14 Sep Port to Host Washington’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs
KENNEWICK, Wash. – Port of Kennewick is hosting a board meeting in the Tri-Cities for Washington’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA).
CAPAA is a state agency with an advisory board of 12 commissioners appointed by the governor to be a voice for Washington’s diverse Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.
The public board meeting is Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Port of Kennewick’s commission chambers located at 350 Clover Island Drive, Suite 200 in Kennewick. (Read CAPAA’s board meeting agenda.)
Port Commissioner Skip Novakovich will deliver remarks at CAPAA’s board meeting and Commissioner Raul Contreras Gonzalez will welcome attendees at a networking social.
CAPAA’s networking social is planned for Friday evening before the board meeting at Monarcha Winery at Columbia Gardens Artisan Village from 5 to 8 p.m. for local AANHPI professionals, entrepreneurs and community members. Attendees must RSVP via email to capaa@capaa.wa.gov.
David Phongsa, Marketing & Capital Projects Coordinator for Port of Kennewick is a CAPAA commissioner, representing Benton County, since 2023. Phongsa is Lao American and also serves as chair of CAPAA’s economic development committee. Scott Lehrman, a Japanese American, represents Franklin County as a CAPAA commissioner. Lehrman is also the Pasco School District Board President.
CAPAA commissioners from Tri-Cities nominate community members for the local hero award that will be presented at the networking social. The award recognizes individuals who do outstanding work within the AANHPI communities they represent. Tri-Cities-based nominees include Dr. Yongsheng Sun, an author, nationally recognized scholar and senior professor of intercultural studies and sociology at Columbia Basin College (CBC). Also nominated is Asaka Erdmann, a teacher at Chiawana High School and adjunct instructor in the Arts, Humanities & Communication department at CBC who also coordinates cultural exchange programs.
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Port of Kennewick is an economic development entity focused on developing assets to create sustainable family-wage jobs, build infrastructure and user-friendly transportation systems and enhance the quality of life within the port district.