Interview with Abraham Madha | Houston Asian American Archive - Oral History Collection
Abraham Madha was born in Burma in 1956 during a time when there was significantly less nationalization in Southeast Asia. He spent about a decade in Bangladesh, two years in Pakistan, and a few more years in France before traveling to the US. Madha recalls growing up under Catholic influences and having a particular propensity for reading while growing up.
Mr. Madha went on to receive his Bachelors of Science from University of Houston as well as an MBA that was completed at the University of Dallas. His most recent job was a position as Chief of Plans and Integration at Global Strike Command from 2011 to 2013. He also spent time in the Chief Information Officer role at ENGlobal—a full service engineering company—and in Strategy and Product Management at JMI—a combined venture capital and investment banking firm.
This interview covers Madha’s life story across a large variety of both cultural identities, religious identities, and interdisciplinary interests. It especially goes into depth on his own personal philosophies about diversity and learning—and finding the value of cognitive diversity within his own broad range of studies: the process of “wearing different hats.”
The interview also ties into Madha’s exposure to war and the military, especially in terms of the new discoveries and relationships he made there. It additionally covers his thoughts on dating and romance, and his core values. Finally, he covers additional thoughts on the meaning of Asian American identity and the nature of newer generations in today’s society.
Interviewee: Abraham Madha
Interviewers: Sam Lee
Interview Date: October 18th, 2023
Transcribed by: Sam Lee
Track Time: 01:08:15
This interview was conducted over Zoom on October 18th, 2023.
This recording and transcript form part of a collection of oral history interviews conducted by the Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice University.
Visit us at haaa.rice.edu.