F&WJ Interview with Demy Tang:
Courage in Faith and Work
The end of the year often provides us with a different pace as we celebrate the holidays with loved ones and reflect back on what happened throughout the year. As we begin a New Year, the pace picks up again with thinking about what’s ahead for the year, and what we hope to achieve. Regardless of what season, it’s important to remember that you are influential to those around you in ways that you might not realize.
Just a few days into 2023, I was delighted to speak with Demy Tang, who currently serves as a F&WJ Board Member, about her personal faith and work journey. She shared how faith and following Jesus can provide us with courage in the workplace to effectively lead. As Director of Finance for a tech startup in the R&D space, Tang reports to the company’s CEO and works alongside a variety of professionals in engineering, chemistry, and technology. She is
one of the few financial professionals at the company and leads fundraising, bookkeeping, and general finance.
Tang participated in both the Menlo Lab and the F&WJ Premier Experience in 2022. She was drawn to the program because of her desire to be more faith-oriented at work and navigate work-life balance. She shared: “The program really grounded me in thinking about, ‘What kind of leader is Jesus Christ?’ ‘How do I set an example in leading?’”
Tang reminded me that Jesus is both the Lion and the Lamb, and that sometimes we need to push ourselves to make tough decisions at work, which can feel outside our comfort zones. “I draw strength in moments when Jesus was confrontational and not afraid to break the mold, and that is something that I feel we are called to do in the workplace,” she said. “We have to dare to put things in front of God, whether or not it gets achieved.”
In reflecting back on her faith journey, Tang shared that it was while she was earning her MBA when she started attending church. “I thought I had all the wisdom to be successful, but I was seeking a greater truth and learned that we have to work for the glory of God,” she said. Tang has had many professional growth experiences around the world, earning her MBA on the East Coast, interning in private equity and investment banking, and working at an NGO internationally.
Throughout the course of her professional journey, Tang shared that she’s learned about the power of forgiveness in the workplace, and how God provides us with a toolkit for navigating difficult situations. “God has often met me where I am at and exceeded the expectations I had,” she said.
As a F&WJ Board Member, Tang will lead monthly prayer gatherings to pray for the future of the F&WJ community and program. She is also leading some of the program’s fundraising initiatives.
As we look ahead into 2023, Tang says, “I hope that our community can continue to grow and not just in terms of numbers, but also in terms of closeness, and that there are ways that we can stay more connected to keep one another accountable.”
by Leah Burns Park; F&WJ Alum and Volunteer