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Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month and Embracing Diversity in the Mainframe Ecosystem

By | May 13, 2025

Each May, we honor Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month—a time to reflect on the rich cultural contributions and resilience of AAPI communities across all sectors of society. Within the mainframe ecosystem, this celebration takes on special significance.

The world of mainframes—those powerful, mission-critical systems that keep our banks running, airlines flying, and healthcare systems operational—might not be the flashiest corner of tech, but it’s one of the most vital. And it’s a space where diverse voices are needed more than ever.

The Power of Representation in Enterprise Tech

Mainframe professionals are the unsung heroes behind the scenes of modern business. As organizations work to modernize infrastructure and integrate new technologies like AI and cloud computing, the demand for skilled, forward-thinking engineers and developers continues to grow.

AAPI professionals have played and continue to play a crucial role in shaping the future of enterprise computing. From systems architecture and performance engineering to cybersecurity and DevOps, the depth of AAPI talent across generations has helped push the boundaries of what’s possible in mainframe technology.

Here are some of the AAPI colleagues and industry leaders we  would like to recognize, support, and uplift this month and beyond—as we build a more inclusive mainframe ecosystem:

  • Jessielaine Punongbayan, Product Manager at Dynatrace, Open Mainframe Project Ambassador and IBM Champion, recounts her inspiring journey as a COBOL programmer, beginning in the Philippines and expanding to various countries worldwide her journey in this “I am a Mainframer” podcast
  • Shuang Chen, Chairman and CEO at Heka Cloud, Inc, gives us a peek into his experience, including how he launched the first and largest e-ticketing cloud service for intercity bus operators in Asia — a service that averages 20 billion tickets per year – in this in this “I am a Mainframer” podcast
  • Dong Ma, DevOps Engineer at VEXXHOST Inc.,  shares his journey – being born and raised in China to becoming an engineer in the open source community
  • Yongkook (Alex) Kim, Chief Technology Officer – Global Partnership for SAMSUNG at IBM, shares his impressive journey from South Korea to New York

Other resources:

  • Diversity in Tech – An Asian Perspective – Masae Shida, Staff Open Source Program Manager, VMware UK
  • What AAPI means to John Mertic, Director of Program Management at the Linux Foundation, and his family, including several adopted children from South Korea and China, in this blog.
  • Maemalynn Meanor, Director of Marketing at the Linux Foundation, offers the best advice her Thai mom gave her in this blog.

Looking Ahead

Mainframes may be decades-old in legacy, but the people driving them forward are anything but outdated. As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, let’s not only acknowledge the achievements of AAPI professionals in tech—we must also commit to building a future where all voices are valued and heard.

Keep up to date with Open Mainframe Project:

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