This Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we are pleased to highlight Ajay Jagtiani, a principal in our Tysons Corner office. In the spirit of this year’s AANHPI Heritage Month theme, “Advancing Leaders Through Innovation,” Ajay shares how the communities can maintain their rich cultural heritage while still creating the next generation of leaders.

“Humans are storytellers. By sharing our stories, we educate others and share our commonalities as well as our differences. Role models, then, become critical to the success of any group. Seeing and hearing from people that look like you in leadership positions assists you in seeing that as an achievable goal for yourself.

“Today, I am pleased that my generation has paved the way for others to see leadership as a possibility, which was not the case when I first started practicing law 30 years ago. By having great role models, I was able to learn to assist others and share my stories.”