DALLAS, TX–The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) held the prestigious National Asian Pacific American Corporate Achievement Awards Oct. 20 at the Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center here. The event was hosted by the local OCA-Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter.

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

This year, 10 honorees were chosen to receive the award. They are: Dr. Yuen-Kwok Steve Chin of General Motors Corporation; John Coons, Operations Manager of the company-owned and operated McDonald’s restaurants in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Christie Kennett, Director of Government Affairs at State Farm; Judy Li, Verizon’s Executive Director, Finance Support for Sales and Marketing; Charlotte Lin, The Boeing Company’s Director of Strategic Planning & Technology Development for ASWISR (Airborne AntiSubmarine Warfare, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance); Tom Lopez, Kraft Foods, Inc. Senior Brand Manager; Paul Odanaka, Brinker International, Director of Diversity for Chili’s Grill & Bar; Seong Ohm, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager for SAM’S CLUB; Gloria Rodriguez, Security Manager for UPS Corporate; and Jaci Woody, DaimlerChrysler Corporation Senior Manager for Jeep Special Program Engineering.

Julia Wai-Yin So, Dallas County Community College District is the recipient of the 2006 OCA Institutional Excellence Award. She is the Director of Community Development and is responsible for promoting DCCCD in the Asian community, facilitating Asian support for DCCCD projects and programs, and identifying and meeting community needs with respect to educational opportunities and workforce development.

OCA also recognized Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. as the 2006 OCA Outstanding Corporate Partner. The Corporate Partner Award is the highest honor that OCA bestows upon its corporate partners. David L. Kim, Director of Asian Marketing & Community Relations for Anheuser-Busch Inc., accepted the award on behalf of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. Mr. Kim is also the Chair of the OCA-Business Advisory Council.

"OCA is proud to present this prestigious award to highlight Asian Pacific Americans who serve as shining examples of corporate excellence and community involvement," said OCA National President Ginny Gong.

"OCA Dallas/Fort Worth was especially proud that our national organization is holding this annual event in Plano, Texas because of the growing number of APAs who now reside in this part of the country, " said William Tong, OCA-Dallas/Forth Worth President. "The presence of this event in Texas gave our local chapter more visibility."

The recipient of the Community Service Award is selected from among the recipients of the Corporate Achievement Award for his or her outstanding commitment to volunteerism within the community. The recipient was Christie Kennett of State Farm.