Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Jennie L. Ilustre
“FAPAC continues on its mission of offering fantastic training at low cost to federal employees and managers,” remarked Kin Wong, president of the Federal Asian Pacific American Council, as he urged Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to attend two events in the coming months.
Wong made the announcements during the highly successful FAPAC 2014 Holiday Celebration. The party was held on January 12 at DIYA Restaurant in Vienna , Virginia .
Flyers for “Are You Tomorrow’s Leader,” a one-day leadership training workshop, were placed on the tables. The workshop costs $10 for members and $20 for non-members. The second of three series, it takes place on March 7 at the HHS Humphrey Building . Online registration starts on February 10.
The Annual Training Program draws one of the largest gatherings of the country’s Asian Pacific Americans. It is scheduled on May 5-9 at the Sheraton Charlotte in North Carolina . It features several workshops on Leadership, Communications and Diversity by seasoned trainers; plenary sessions on current issues on AAPI healthcare; workforce development and the FAPAC Challenge Team Pilot update.
“Are You Tomorrow’s Leader” features “Mentoring and Partnering,” presented by Kenneth M. Bailey, Chief Diversity Officer and Civil Rights, US Immigration and Custom Enforcement, DHS; “Skills for This Century and Meeting Effectiveness,” by Core Performance Concepts CEO Diane C. Buckley-Altwies; “360 Degree Assessment,” by US Army Maj. Jorge E. Vargas; and “Developing Leadership Strengths,” by Office of Communications Director Maria Hendrickson of SAMHSA/HHS.
Founded in 1985, FAPAC (www.fapac.org) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting equal opportunity and cultural diversity among the 155,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islander civilian and military employees in the federal and D.C. governments.
Holiday Party
At the Holiday Celebration, members and their families enjoyed the program, which included sing-along and a lively fashion show of Asian attires. Emcee was Contract Support Section chief Olivia Adrian of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The bureau is under the US Department of the Interior.
Among the special guests was Delegate Mark Keam, fresh from his reelection, who engaged in serious conversations with the CEOs and other guests. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Veterans Affairs Ed Chow read a proclamation from Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley declaring January as Asian American New Year. Ron Sagudan, Veterans Liaison at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, was busy networking in the sidelines.
US Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Edward Avalos stressed, “I am committed to diversity in the workplace.” He said in an interview, “I didn’t know anything about FAPAC in the beginning, but when I did, I was so impressed with USDA’s commitment to the community.”
Sam Mok, chairman of the Business Advisory Partnership (BAP) launched last year, elaborated on its goals and introduced its Founding Members. Mok is the former Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Labor and a lifetime FAPAC member.
Mok, referring to BAP, said in an interview: “The Hispanic Americans have it, the African Americans have it. But Asian Americans do not have it. So I thought, why not have one?”
The Founding Members are presidents and CEOs and top officers of Analytic Solutions, Pragmatics, Veracity Engineering, Pyramid Systems, Millennium Enterprise, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Washington Retirement Planning Specialists, and Oculus Group LLC. Minh Nguyen, CEO of Millennium Enterprise Corp., said, “Part of our outreach program is to help the community, and so I welcome BAP.”
BAP is taking part in the planning of the FAPAC National Training Program, which includes a forum on government contracting with business, particularly Asian American small and medium businesses.
