National Council of Asian Pacific Americans Elects New Leadership for 2016-2017

WASHINGTON, D.C.--The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) has elected a new executive committee of directors within the coalition to spearhead efforts to advance NCAPA’s mission to influence policy and shape the public narrative regarding Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders across the country.

 The following NCAPA leaders will serve on the 2016-2017 executive committee:

• Chair: Quyên Dinh, executive director, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
• Treasurer, Miriam Yeung, executive director, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF)

At-large:

• Gregory Cendana, executive director, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)
• Kathy Ko Chin, president & CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
• Michelle Kauhane, president & CEO, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA)
• Mee Moua, president & CEO, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC

Outgoing NCAPA Chair Gregory Cendana will continue to serve on the executive committee and said the following: “It has been a pleasure serving as NCAPA chair, and I look forward to continued service on NCAPA’s executive committee. During the past two years, NCAPA has grown in leadership, capacity and membership and has strengthened our relationship with our partners in federal government as well those working to advance social, racial and economic justice. I am confident that the new executive committee, under the leadership of SEARAC's Quyên Dinh, will continue to build upon these strengths and further our work in Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.”

Incoming NCAPA Chair Quyên Dinh, the first Southeast Asian American to hold this position, said the following: “I am honored to serve as the newly-elected chair of NCAPA, building on SEARAC’s longstanding leadership in this coalition. As an executive committee, we look forward to using our combined strengths to work with our members, partners, the Hill, the Administration and the media to advance our community's perspectives regarding equity and social justice in this critical political moment."

NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang said:“NCAPA is excited about its new executive committee members Quyên Dinh, Kathy Ko Chin and Michelle Kauhane, and we are especially pleased that Gregory Cendana, Mee Moua, and Miriam Yeung will continue to serve. We also would like to thank Lisa Hasegawa, Priscilla Ouchida, and Jasjit Singh for their service on the 2014-2015 NCAPA executive committee. They have contributed greatly to raise the visibility of AANHPI voices and have helped ensure a smooth transition since I started my position. In 2016 and moving forward, it is a critical time to work together on our priorities, including tackling anti-Muslim hate and xenophobic rhetoric, and to make sure our voices as a community are heard loud and clear.”

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.