President's Message

May 3, 2013

As we enter May we are reminded of the importance of our place in America. The Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was founded to commemorate our contributions to our new country and a time to reflect of where we are.  With the focus on immigration it is a time to reflect. Although the media coverage is on Hispanic immigrant we must also note that a significant number of Asians and Pacific Islanders are also included and we should be in on the discussion. This year’s theme of “Building Leadership: Embracing our Cultural Values and Inclusion” is an important guidepost. To understand more about the critical issues we must pay attention to what is happening in Washington. It is where the nation’s business is conducted. Microsoft, Apple and Google also learn that. FAPAC is planning a workshop on Capitol Hill for June 13. The focus will be on meeting our representatives, especially the new members of CAPAC (Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus), and to learn about what it is meant to be political savvy and be knowledgeable of some of the issues before this session of Congress.  Visit www.fapac.org for more details.

Thanks to the planning team under our Immediate Past President, Farook Sait, FAPAC will be holding its National Leadership Training Program May 6-10 at Long Beach, CA. We will be welcomed by Mayor Bob Foster. The planning team had to put in a lot of extra effort to get us to Long Beach as a result of the sequestration. At Long Beach FAPAC will be holding a General Membership Meeting on Tuesday night and announcing the Challenge pilot program to provide leadership experience for our members who may not be able to get opportunities to build up their core competencies by leading projects. The new FAPAC Scholarship Fund will also be awarding the first scholarship under the new program to Cindy Dinh in memory of Dalip Singh Saund , the first Asian American elected to the United States Congress, at the FAPAC Civilian Award Banquet.  If you have not registered for the event you can still do it on-site. We have waived the late fee due to the sequestration.

FAPAC is constantly looking for new membership especially those who are committed and are willing to devote their valuable time to contribute to the success of our programs. If you are ready to serve, drop us a note at fapac@fapac.org.

April 1, 2013

A few years after the EEOC report on the AAPI employees in the federal workforce, what has happened? FAPAC will explore the issue at the One Day Workshop at Capitol Hill June 13 at the Rayburn Building and the National Leadership Training Program to be held May 6-10 at Long Beach, CA. Mark your calendars for both events. The objective is our goal of a seat at the table. How far have we come and what else we can do.

FAPAC is working with the White House Initiatives on AAPI on a pilot program to provide leadership experience for our members who may not be able to get opportunities to build up their core competencies by leading projects. Hopefully we will announce the program soon and kick off with the first team. Information will be sent to members. It is another reason to become a member if you have not done so. It would be the best $3 a month you can spend. If you are a member please make sure you renew so we can continue to receive information on new opportunities.

Planning for the National Leadership Training Program continues to make progress in the midst of uncertainly and budget issues. As the agencies finalize their spending plans we will see more approvals for attendance. You need to be vigilant and work with your agency to move forward. I look forward to see many of you in Long Beach. We have a fantastic program for you. It is the best training and at low cost for federal employees and managers.

FAPAC will be holding its first general meeting at Long Beach during the NTP under provisions of the new Constitution and Bylaws. Come and learn more about FAPAC and its activites.

As we look forward to the coming of spring and the AAPI Heritage Month, FAPAC will be signing the MOU with the U. S. Department of Education in May.

FAPAC is constantly looking for new membership especially those who are committed and are willing to devote their valuable time to contribute to the success of our programs. If you are ready to serve, drop us a note at fapac@fapac.org.

March 3, 2013

FAPAC welcome the Lunar New Year with 100 members and friends in DC Chinatown and TD Bank singed up to be a new sponsor. Many new members signed up also, thanks to the work of the Membership Committee. According to the Chinese zodiac this is the Year of the Snake. Snakes are known to be patient and analytical and with the political tumult it is a good model for FAPAC leadership.

The planning group for the NTP (National Training Program) is busy working to establish a cost effective and comprehensive program for us all to be held on May 6-10, 2013 at the Long Beach Hilton. We expect attendees from the greater Los Angeles area and Orange County. Several Asian elected officials were invited to the Welcoming Reception.  Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, was to be our Keynote at the Opening but due to his trip overseas he would be the Keynote at the Military Award Luncheon instead. FAPAC has invited Mayor Edwin Lee of San Francisco to be the Keynote at the Opening Ceremony and is waiting for confirmation. Several prominent leaders from the Asian Pacific American community are invited to speak at the various plenary and workshops.  In additional we have seasoned and great trainers from across the government to provide fabulous training on Strategic Leadership, Communication, Supervision/Management Essentials. The FAPAC SW Chapter and the new Young Professional and Outreach Committee are pulling together to put on a three day student program, a first our FAPAC. We will have an independent track of program for students in addition to opportunity for them to meet with recruiters from many agencies. To ensure everyone have a good experience we have a limit so students are asked to registered early so they can come on the day that is best for them. The team visited Long Beach recently and information is being sent out to all area colleges. FAPAC is also teaming up with the Department of Veterans Affairs to put on a Veterans Program to enable agencies to hire more veterans.  In light of the fiscal uncertainty in Washington FAPAC is soliciting the help of the Federal Executives Board to help us to outreach to agencies in Southern California.

