohorts, such as helping to usher in the MBA Class of 2025 at Starbucks HQ.3
Personal Interests
Tong Yuan Douville has a deep interest in the relationships between identity, culture, cuisine, and agriculture. This multifaceted interest likely informs her approach to business and social impact initiatives.
Highlights
This weekend, Foster MBA students learned about the legacy of redlining in Seattle's Chinatown/International District with the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. After the walking tour, we enjoyed lunch at Tai Tung, the oldest Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood.
As future business leaders, we felt it important to understand the intersection of race and business. Seattle’s history is unique but also not the exception it’s often portrayed as when it comes to the legacy of racism. I was particularly inspired by the role mutual aide played in the success of the Asian American families and businesses.
A total coincidence that the tour fell at the beginning of May but a great way to kick off AAPI Heritage Month! Next year, I’m excited to continue my role as the Social Impact lead for Net Impact. I’ve already got a tour of the Central District in the works. Big thanks to Emma Yamaguchi Sullivan and Ellen Schneider for helping me organize this Net Impact and VP of Diversity event.
After two incredible years at The Asian American Foundation, I'm excited to start my next chapter as a full-time MBA student at the University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business. We're hiring my replacement: https://lnkd.in/gy9KgkZf! I'd love to hand this work off to someone who can take it to the next level and also for whom the opportunity can be as meaningful for them as it has been for me.
I only planned to work at TAAF for 9 months, but am proud of the last two years of growth I've seen in myself and the organization. I've had the privilege of launching our the Anti-Hate and Belonging National Network to build a durable and interconnected network of nonprofits combatting anti-Asian hate and kicking off the Illinois TEAACH Act Collaborative, ensuring that the first AAPI inclusive history mandate in the nation is successfully implemented. I then moved to over to ops to build our organization's grantmaking infrastructure, define TAAF's core values, and manage our recent cohort of interns. This past summer, I've returned to programs to create a grantmaking manual with the amazing people heading our work in Anti-Hate, Education, Narrative Change, and Data and Research. All of this as been in collaboration with colleagues and the community--I'm just happy I was able to help!
Last week, our entire team came to Seattle. For one of our team building exercises we were encouraged to pair with someone we don't usually work with. I'm proud to say I couldn't find a face in the room I don't work with on a regular basis. And lastly, I owe TAAF and the community we've created so much appreciation for helping me on my identity journey as an Asian American, Chinese adoptee, and POC.
Looking forward to expanding my horizons into the private sector. I'll be starting full-time at Foster this fall as The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and Forté Foundation Fellow. Long-term, I'm hoping to combine my passions for food, agriculture, and people in the sustainability and/or social impact space.
