Thursday, May 27, 2004

President George W. Bush announced today his intent to appoint fourteen individuals to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.   The Commission was established by Executive Order 13339 to advise the President, through the Secretary of Commerce (DOC), on ways to provide equal economic opportunities for full participation of Asian American and Pacific Islander businesses in our free market economy where they may be underserved, and thus improving the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

Eddy Badrina, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs Said that he is proud of the President's continued commitment to addressing The needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders.  "The President has selected a diverse and talented group of individuals to provide him with recommendations," said Badrina.  "I look forward to working with this group of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and community advocates to understand issues facing AAPI businesses and to develop creative solutions leading to growth."

The Commission will be chaired by Betty B. Wu (NY) and composed of the following members:

William Afeaki (UT), Nina Nguyen Collier (WA), Akshay Desai (FL), Vellie

Dietrich-Hall (VA), William Kil (CA), John Kim (CA), Jimmy D. Lee (IL),

Joseph Melookaran (KS), Derrick Nguyen (CA), Rudy Pamintuan (IL), Martha

Cruz Ruth (Guam), Jeffrey B. Sakaguchi (CA), and Kenneth Wong (PA).

The President's Advisory Commission is housed under the Department of Commerce and supported by the Office of the White House Initiative on AAPIs.