The Program Committee is working with the office of Congresswoman Judy Chu and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on the Congressional Workshop to be held in May on Capitol Hill to enable members to learn about congressional operations and meet the many new Asian faces of Congress.

FAPAC is looking forward to graduating its first class of CDHP (Mentoring Program) and will be launching a second class soon, building on its experience. We are also working with the White House Initiatives on AAPI to a possible new pilot project for members in need of more leadership training opportunities.

FAAPC is constantly looking for new membership especially those who are committed and are willing to devote their valuable time to contribute to the success of our programs. If you are ready to serve, drop us a note at fapac@fapac.org.

January 3, 2013

Welcome to Year 2013 and the near miss on leaping over fiscal cliff. The forecast is good – a warmer winter and a recovering housing market if Congress can come to agree on the spending and the debt ceiling. The new Congress will be more diverse but the dynamics may be the same. FAPAC will continue to weather the uncertainty on the budget and the policy.

FAPAC expresses sorrow at the passing of a giant and a great friend – Senator Daniel Inouye. Senator Inouye has dedicated his life defending our country, earning a Medal of Honor as a World War II veteran and was one of our most effective spokesmen for our community, served as the Senator from Hawaii for 50 years. He was a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and always been a strong support of FAPAC .

We are continuing working on the planning of the National Training Program at the Hilton Long Beach and Executive Meeting Center to be held on May 6-10, 2013 with the theme “Building Leadership: Embracing Cultural Values and Inclusion”.  We will concentrate on getting more speakers and trainers from the West Coast and look into trying out new ideas such as webinars.

To get the holiday spirit flowing Membership Committee is organizing a Lunar New Year Luncheon to be held on February 8 at the Chinatown Garden, a few steps from the Gallery Place Metro exit.  Details will be finalized shortly.

FAPAC is working on a MOU with the Department of Education and is looking forward to finalizing it in the near future. We are meeting with other agencies and partners to look for ways to collaborate that will further our mission.

The Executive Board will be working on implementing changes with the approval of the revised Constitution and Bylaw which will include the creation of a National Board of Directors and a National Board of Operation.  FAPAC will be divided into Regions and the Chapter Committee will be busy helping to form new chapters and support the regional structure. To implement change it will always be slow until it gets to a critical mass.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee will be setting up a Speaker Bureau and a resume pool. If you are interested in helping on the projects please contact fapac@fapac.org.

December 5

On behalf of FAPAC I wish everyone the best. Have a happy and safe holiday season.

Congratulations to the FAPAC SW Chapter for putting on another successful One Day Leadership Training Event on November 17 for the sixth year. I had the privilege of representing the Executive Board in swearing in the new officers and also giving the Welcoming Remarks. I look forward to more chapters doing this type of training events so we can provide benefits to members and nonmembers who cannot make it to our National Leadership Training Event. If any of the chapters want to do more local training contact FAPAC SW or the new Chapter Chair Parveen Setia we will help in any way we can to make it happen.

At the same time we are busy working on the planning of the National Training Program at the Hilton Long Beach and Executive Meeting Center to be held on May 6-10, 2013 with the theme “Building Leadership: Embracing Cultural Values and Inclusion”. As we scan the news headline we see the importance of inclusion in our theme for next year.  

After the outreach conducted by the Vice President on Committees, I had the difficult task of trying to make the final appointment on the Standing Committees and Ad hoc committees. My watchword has been passion and commitment, leadership abilities, knowledge of the subject matter and diversity.  Here are the new chairs for the year 2012-2013:

Again thanks for the many members who have stepped forward. For those that I was not able to make the appointment I hope you can be members of the committees and help the new Chair in carrying out their mission. At the end of the day, we are on the same boat – trying to move FAPAC forward.

