APIAVote Gala to Celebrate the Achievements of The Honorable Norman Y. Miineta
Washington DC – Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) will hold its inaugural fundraising gala by celebrating the achievements of the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta on Thursday, September 21, 2006 at the JW Marriott. The reception, to be held in the Capitol Foyer, will start at 6:00 pm, with dinner and program starting at 7:00 pm in the Capitol Ballroom.APIAVote is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs) in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels. APIAVote envisions a society in which all APIAs fully participate in and have access to the democratic process.
When Secretary Mineta was appointed by President George W. Bush to be the Secretary of Transportation, Mineta became the first cabinet member to successfully serve two presidents from two different parties. Prior to joining President’s Bush’s administration, Secretary Mineta also served as US Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton. Secretary Mineta also served 20 years as a member of congress, representing California’s Silicon Valley. Between his retirement from Congress and his appointment by President Clinton, Secretary Mineta chaired the National Civil Aviation Review Commission and was a vice president at Lockheed Martin Corporation. Once again retired from public office, Secretary Mineta is currently the Vice Chairman of Global Communications Consultancy at Hill & Knowlton.Actress Tamlyn Tomita and Reporter David Louie from ABC7 in San Francisco will co-emcee the celebrations. The highlight of the evening will be a roast of Secretary Mineta by his close friends and colleagues:
n Andrew Card, former Secretary of Transportation, President George Bush; former Chief of Staff, President George W. Bush
n Congressman Mike Honda, Vice Chair of the DNC and Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
n Stuart Ishimaru, Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, President George W. Bush; Deputy Assistant Attorney General, President Bill Clinton
n Daphne Kwok, Executive Director, Angle Island Immigration Station Foundation; former Executive Director of Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Affairs and the Organization of Chinese Americans
n Ginger Lew, former Deputy Counsel, Department of Commerce and Deputy Administrator, Small Business Administration, President Bill Clinton
n Ben Wu, Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy, President George W. Bush“Secretary Mineta has served as an inspiration to so many people throughout his career, both in the public and private sector. We are honored that Secretary Mineta has chosen APIAVote to not only celebrate his achievements, but also to bring together his friends and colleagues to give all those who attend yet another side of Secretary Mineta,” commented Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote.
###
The Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is a national non-partisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels.