Meet Our New Commissioners!

Commissioner Lori Wada, one of the longest-serving Commissioners in CAPAA history, has served CAPAA in a number of capacities. She was a member of CAPAA’s Executive Committee, Economic Development Committee, and Health & Human Services Committee. Her fierce passion for uplifting community never shined brighter than it did during the pandemic, during which she worked to help hundreds of small business owners apply for grants to help keep them afloat. She worked intentionally to empower the next cohort of Commissioners to ensure institutional memory lives on. We are grateful for her mentorship to so many of us at the Commission and in community.

Commissioner Tam Dinh has been an outstanding representative of the Commission to the communities she serves, and worked intentionally over the years to ensure communities were being fairly served. She served six years upon CAPAA, during which she served as leadership upon CAPAA’s Executive Committee, Health & Human Services Committee, Education Committee, and Census 2020 Ad-Hoc Committee. She represented CAPAA upon countless state workgroups and committees, and has been our champion in advocating for the disaggregation of data and fairly capturing information about who our communities are. Her role in bringing voice and visibility to our diverse communities has been critical, and never been more pertinent as it was during the pandemic. She is stepping back from CAPAA to focus on her research, but will continue to serve the community directly and work with CAPAA as our representative for the Universal Basic Income Feasibility Study Strategic Advisory Team.

Commissioner Helen Christensen was a strong voice for Clark County throughout her time on CAPAA. Her thoughtful contributions to CAPAA’s Health & Human Services Committee helped us navigate local issues impacting community members in Southwest King County. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside these three tremendous leaders, and are honored to call them our own. Join us in congratulating them for their years of service as they pursue their next great calling.

Commissioner Yasmin Trudeau (Bengali American, Pierce County) currently serves as the Legislative Director at the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. She brings lived experience as a South Asian secular Muslim woman whose mother emigrated from Bangladesh for a better life, which is integral to her life calling to serve as a bridge between different worlds. She is an ardent advocate for human rights, women’s rights, civil rights, and immigrants’ rights, and understands the importance of economic independence, access to state support services, as well as the right for all people to receive equal protection under the law. She has served upon other boards and commissions, including OneAmerica, OneAmerica Votes, and the Seattle Human Rights Commission. She is the first ever Bengali American to serve upon CAPAA.

Commissioner Chongsun Abbott (Korean American, Pierce County) is a first-generation immigrant from Korea with deep community roots in the Pacific Northwest. She has extensive experience providing direct services to community and has helped launch multiple programs bringing relief and support to victims of domestic violence, elders in need of care, families in need of food, and more. She brings an extensive track record of public service, including at the Washington State Lottery, the Department of Financial Institutions, and 21 years of service with the U.S. Army. She currently serves as the Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair of the Korean Women’s Association and has volunteered her time and energy to ensure the well-being of community members in need during the ongoing pandemic.

Commissioner Kendall Kosai (Japanese American, King County) has worked extensively to build the national and local network of Asian and Pacific Islander communities. As Executive Director of OCA National, he worked in collaboration with Asian & Pacific Islander commissions across the nation, as well as national umbrella organizations including Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. Kendall is recognized as a fierce advocate for civil rights and racial justice, with important organizing skills effective in mobilizing and empowering communities. He currently serves as the Associate Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Pacific Northwest Region, where he works to strengthen the organization’s community engagement efforts, respond to incidents of hate, and oversee general legislative strategy. Kendall brings perspective as a “yonsei” – a 4th generation Japanese American.

We are proud to welcome these three proven advocates to join us in statewide service to the APA community as the newest cohort of CAPAA Commissioners. You can read more about our Commissioners on our website.

We’re thrilled to once again welcome Washington State’s Secretary of Health, Dr. Umair Shah! We’ll be speaking with Dr. Shah about his personal journey, connecting authentically with A/NH/PI communities, and the continued fight against COVID.

