Penny S. Tee recalled when, in 2014, she and her husband took their only child, a son, to vacation in Israel, which turned out to be ill-timed as war began. One moment, the family was visiting incredible, historic sites, and the next they were terrified, hiding in bomb shelters. The impact of this and other experiences Ms. Tee lived through compelled her desire to work on peace in a tangible way. Thus, while the family was still in Israel, Ms. Tee sent detailed emails of their daily happenings back home to loved ones, prompting one of her friends on the receiving end to suggest that she unite her heart with her skills and write a book about her experience. As a result, Ms. Tee authored “BLASTED from COMPLACENCY: A Journey from Terror to Transformation in Israel,” which was a No. 1 release on Amazon in 2019, and she became a speaker for the Jewish National Fund-USA.
With her cause in mind, and in what Ms. Tee counts as her most meaningful endeavor to date, today she is an established vodcast host on her own platform and series titled PEACE with Penny, which exists as part of Ms. Tee’s company, Peace Awareness Promotions, LLC, formed in 2021. The vodcast gives voice to Israeli and Palestinian peace organizations that work together on an improved future. Ms. Tee’s unwavering commitment to peace discussed in her vodcast highlights the efforts of groups and individuals dedicated to fostering reconciliation and positive change in the troubled region. She believes that by amplifying peacemakers’ voices, she can favorably impact society by countering the narrative of division and violence that often dominates news headlines. In years to come, Ms. Tee plans to project her messages through increasingly diverse channels.
Ms. Tee’s supporters declare she stands as a consistent beacon of hope despite the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians by tirelessly advocating for peace and understanding through her inspiring work as an entrepreneur, media personality, author, speaker, and educator. Her persistence is also palpable and transferrable personally as she compares life to a marathon, stating, “If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you’ll accomplish your goal,” a feat she has literally achieved by running and finishing eight marathons. Moreover, Ms. Tee believes in meditation to help keep her centered while fulfilling her multiple roles and encourages others to meditate, too, sharing that peace comes from within and that if people do what they love, doors will open for them. Her motto and wish for everyone: “May you live in peace, shalom, and salaam.”
Ms. Tee also notably owns and is a professional speaker and author via Pennystee.com. She previously owned domains geared, respectively, toward mothers and the magic of books. Earlier, for many years cumulatively, she worked as a consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP, as an accounting and projects manager plus an internal consultant at the Los Angeles Times, and as an accounting manager with the ITT Continental Baking Company. Ms. Tee holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Business Administration, each earned at the USC Marshall School of Business.