New Advisory Council Member Spotlight: Chad Reddy

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Chad Reddy and I’m the Market Leader for Bank of America’s San Francisco market. I manage and lead a team of client advisors and client managers who deliver strategic financial guidance and solutions to high-net-worth clients.
I was born in Hyderabad, India, and moved to the U.S. with my family when I was nine years old. My parents were teachers in India, but their teaching credentials didn’t carry over to the States, so they had to find other work. My mom worked as a bank teller at Bank of America and later became a banking officer. She also worked for the US Postal Service. My dad worked in the hotel industry.
Ours is truly an immigrant story. We lived in one crowded house with my aunts and uncles who also immigrated from India. I attended school in Los Angeles and went to UCLA for my undergraduate degree. I went on to do my MBA at USC. I met my wife in high school, and we’ve been together ever since. We have two children: our son, Skyler, just graduated from Cal State Long Beach, and our daughter, Alana, recently graduated from UCLA.

I’ve always been interested in supporting and being part of nonprofit work. While growing up, I belonged to a nonprofit group called India Outreach, which we started in our church. The primary mission of India Outreach was to bring doctors and dentists out into the rural villages in India where there was little or no access to medical care. I was one of the leaders of that organization, and I made multiple trips to India with doctors and dentists, guiding them and providing translation services and logistical support. I was involved with India Outreach for about ten years and am very proud of the work we did.
I began my career in banking with Wells Fargo’s Private Bank in Beverly Hills and as my family grew and I got busier with my career I stopped leading trips to India with India Outreach, but still looked for opportunities to give back to the community. I served on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity in Los Angeles and saw the great work they were doing and what a positive impact they had on the community.
When my family and I moved to San Francisco, I was actively looking for an opportunity to get involved with a local organization and APF caught my eye. I presented at the Bank of America ERG and heard APF President and Executive Director Carolyn Wang Kong speak about the APF. I sought her out at the gala and was excited to hear more about APF’s work and how involved they are in the community. It was clearly a great organization and something that I knew I wanted to be a part of.

What inspired you to join the Asian Pacific Fund’s AC, and what excites you most in this new role?

The last few years have been difficult for the AANHPI community as we’ve seen a rise in anti-Asian and anti-immigrant rhetoric and hate. The upwelling of anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiment reminds me of the things my family and I went through when we first came to this country in the early 80’s. We settled in a predominantly white community in Los Angeles and when you’re one of only two or three families of color, you do experience racism, overt or subtle, and the negativity that comes along with it. I felt that over time things had improved for our community, but when the pandemic hit, it seemed to bring up all the racism and negativity that had been simmering beneath the surface all along.
What excites me about taking this new role with APF is that I can be a part of something positive that helps to counter the negativity and contribute to APF’s important work in so many areas from mental health to immigration services to scholarships. The history of the APF, their mission, and the impact they’ve had on the AANHPI community and the Bay Area inspires me on a personal level and makes me proud to be part of this amazing organization.

As we look towards the next decade for the Asian Pacific Fund, what are your hopes for APF and our AAPI community as an APF Advisory Council member?

In this role, my goal is to help APF challenge the pervasive “Model Minority” myth that continues to shape perceptions of our community. While the AANHPI community does place an emphasis on the importance of education, there exists a widespread misconception that we all enjoy high levels of education, secure the best jobs, and experience overall prosperity. The reality, however, is far more nuanced, with many of us grappling with financial insecurity, mental health issues, and other challenges that affect all Americans across the United States.
By joining the APF Advisory Council, I hope my personal and professional experiences can bring new perspectives and innovative approaches to dismantling the model minority myth and help educate people about the realities of our community. Furthermore, I hope to shine a light on our rich cultural tapestry within the AANHPI community, particularly in the Bay Area. I’m grateful for this opportunity to be a part of the APF Advisory Council, and I hope that together, we can foster a greater understanding and appreciation for the diversity and complexity within our AANHPI community and further the work the APF has been doing to support and bring the AANHPI community closer.