Advisory Board and Staff
The CAPAA has an advisory board made up of 12 Governor-appointed commissioners representing the State's rich APA diversity. The commissioners advise the Governor, State and local public officials around issues that concern the APA community. Each commissioner serves a three-year term and may serve for two consecutive terms. Commission meetings are open to the public.
The CAPAA has an open application process. If you would like more information, please call our office at
(360) 725-5667.
The Executive Director is appointed and serves the Governor directly. Except for interns, the remaining staff are full-time employees of the State.
Board of Commissioners
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Thi Huynh, Chair Snohomish County Born in Vietnam, Thi escaped the country with his family by boat when he was two years old. He spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp before coming to the US in 1980. As newly arrived immigrants, Thi's family lived in White Center for a number of years before moving north to Snohomish County. Thi attended the University of Washington where he earned his B.A. in Southeast Asian Studies and Political Science. He went on to earn a law degree at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Currently, Thi has a law practice in south Everett with a focus on real property. He is on CAPAA's Economic Development committee and is interested in fostering trade with South East Asia. He has visited China and Vietnam several times, most recently on a trade mission led Secretary of State Sam Reed to Vietnam and China. |
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Ron Chow, 1st Vice-Chair Pierce County Ron Chow is a Chinese American and has resided in the Puget Sound area since 1978 and he is the Co-Founder and President of Seattle Pacific Trading, LLC as well as Retail Restaurant Development, LLC. Ron has extensive knowledge and experience in promoting international trade and cultural exchange between China and the U.S. Click here to email Commissioner Chow
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Jagdish Sharma, 2nd Vice-Chair Snohomish County Asian-Indian Jagdish Sharma is the founder/chairman of the Indo-American Friendship Forum (IAFF) since its inception in 1994. Jagdish is the director at-large of the Ethnic Heritage Council, Seattle. He is also Vice President of the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation (NDCF is a non-profit organization) since 2002 and a founding member since its inception (1997). Jagdish is also the India Association of Western Washington (IAWW) Advisory Committee Coordinator. He continues to voluntarily and passionately engage in voicing the needs and rights of Asian Americans in the State of Washington. Jagdish is also a member of the Indian American Task Force (IATF), a group consisting of Indian American leaders who recently voiced their concerns to the US Congress about the recent Mumbai Terrorist Attacks and terrorism in Pakistan. |
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Doug Heyamoto Spokane County Past Chair of CAPAA and currently serving a second term as a Commissioner. An active member and past president of the Spokane Chapter Japanese American Citizens League. Serves on the planning committee for Japan Week, a seven day celebration of Japanese culture held annually in Spokane. Liaison to the Consulate General of Japan for Spokane County. Past President of Spokane Chapter American Institute of Architects and currently President-Elect for the Spokane Chapter Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). Click here to email Commissioner Heyamoto
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Habib M. Habib Snohomish County South Asian Habib M. Habib is the chair. He is the President of the India Arts and Heritage Society and an accountant in private practice. Interested in politics, he serves on the boards of Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC) of King County and Asian Pacific American Coalition on Equality. Click here to email Commissioner Habib |
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Tanya Tran Cowlitz County Currently the president of Women of Vietnam and a co-founder and board member of the Vietnamese Friendship Association of Cowlitz County, Tanya Tran has a background specializing in elementary education. Click here to email Commissioner Tran
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Elliott Kim Pierce County Korean American Elliott Kim is active on several boards and committees. He is thePierce County Sheriff's Department Korean-American Special Liaison and also a member of the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) He is a founder of the Korean American Voters Alliance (KAVA). He is interested in political empowerment, minority crime prevention including victim/family advocacy, social service for cross-culture issues, and increasing international relations which include cultural and educational exchanges and economic development. |
