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Annapolis, MD -- Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley recently announced the appointment of Jane Nishida as the new chair of the newly-expanded Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Commission Chair Nishida is the former Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment.

O’Malley made the announcement during a mid-morning ceremony honoring the distinguished members of the newly-expanded commission, held at the Governor’s Reception Room December 17.     

The Commission advises the Governor and the Office of Asian Pacific American Affairs on issues that affect Asian Pacific Americans in Maryland. O’Malley has elevated the commission to the executive level, moving it to the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives.

“I am pleased to name Jane Nishida as Chair of the Asian Pacific American Commission,” remarked O’Malley. “Jane previously served as Secretary of the Environment. Now she’s traveling the globe for World Bank helping to improve the environment all over the world. I’m grateful that she has agreed to bring her talent and experience to this commission.”

“This is such an important step for Maryland in an effort to make sure that everyone is represented in our state government, and that every voice is heard,” he stressed.

“This is so important to our state,” the Governor pointed out, “because diversity is our greatest strength.’ He praised the commission members, saying, “This great group of people has stepped up to help us uphold those beliefs, and to ensure that our state is one we can be proud of, one that guarantees opportunities for every citizen.”

 “This will enable the State to better assist immigrants so that their talents and energies can be fully realized in Maryland’s workforce,” he noted.

Remarked Commission Chair Nishida: “The Asian Pacific American community represents approximately 5 per cent of the population in the State of Maryland. And in some counties, like Frederick and Charles counties, our community has grown by approximately 50 per cent. Our community and roots are diverse–ethnically, geographically, and occupationally. But we share a common bond and commitment to the place we all now call home –Maryland.”

“Therefore we look forward to meeting the charge of the Commission–addressing the economic, workforce, business and community development issues affecting the Asian American community,” she said, adding, “And in doing so, enriching and educating all of Maryland.”

She concluded her remarks on a personal note. “When I was appointed the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Environment in 1995, my photo appeared in The Baltimore Sun,” she recalled.

“The next day my office received phone calls asking if I was an American citizen,” she added. “Hopefully, the next generation of Asian Americans will not be asked why, but rather what they can contribute to our great nation and state.”

 In his introductory remarks, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown said, “The Asian Pacific American community has been a good friend to the O’Malley/Brown administration, and we are both looking forward to working with each of you in the coming years.”

Governor O’Malley said that after an APA summit in April, “we resolved to elevate the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, in order to empower the office to really advocate for the community, and to put the commission to work on some substantive issues.”

O’Malley signed an Executive Order in September transferring the commission from the Department of Human Resources to the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives.

The Executive Order also increased the number of commissioners from 17 to 21, to better serve a growing population. It also expanded the breadth of the commission’s focus to include economic, business, workforce and community development. Commission members serve four-year terms.

Distinguished leaders

Bruce Lee will serve as Vice Chair. David Lee will continue to serve as Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Commission. The commission is composed of distinguished leaders from different fields. They are: Chair Nishida (Japanese, Montgomery County), former Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, currently Senior Environmental Institutions Specialist at the World Bank; Lee, Vice Chair (Korean, Montgomery County), General counsel for TissueGene, a biotech company in Montgomery County, Founder and President of the Maryland Democratic Asian American Council;

Anis Ahmed (Bangladeshi, Montgomery County), Office Services Coordinator in the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, Executive Committee Member of the Maryland Democratic Asian American Council; Shukoor Ahmed (Indian, Prince George’s County), CEO of V-Empower, Inc., an IT solutions company; Katherine Chin (Chinese, Baltimore City); President of the Baltimore Asian Trade Council, LLC, Former faculty member, Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing;

Kwang Choi (Korean, Howard County), Former chair of the board of directors of KAGRO, First member of KAGRO to be appointed to APA Commission; Elizabeth Chung (Chinese, Frederick County), Executive Director, Learning Institute For Enrichment (LIFE) & Discovery, Inc., Program Co-Director, Chinese Studies Summer Center for the Gifted and Talented, Frederick County Public Schools; George Dang (Vietnamese, Montgomery County), President, Acacia Financial Advisors LLC, Board Member of the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce;

Dr. Kamala Edwards (Indian, Montgomery County), Professor, Department of English Composition and Literature, Montgomery College, President, Indian-American Leadership Council; Dr. Suresh Gupta (Indian, Montgomery County), Former member of the Maryland Board of Physicians Quality Assurance, President of the Hindu Temple of Metropolitan Washington, President of the Prince George’s County Charitable Foundation; Maria Hrabinski (Filipino, Anne Arundel County), Former Legislative Assistant to Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, Public Relations Officer, Katipunan Filipino American Association of Maryland;

Dr. Martin Ma (Chinese, Montgomery County), President & CEO, ITTECOM, named one of the Top 100 MBEs for 2007 by the Daily Record and the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs, Vice Chair, Coalition of Asian Pacific Association of Democrats of Maryland; David Pak (Korean, Anne Arundel County), President of USMax, a federal IT services contractor, Board Member, Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Tammy Pantages (Korean, Charles County), President of the Korean American Association of Southern Maryland, Chair of the Korean Cultural Arts Foundation;

Shailesh Patel (Indian, Baltimore County), Senior Vice President of Development, New Generation Hospitality, Board Member, Children’s Cancer Foundation; Lily Qi (Chinese, Montgomery County), President, Organization of Chinese Americans Greater Washington D.C. Chapter, Director of Public Affairs, D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, Founding member, Asian American Political Alliance;

Dr. Amjad Riar (Pakistani, Montgomery County), Physician at Veterans Affairs Hospital in Washington D.C., Member of the Montgomery County Commission on Health; Dr. Nayan Shah (Indian, St. Mary’s County), member of Shah Associates, the largest privately owned medical practice in Southern Maryland, recently featured in the Washington Post;

Dr. Sovan Tun (Cambodian, Montgomery County), Economist/Statistician for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, President of the Cambodian Buddhist Society, Founding member, Asian American Political Alliance; Beth Wong (Filipino, Prince George’s County), Associate Director for Community Relations, Prince George’s County Office of Community Relations; Kui Zhao (Chinese, Howard County), planner/demographer in the Baltimore County Office of Planning.