Carol Nguyen Steen, 37
Carol Nguyen Steen, 37 Biltmore Farms, Asheville
As a first-generation Vietnamese-American, Carol Nguyen Steen finds strength in her parents’ experience as refugees and their struggle for the American Dream. “The refugee experience is so significant to how I show up each day,” she says. “It creates the utmost love for a country that has opened its doors to people who were escaping war. I owe much of my success to this country and, in many ways, have tried to honor that gift with showing up as a good citizen. I try to find ways to pay it forward on a daily basis.” The N.C. State Poole College of Management master’s grad oversees human resources at Biltmore Farms, an Asheville-based real estate developer. She’s also active in the community outside work. The Charlotte native started a conference for the unemployed and under-employed to build job-readiness skills. Nguyen Steen is president-elect of the local Society for Human Resources Management chapter and a founding member of the WNC Diversity Engagement Coalition and has been involved with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, WNC Human Resources Association, Asheville Museum of Science and Young Professionals of Asheville.