By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Oct 05, 2016 at 9:02 PM

Welcome to a series introducing the women who were nominated by professionals and will be honored at "The Rad Women Celebration: Being Rad for Social Change." The event is hosted by the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee and will take place on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Italian Conference Center. The idea was inspired by the bestselling book "Rad American Women A to Z," by Kate Schatz, who is the keynote speaker at the event.  More information at womensfundmke.org.

Tammie Xiong is the executive director for the Hmong American Women’s Association.

Xiong is also a board member for Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation, co-chair of the Milwaukee Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, co-founder of the first Hmong women’s giving circle in Wisconsin, co-founder of the Wisconsin Women’s Training Institute, member of the Wisconsin Minority Health Council and the Global Shapers Milwaukee, World Economic Forum.

For even more rad-ness, read on. Particularly her definition of success.

OnMilwaukee: What is your personal "mission" with your work? What do you personally receive from the work you do?

Tammie Xiong: My personal mission is to encourage and grow leadership of Southeast Asian women and youth here in Milwaukee in order to work towards achieving social justice for our community. What I receive from the work is hope that our community has the leadership to continue working towards creating a healthier and more vibrant future.

How do you define success?

I define success by what I am able to give to others in terms of support, mentorship and time.

Who has taught you the most in your life?

My mother and my father continue to profoundly influence my life, always encouraging me to stay humble, to love myself and to love and give back to community.

How would you like to see the workplace change for women in the future?

We need more women of color to be promoted in top leadership positions. We need their leadership.

What does a perfect day off from work look like for you?

A perfect day off work for me is hiking through the mountains with my husband.


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.