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Liem Hua, 28, has traveled to or lived in at least a dozen countries, starting with a study-abroad program in China during his junior year of high school. Now he is leaving a corporate career at Procter & Gamble Co. to bring these experiences back home, where he will lead the Iowa Asian Alliance.

I grew up probably K-6 grade in Norwalk and then my parents moved to Urbandale, so it’s coming back to home for me. In terms of coming back to this position, I had grown up in small companies and, after getting my graduate degree, went to a corporation. I miss the small-business feel. In a small company, you get to get your hands dirty and see all aspects of the business. Also, this organization is pretty important personally. I’ve been a member of the organization since 2003, when I was living in China. With all the Asians that are in Des Moines, there’s never been an organization like this, where Asian youths can grow up and see that there are role models, there are things like them for them.

What is your career past?

I went to college (at the University of Iowa) and studied Chinese. I studied Chinese at Middlebury College’s summer program. By then I was so sick of Chinese that I went to Vietnam the next summer. After that, I worked in (Washington,) D.C., for CET (Academic Programs). All the Middlebury students who took Chinese went through a January term in Beijing, which was with me. Eventually I came back here in 2005 and worked as a program director (for the Iowa Asian Alliance). I went on to graduate school at Thunderbird (School of Global Management). While I was there, I got to travel to probably 11 different countries. I did their Czech Republic program, lived in Tokyo for a while and I did a consulting project in Amman, Jordan.

Any immediate goals for your new position?

Absolutely. Staffing is one. A big push is for giving a tangible return for people who invest in us, whether that’s retaining and attracting Asian people or working with the state agencies in terms of doing small business lending, workforce development and also professional development for the people who are already here. I want to turn up the volume on ambition and competition in Des Moines.

So you’re looking at this organization from a business angle?

Absolutely. From a national and global scale, whether it’s going to China or Vietnam and bringing people here or taking people from Iowa to those places and showing them trade opportunities. For a long time, the Iowa Asian Alliance has been associated with our Asian Heritage Festival, and that’s a critical component. It’s amazing to see all these different communities, people who historically and politically haven’t gotten along before, come together. We want to continue with our mission of business and economic growth and creating that value to our partners.

What excites you the most about being back in Des Moines?

The exciting thing is to be a part of the change. Not only being a part of it, but to be able to drive it. I’ve always joked that I always loved Iowa because it makes everywhere else you go more interesting. I love coming home to Iowa because it’s so peaceful, but the exciting part is to bring everything I’ve seen in the world here.

Did your parents come from Vietnam?

Yes. They were refugees from Vietnam and we were sponsored by the Norwalk Christian Church. We ended up in a refugee camp in Malaysia and they were waiting for me to be born until we could fly over to the United States.

What motivates you?

My parents motivate me in terms of, how do you stop running when they ran so far for me? How do I become complacent with what I have when they have worked so hard to give me the opportunities that are in front of me? The other push I have is to strive to make a mark on anything I do.