Governor Wolf oversaw the swearing in of the appointees for the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs yesterday.
The commission was created by Executive Order in August. The commissioners were sworn in by Secretary of State Pedro Cortés at the Governor’s Residence.
“In Pennsylvania today, our Asian American and Pacific Islander population represent one of the fastest growing racial groups in our Commonwealth. This population is a community of contrasts because overall as a racial group they contribute significantly to the economy through job creation, business ownership, and consumer spending.” Governor Wolf said. “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continue to face challenges to language access, diverse educational needs, they are disproportionately impacted by disease and many are uninsured, and there are increasing numbers of unemployment and those living below the poverty line. These are just a few of the issues that I hope this Commission will look at improving over the course of their service.”
“I know that this passionate group of leaders and professionals will act as tireless advocates on behalf of Pennsylvania’s diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities,” the Governor concluded. “Each of these individuals will be a tremendous asset to the Commission, and people across the Commonwealth will be well-served by their commitment to improving the lives of our Asian American and Pacific Islanders.”
The full list of members is presented below:
Bibhuti Aryhal, Allegheny County
Brad Baldia, Philadelphia County
Rob Buscher, Philadelphia County
Suresh Canagarajah, Centre County
Shuhua Fan, Lackawanna County
Anuj Gupta, Philadelphia County
Deep Gupta, Cumberland County
Naimah Hares, Philadelphia County
Amy Hever, Chester County
Fariha Khan, Delaware County
Mia-lia Kiernan, Philadelphia County
Pearl Kim, Delaware County
Kao Kue, Delaware County
Archana Kumar, Erie County
Helene Lee, Philadelphia County
Thomas Lee, Dauphin County
Samip Mallick, Philadelphia County
Salvador Parco, Erie County
Kiran Patel, Dauphin County
Anna Perng, Philadelphia County
Sancha Rai, Allegheny County
Kannu Sahni, Allegheny County
Nick Shenoy, Chester County
Phuong Truong, Cumberland County
James Wang, Delaware County
Hani White, Philadelphia County
Carol Wong, Philadelphia County
Mila Yochum, Allegheny County
Kay Kyungsun Yu, Philadelphia County
Wen Qin Zhang, Cumberland County