Meet Our Board
Meet Our Board Members: Krew Arockiasamy
January 14, 2024 | Throughout our 105-year history, the International Institute of Minnesota has offered innovative programs and services to meet the changing needs of New Americans. We are grateful to our Board of Directors who generously donate their time and expertise contributing to the Institute’s work and mission. Today, meet Krew Arockiasamy, one of our five newest board members.
1) You could share your valuable time and skills with many deserving non-profits. Why have you chosen to join the board of the International Institute of Minnesota?
A big part of my life focused around experiencing and appreciating some of the cultures the world has to offer. Specifically, I spent 15 years in the U.S. Foreign Service traveling to over 75 different countries and I consider myself blessed that so many communities took me in and made me so welcome on my journeys. Now, its only natural, that I help our clients make a home in Minnesota!
2) What kind of expertise do you hope to offer to the Institute?
What makes this board truly impactful is the different temperaments, talents and convictions we bring to the collective conversation. In short, it is our complementary skillsets which allow us to contribute to a cause greater than we are individually. With that being said, my background and professional work experience as a consulting engineer always helped understand topics in terms of process and data. My tenure as a Supervisory Special Agent with the U.S. Department of State, where I was the principal advisor to U.S. Ambassadors on law enforcement and security issues, allows me to contribute to the International Institute of Minnesota from a risk management perspective. Lastly, my MBA focused on Strategic Risk & Responsibility, so this fits in nicely to apply learnings to a non-profit setting in terms of helping to optimize the organization’s operations.
3) Why is this work important to you?
One of the most important things in my life is my family. They have supported me all my life and I owe every success to them. This organization is about families and starting them off correctly in a new way of life. Nothing could more important that this, especially for the generations to come afterwards.
4) Do you have a personal connection to our mission you’d like to share?
I am the first generation born in the United States in my family. My parents immigrated in the 1960s and over the years I came to understand, appreciate and be incredibly grateful for the sacrifices they made so I could grow up and have opportunities not possible in other parts of the world.
5) What kind of impact do you hope your work as a board member has?
It is my sincere hope that our work as board members allows the Institute to sustain its impact far into the future of this community, that its foundations are strong enough to endure changing opinions and attitudes, and that it continually evolves to meet the changing needs of its clients.