Tuesday, August 10, 11:30 AM

Tune in live: facebook.com/wacapaa

• For assistance with Apple Health contact:
  • Medical Assistance Customer Service Center (MACSC) 1-800-562-3022
  • askmagi@hca.wa.gov
• For assistance with COFA Islander programs contact:
  • cofaquestions@hca.wa.gov
  • 1-800-547-3109

More information about Apple Health:

• Apple Health restoration for COFA islanders
• First-timers’ Guide to Washington Apple Health
• COFA Islander programs and Apple Health transition
• HCA COVID-19 information webpage

The Redistricting Commission has recently finished translating our “What is Redistricting” video into the nine most spoken languages in the state:

Tagalog | Spanish | Russian | Bosnian | Chinese (simplified) | Korean | Somali | Swahili Vietnamese

These trainings will cover content-based areas such as financial aid basics and financial aid application navigation. A series of strategy sessions to support implementation of what is learned in the content-based trainings will also be offered. Our workshops were created for:

• K-12 staff such as school counselors, career counselors/specialists, administrators, and teachers.
• Any college staff who work with students such as student services, admissions and outreach, advisors, residence life, financial aid staff, and more.
• Community-based organization staff.
• Anyone who wants to learn about and teach their community about financial aid!

All responses are optional and anonymous. The information will be used to create outreach and partnership programs to increase vaccine awareness and access for people with disabilities and their families. Thank you very much for your input.

The survey is available in multiple languages. Please click the link below to proceed to the survey.

WASHINGTON STATE COVID-19 VACCINE DISABILITY SURVEY

The 2020 Legislature directed OSPI and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to convene a workgroup to identify a family engagement framework for early learning through high school. The work group was tasked with the purpose of creating “a family engagement framework for early learning through school”. The workgroup reviewed family engagement policies and practices in Washington and in other states to identify best practices that can be adopted throughout Washington. Membership included family members with a variety of experiences and perspectives from around the state as well as appointed representatives from state agencies and organizations.

For more information, contact Walter Hudsick at <whudsick@btc.edu>.

In selecting appointees, the governor values and welcomes a diversity of lived experiences and is seeking applications from individuals of varied racial, gender, religious, and ethnic groups, and all geographic areas of Washington, with a focus on individuals with knowledge and demonstrated experience in environmental justice. Please see the attached recruitment announcement for more details on the Environmental Justice Council and instructions on how to apply.

For more information:

Governor’s Boards, Commissions and Council’s office: Environmental Justice Council Profile – provides a list of the specific seats and other basic information.

Department of Health’s Environmental Justice Council webpage – provides more details on the duties of the council and the requirements of the new environmental justice law.

Please direct any questions about applying to the governor’s office at: GovernorBoardsandCommissions@gov.wa.gov or call 360-902-4111.

If you or someone you know is homebound and not able to leave the house to get the COVID-19 vaccine, homebound vaccination services are available through this survey: https://redcap.link/WA_HomeBasedVax.

We are excited to share the highlighted Current and Upcoming Gubernatorial Appointment Opportunities.

As someone with deep roots in your respective communities and organizations, we hope that you will share these opportunities. Anyone interested in being appointed will need to fill out this Application. Please explore the Boards and Commissions Profiles if you are interested in learning more about the many opportunities to get involved!

Immigrant Integration Director | OneAmerica | Open until filled

Managing Director | OneAmerica | Open until filled

Extended Foster Care Program Manager | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families | August 9, 2021

Pharmacy and Health Records Operations Manager | Washington State Department of Corrections | Open until filled

Municipal Stormwater Grant Project Specialist (Environmental Specialist 4) | Washington State Department of Ecology | Open until filled

Fiscal Analyst 1 – Financial Services Program | Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife | August 8, 2021

Scientific Technician 2 – Grays Harbor | Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife | August 9, 2021

Scientific Technician 2 – Skagit | Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife | August 9, 2021

Executive Director | Washington State Gambling Commission | Open until filled

GIS & Data Analyst | Washington State House of Representatives, Democratic Caucus | Open until filled