WASHINGTON–OCA played host at the prestigious National Asian Pacific American Corporate Achievement Awards, honoring Asian Pacific American (APA) leaders in the corporate sector.

OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans. The event took place at W Hotel here on October 23.

“OCA is proud to recognize and celebrate Asian Pacific American corporate citizens who have embraced our mission by being leaders in their communities and by being committed to diversity in the workplace,” said National President Ken Lee. “As a former recipient of this award, I can safely say that this award builds confidence among APAs who have worked hard for recognition and a clear voice.”

This year, seven honorees were chosen to receive the award. They are: Susan Jin Davis-Vice President of Corporate Development, Comcast Voice Services; Lynne Delveaux-Director in Enterprise Internet Solutions, State Farm; Shiao Dong Han - Corporate Strategy Group, UPS; Michael Hsu-President, Kraft North America’s Grocery; Veronica Kaneko-President and Managing Director, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii; Gordon Keh-Director of Engineering for Global Services & Support, Boeing, and Maggie Mui-Senior Vice President and San Francisco Market Re­gional President, Wells Fargo.

Prior to the awards dinner, OCA unveiled a new program for young and aspiring APA professionals, “Bamboo: Build, Breakthrough and Believe.” This event was launched with a cocktail reception on October 22. at the W Hotel and continued throughout the morning of October 23 with several panel presentations and events.

OCA also played host to the Greater Washington, D.C. region launch of the OCA Mentoring Asian American Professionals (MAAP) program. Already successfully launched in Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Francisco, the MAAP Program is a three-month program that pairs APA professionals with leaders in their field. The informational Leadership Summit will begin on October 23 from 5-6 p.m., also at the W Hotel.

The National Asian Pacific American Corporate Achievement Awards is the only national program of its kind to recognize corporate achievement and service to the community among APA corporate employees. Honorees must first be nominated by their respective employers and then selected by a panel of judges.