Seattle School District Board Member Betty Patu and Washington Vietnamese American (WAVA) Chamber of Commerce Founder/Board Member Quang Nguyen have been added as speakers for the January 21, 2009 APA Empowerment Series session.

JACL’s Asian Pacific American (APA) Empowerment Series is a free program geared towards engaging APA college students in civic opportunities by providing opportunities to network with, and listen to, community leaders.   For additional information on the series, or the speakers, please visit: jaclseattle.org/empowerment.

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) proudly presents the Asian Pacific American (APA) Empowerment Series. The JACL, who has a mission to promote and prepare future APA leaders, is putting on this series to help college students get involved in the community.

Whether students are looking for a career in politics, government, or non-profit work or are seeking opportunities to volunteer, the series will provide a rare opportunity. Register today for the chance to learn from, and network with, some of Seattle’s APA community leaders.

Registration is free and limited, so don’t wait!

Our next session, and last for this school year, is April 15th, 6-8PM and features these government leaders:
Stella Chao, City of Seattle, Director of the Dept. of Neighborhoods
Harold Taniguchi, King County, Director of the Dept. of Transportation
Sung Yang, King County, Director of Government Relations

@Seattle University
Chardin Hall
, Room 142
1020 East Jefferson
Seattle , WA 98122

Seattle University Map (Chardin Hall is #3, Paid Parking is #5)

Series Speakers:
Nate Caminos, US Senator Maria Cantwell, KC Outreach Director
Stella Chao, City of Seattle, Director of the Dept. of Neighborhoods
Hyeok Kim, Inter*Im, Executive Director
Quang H. Nguyen, WAVA Chamber of Commerce, Founder/Board Member
Betty Patu, Seattle School District Board, Director
Al Sugiyama, Center for Career Alternatives, Executive Director
Harold Taniguchi, King County, Director of the Dept. of Transportation
The Honorable Kip Tokuda, former WA State Representative
Sam Wan, Kin On, CEO
Sung Yang, King County, Director of Government Relations

_____________________________________________________________

Speaker Dates:

Nov 19, 6-8PM

Nate Caminos, US Senator Maria Cantwell, KC Outreach Director
A Native of the Hawai’ian islands, Nate has dedicated his work in politics and is currently the King County Outreach Director for United States Senator Maria Cantwell (WA). He attended the University of Washington and graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. When he arrived as a freshman in 2000, Nate was involved in OMA as he was partnered with John Amaya, then Student Regent, and OMA mentor. John introduced Nate to several on and off-campus organizations and activities, and further broadened his love for politics. During his time there Nate was a Co-Director for the UW Leaders program, a student leadership development program for recent undergrads, and served as a Senator for the Association Students of the University of Washington. In 2004, Nate became the Director of Government Relations for the student body, as their lobbyist in Olympia on everything pertaining to higher education and advocated on issues such as; tuition, access, diversity, financial aid, and capital projects. Upon leaving the University of Washington he worked for the Service Employees International Union, leading organizing campaigns on both sides of the Cascades. Nate comes into his position at the Senator’s office after spending 2 years as the Legislative Aide to Washington State Representative Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, who is the acting Chair of the House Community Economic Development & Trade committee.

He is an active board member of the Japanese American Citizens League- Seattle Chapter. He is also a Board Member of North Helpline which serves over a thousand local residents as a prominent food bank and RotaCare clinic in Seattle, and a recent graduate of the Asian Community Leadership Foundation, a leadership development program dedicated for young professionals of color. In his free time, Nate head coaches a 7th grade boy’s basketball team in the Seattle Parks and Recreation program, in conjunction through the Seattle Chinese Athletic Association.

Al Sugiyama, Center for Career Alternatives, Executive Director
Alan Sugiyama’s grandfather first came to Seattle from Japan in 1899. His mother Susan was born and raised in Seattle and was interned at Minidoka during World War II. Alan grew up in Seattle’s Central Area, and became a leader in the Asian youth movement in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Along with former Black Panther Mike Tagawa, Sugiyama co-founded the Oriental Student Union at Seattle Central Community College (SCCC) and led a series of protests in 1971 demanding Asian American studies classes and the hiring of Asian administrators and faculty. The protest was in part modeled after a successful Black Student Union (BSU) protest at SCCC in 1969.

Sugiyama transferred to the University of Washington in 1971, where he was a leader in its Asian Student Coalition. He also organized local middle school and high school students into Asian Student Coalitions, particularly at Franklin High School.

In 1972, Sugiyama co-founded the Asian Family Affair newspaper, a monthly periodical that he helped lead for over ten years. Throughout the 1970s, he was particularly active in promoting the teaching of Asian American history, demanding an end to derogatory media representations of Asian Americans, and publicizing movements that called for the preservation of the Chinatown/ International District. In 1980, Sugiyama founded the Center for Career Alternatives, where he continues to serve as Executive Director as well as participate in the Minority Executive Directors Coalition. In 1989, he became the first Asian American elected to the Seattle School Board, and helped oversee the dismantling of Seattle’s busing program while serving as the Board’s President.
[bio courtesy of the UW's Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History project. "Alan Sugiyama," Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project]

Kip Tokuda, former WA State Representative
Kip Tokuda has a long history of work in the human services arena, particularly with children, youth and families. Before serving four terms in the State House of Representatives, Tokuda spent several years at the State Department of Social and Health Services. Currently the Chair of the House’s Children and Family Services Committee, Tokuda spearheaded initiatives like the Racial Disproportionality Bill to address issues of disproportionality in the juvenile justice system; the Legal Immigrants Bill to assure protections for legal immigrants in welfare reform; and the Special Needs Adoption Bill to improve the chances of adoption for children with special needs.