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Felicito Abille Jr. Kitsap County Fel is a Filipino American born and raised in Honolulu Hawaii. He moved to Washington State in 1974 to continue his education and start his career in Law Enforcement. He is a veteran detective immersed in the Forensic field and Crime Scene technology. He is also a certified latent fingerprint examiner, providing expert testimony in Superior Court cases. His major career undertakings include training and education at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia and the elected position of President to the International Association for Identification, Pacific Northwest Division in 2001-2002. This is a Law Enforcement forensic association comprised of multi-agencies of the Northwestern U.S. and Canada. Fel has been involved in his community and is a past board member of the local YMCA. He was a member of that voluntary board for five years and helped develop YMCA outreach programs for the children of the low income families in the greater Kitsap area. Fel’s parents have been heavily involved in the community and Fel’s mother, Florence, is a founder of the Filipino Women’s Club of Kitsap County and remains an active member of that association. Fel embraces his present position in the Commission of Asian Pacific American Affairs and envisions being a liaison to his community. |
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Rey Pascua Yakima County Rey Pascua resides in Sunnyside in the Yakima Valley. He is a retired State child protective services manager. Pascua was appointed in 2007, and is serving his second term on CAPAA. A member during the transition of the Asian-American Advisory Council to a legislatively created commission in 1974. He was an appointee of Governors Evans and Gregoire. Pascua also served as the Legislative Liaison for the Commission in 1980, focusing on bilingual education, health, and civil rights issues. Pascua has been an officer for the Filipino-American Community of the Yakima Valley for over 25 years, and has been the president of the 350 member organization for the ten years. He helped create the Mabuhay Foundation and the Yakama Valley Chapter of the Filipino-American National Historical Society. He is instrumental in diversity work, political advocacy, and A/PI historical preservation in central Washington state. Retired in Nov.2005, Rey is the sports reporter/photographer for the Valley Publishing Company, a paid assistant track and field coach at Sunnyside High School, a Filipino-American historian, and is an avid outdoorsman and sporting event spectator. He is a board member of Emerald Care, a non-profit elderly care facility in Wapato. He has been married to Sandra for 35 years, and they have two children, Tiffany, who works for Seattle University, and Matthew, a commercial airline pilot for U.S. Airways. |
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Bee Cha, King County Bee Cha is a King County Hmong immigrant. He and his family arrived in Seattle 1989 and have settled in Bellevue since. He is the Hmong Coordinator for Washington State University Extension Small Farms Team. He teaches Hmong farmers in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties to develop farm business plans through Cultivating Success Courses and Natural Resource Conservation models. He was president of Eastside Hmong Association from 2005-2007. He is a board member for Eastside Hmong Association 2007-2009, and the National Immigrant Farmers Initiative 2008 to present. He is the coordinator/facilitator for Hmong Farmers Association of Washington, and Hmong Farmers Relief from 2006 to present. He is a committee member for National Hmong Grave Desecration Committee from November 2007 to present. He was a board member and representative for Lao Highland Association from 1994-1996, and President and Founder of Hmong Youth Clan Club 1993-1999. His vision is to be a voice for API community in Washington State. |
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Frieda Takamura , King County Frieda Takamura is a long time educator living in Renton, King County who recently retired from the position of Human/Civil Rights Coordinator at the Washington Education Association. Prior to working with the WEA, Frieda was a teacher in the public schools and in various leadership positions. She is Japanese American and is active in the Asian/Pacific Islander community in her roles as co-chair of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Think Tank; volunteer and curriculum consultant at the Wing Luke Asian Museum; planning committee for Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration Day at the Seattle Center; member of the Asian/Pacific Islander Directors Coalition, among other activities. Frieda is also a cultural competency trainer, has experience as a facilitator with diverse communities, and is co-chair of the Safe Schools Coalition. Click here to email Commissioner Takamura
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Staff |
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Kendee A. Yamaguchi, Executive Director Yamaguchi was a director in the Office of Management and Administration at the White House. Prior to her appointment to CAPAA, she worked in the Office of Public Liaison on the signing of the executive order establishing the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She has experience working as a television executive and a staff member in the Legislature. More recently, she worked as an attorney in private practice. Yamaguchi earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and public communications with a minor in international affairs from American University. Yamaguchi also earned a juris doctorate from the Seattle University School of Law. Office: 360.725.5666 |
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Phillip T. Sit, Executive Assistant Phillip Sit graduated from the University of Washington in 2008, and received degrees in Political Science and Law, Societies, and Justice. At the University of Washington, Phillip served as President of the Asian American Student Union, Secretary for the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, and volunteered as a mentor for incoming minority students at the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity. Office: 360.725.5667 |
