FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2007
Contact: Hilarie Grey
Campaign Announces Asian American and Pacific Islander Leadership Council
Diverse Group of Community Leaders to Provide Counsel and Outreach
NEVADA – Hillary Clinton’s Nevada Chair Rory Reid today announced the formation of the Nevada Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Leadership Council, a wide-ranging group of community leaders endorsing Senator Clinton’s bid for the presidency. The council will serve as an advisory body for the campaign in Nevada, and play an active role in reaching out and organizing AAPI communities for the Nevada Democratic caucus.
The group of founding council members introduced today cuts across a wide spectrum of communities and professions, and includes educators, activists, public service veterans and business leaders from across the state.
“Throughout her career, Hillary Clinton has recognized the important role that our cultural and ethnic diversity plays in the fabric of American society,” said council member Rozita Lee. “She is the candidate with the experience and the vision to unite us, and get our country back on track. I am proud to support Hillary Clinton, and to be a part of such a wonderful group of leaders working on her behalf in Nevada.”
Nevada’s AAPI population has over the past decade been one of the fastest growing in the nation. At the time of the last census, AAPIs accounted for more than 6 percent of the state’s population. There is tremendous opportunity to engage new AAPI voters in Nevada. According to APIA Vote, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization promoting civic participation of the AAPI community, only 42 percent of eligible AAPIs were registered to vote in 2002.
“We are very excited to have such a talented, dedicated group in Senator Clinton’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Leadership Council,” said Reid. “This will be a very hands-on group whose efforts will go a long way to help reach out to diverse AAPI communities in every corner of the state and promote involvement in the caucus, and in Senator Clinton’s campaign. We are grateful for their support and happy to have them aboard.”
The founding members of Hillary Clinton’s Nevada Asian American/Pacific Islander Leadership Council, announced today, are:
· Loni Andal, Director of Business Development, North American
Title
· Lolita S. Catoner, Filipino community activist; Member,
Filipino-American Alliance of Nevada
· Eun-Woo Chang, Professor of Chemistry, Truckee
Meadows Community College; Fellow, American Council on Education (2004)
· Dosheen Cook, clinical psychologist
· Jesse J. Danen, R.N, MSN specializing in outpatient
nursing; Member, Nurses Organization for Veterans Affairs (NOVA)
· Jack Dismanopnarong, Thai community activist
· Manuel Dumo, Past President, Federation of the Filipino
American Organization of Nevada
· Dr. S.E. Elia, Chairman, American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee
· Raheela Haq, General Manager, Union Gas Limited
· Jeannie Hua, Attorney at Law, Chinese community leader
· Phung Jefferson, Attorney at Law
· Bryce Kunimoto, Attorney, Hale Lane Peek Dennison and
Howard
· Steven Kwon, Founder, Asian Chamber of Commerce; Board
of Director, Asian American Group
· Raymond Lam, President, Chinese American Citizens Alliance
· Rozita Lee, community activist
· Vida Lin, Asian community leader
· Ampaipun (Ann) Melton, Past President, Thai Association of
Las Vegas
· Oscar Nonis, Asian community leader
· Rutt Premsrirut, real estate developer; financier; community
activist
· Puoy Premsrirut, Partner, Goodman, Brown & Premsrirut
· Nancy Quon, Partner, Quon, Bruce & Christensen Law
Firm
· Ben Racelis, Hawaiian community leader
· Dr. Prabhu Rachakonda, pulmonary specialist
· Ben Racelis, President, University of Hawaii Alumni Association,
Nevada
· Elias Seneviratne, President, Universal Friendship of
Southern Nevada; Immediate Past President, Sri Lankan American Association
· May S. Shelton, former Director, Washoe County Dept.
of Social Services; Winner, Nevada Women’s Fund President’s Award
· Sophia Song, Chinese community leader
· Terry Song, Chinese community leader
· Kent Song, Chinese community leader
· Jerry Tao, Attorney at Law
· Ben Torres, Filipino community coordinator
· Kate Torres-Recto, Filipina community leader
· Rita Vaswani, Asian American community leader
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