Appointed by Governor Booth Gardner to serve as Executive Director of the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect, Tokuda led the charge to develop policies, raise awareness, and advocate on behalf of children and families in Washington State. Among his numerous organizational affiliations, Kip belongs to the Prevent Child Abuse America and is a founding member of the Asian Community Leadership Foundation. Tokuda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and an MSW from the University of Washington.

Jan 21, 6-8PM

Hyeok Kim, Inter*Im, Executive Director
Hyeok Kim is the Executive Director of InterIm Community Development Association (InterIm CDA), a nonprofit community development corporation in Seattle that works to promote and revitalize the Chinatown/International District, as well as other Asian Pacific American communities in the region.  For 40 years, InterIm CDA has developed affordable and mixed-use development housing projects, led neighborhood planning initiatives, and promoted community-building activities.  To date, InterIm CDA has directly built or renovated 303 units of affordable housing, and has consulted or assisted in the development of an additional 195 units of housing, all to serve the needs of the region’s low-income families.  Prior to joining InterIm CDA in May 2008, Hyeok served as a policy analyst for Speaker of the House Frank Chopp and the House Democratic Caucus in the Washington State Legislature.  She worked seven years for the House Democratic Caucus staffing human services, foster care, welfare, workforce development, and housing issues.  Hyeok is a graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.  She was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated with her family to the United States at the age of five.  She grew up in the Pacific Northwest where she and her family lived for a number of years in publicly-subsidized housing in Federal Way, WA.

Quang H. Nguyen, Washington Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce Founder/Board Member

Betty Patu, Seattle School Board, Director
Betty Patu is a new member of the Seattle Public School District Board, after working tirelessly for Seattle Public schools for the past 32 years.  She has worked tirelessly by providing countless interventions to thousands of youth in our schools and served as leadership on several community organizations. She successfully directed educational programs recognized to boost graduation rates, increase college-bound students and reduce gang violence, as highlighted in the New York Times.

Outside of the work she has done for the Seattle School District, Betty has been extraordinarily active in her community. She is a current board member at Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition, Past President of Asian Counseling Referral Services (ACRS) Vice President of Rainier Beach Foundation, Past Vice President, Rainier Beach Parent, Teachers, Students Association (PTSA) and Founder/President, Islanders Children & Youth Services (ICYS).

Over the past two decades, Betty has been honored with numerous awards, including the Asian Pacific Women’s Caucus, “Warrior in Education” Award, Patty Murray “tennis shoe” award, the Governor’s Volunteer Award, the Mayor’s Volunteer Award and the Big Sister “Role Model” Award.

Sam Wan, Kin On, CEO
Sam Wan has been working in long term care field since 1977. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Kin On Health Care Center and Community Care Network of Kin On. Prior to Kin On, he worked as a program planner of the Seattle-King County Division on Aging. Sam served on the Board of the Washington Association of Housing and Services for the Aging and in the Nomination & Award Committee of the American Association of Home and Services for the Aging. He was a member of the Advisory Committee to the Legislature’s Long Term Care Task Force (2006). He received his Master degree in Social Work from University of Washington.

April 15, 6-8PM

Stella Chao, City of Seattle, Director of the Dept of Neighborhoods
Stella Chao became the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods on April 16, 2007. Prior to that she served as the Executive Director for the International District Housing Alliance. During her 10 years there, Stella built the agency from a staff of 3, to a skilled team of 30 advocates for clients and community. Programs emerged under her leadership at IDHA to help people, especially those who are limited-English speaking, in issues on homelessness, housing search and stabilization, rent assistance, homeownership, domestic violence shelter and transitional housing, environmental justice, and effective, multicultural community engagement.

Previously, her varied background ranged from 15 years in ecology and animal behavior research and medical research, to youth development and three years of community development work in Kenya.

Stella studied Ecology and Evolution at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Washington, and completed a Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Community Fellows Program in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Over the years, her leadership in numerous coalitions and committees, including three years as President of the Minority Executive Director’s Coalition of King County, has worked to develop policies that increase cultural competency, equity, and justice for disadvantaged populations.

Harold Taniguchi, King County, Director of the Dept of Transportation
Harold S. Taniguchi is director of the King County Department of Transportation, overseeing its transit, road services, fleet administration, and airport divisions.

Taniguchi has worked for King County since 1983 in various positions, including deputy director of the Department of Transportation and manager of its Road Services division.

Under Taniguchi’s guidance the department has delivered vital local and regional transportation improvements and advanced key program and policy initiatives launched by King County Executive Ron Sims. These include providing transit and road services that keep people and the economy of King County moving, taking action in response to global warming, continuing exceptional financial management, and promoting community development that supports walking and transit service. The department is increasingly being recognized as one of the greenest transportation agencies in the U.S.

Sung Yang, King County, Director of Government Relations
Sung Yang is the Chief of Staff for Seattle City Light. As a senior executive for the utility, Yang is responsible for its government and legislative affairs, external affairs, coordination of legal affairs, corporate communications and the superintendent’s office. Previously, Yang was Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels’ Senior Policy Advisor on land use and development issues, having worked very closely on the City’s Downtown Rezone legislation in 2006. Yang was also an attorney at a local law firm and taught as an adjunct professor at Seattle University’s Institute of Public Service. He holds a bachelor’s and law degree from the University of Washington.