November 10, 2012

I had the pleasure of representing FAPAC at the kick off meeting of the new USDA Chapter in Washington, DC. Over the years FAPAC has the strong support and participation of many active members from the difference components in addition to the Office of Civil Rights. I look forward to the continued participation from USDA members through the energetic officers represented by Parveen Setia and others.

The One Day Workshop was held on November 9 at the Humphrey Building of HHS and it demonstrated the volunteerism of the many members including Mya Mya Myaing, Thanh Trang and many others.  Congresswoman Judy Chu sent a letter of greetings.  We were fortunate to have Veronica Villalobos, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at OPM and Michael Yaguchi, Executive Director from PPALM, as guest speakers to enlighten us about the importance of diversity and mentoring. Richard Parker, Deputy Associate Attorney General from DOJ moderated a great panel of federal executives to share their experiences on best practices for employee growth.  After lunch Oliver Allen, EEO Officer at DEA continued his string of success with a new seminar, “Career Development Toolkit”, developed especially for our event. William Norris, Managing Director of Coolroe Management Career Development Services, presented his secrets of writing an effective resume. The day ended with a feedback session on the mentoring program pilot (CDHP) that FAPAC has started recently. Another One Day Workshop is planned for February to feature members of Congress and training on federal budget and legislative processes to be held on Capitol Hill.

The 2013 National Leadership Training Program, to be held at the Hilton Conference Center, Long Beach, CA is in full swing with the kick off meeting, presided by Chair Farook Sait. Some preliminary information is posted on the web-site. If you are interested please nominating anyone for Civilian Award please visit the website. For the Military Meritorious Award please contact the DoD Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity.

As I look out of my window the colors of fall is everywhere. After the election the country is ready for major changes.  Many agencies will be changing guard. FAPAC is re-examining our growth model and will be making changes as needed. Training will be under scrutiny and we need a new sustainable model. If you have ideas please share we us by contact us at fapac@fapac.org.

October 8, 2012

Congratulations also to the new officers and I look forward to be working alongside with you to move FAPAC forward. Ahead of us will be many challenges but together we will be able to move barriers.

On September 21 following the Keynote speech by Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the new officers and auditor were sworn into office by Dr. David S. C. Chu, former Under Secretary of Defense. DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, delivered remarks on the accomplishment of the AAPI employees at DEA and pledged her continued support on the important work carried on by FAPAC. Awards were given to the outgoing team and other volunteers. DoD, USDA and DEA were also recognized for their support. Asian Fortune was recognized as the voice of the DC AAPI community.

I had the pleasure of representing FAPAC at the National Image Training Conference in Los Angeles and met with several agencies that have promised participation in our National Training Program to be held on May 6-10, 2013 at the Long Beach Hilton. The U. S. GI Forum promised to play a part as well as the Graduate School and University of Phoenix.

The October Newsletter was issued on time, thanks to the help of Janet Chen. If you have stories please send your article by December 15 for the January 2013 issue.

The One Day Workshop will be held on November 9 at the Humphrey Building of HHS. It would be similar to the one held last October. Watch for details by checking on the web-site.

The officers and I are canvassing the membership for candidates for the Standing Committee Chairs. I hope to announce the appointments in the near future. In the meantime, Farook Sait, former President and Chair of the Honolulu Conference, was appointed as the Conference Chair for 2013. If you are interested in assisting please contact him. Preparation for opening the Conference Site is in progress thanks to the Webmasters Jonathan Lee and Grace Spence. In light of the federal budget FAPAC has again held the registration fee constant to make it even more cost effective. Please contact your agency if you are interested in taking advantage of the excellent training to be offered at Long Beach. We will have more workshop as well as plenary sessions on critical topics including “Working with Congress and Local Government”, “Hazing in the Military”, “AAPI Women Leadership”.  We will have a more robust student track with the help of FAPAC SW Chapter, DoD, and a new Young Professional group. If you want to be among the founding members of the latter please contact fapac@fapac.org.

The new Constitution and Bylaws was presented to the membership on August 1 and the ballot for its ratification is going out this week and you have one week to vote.  Watch for it in your mailbox.

September 4, 2012

September marks the end of a hot summer. FAPAC has held its biennial election and the new team will be installed on September 21 at the National Press Club. If you have not done so, please go on line to register for the event. Also if you have not renewed your membership you can do so at the same time. A number of special guests representing our friends and sponsors will also attend as our appreciation of their continuing support.

Congratulations also to the newly elected Presidents of FEW and BIG. All the organizations under NCEPS (National Coalition for Equity in Public Service) are having election this year. FAPAC looks forward to work with the new leaders at each of the organizations on advancing our common mission.

The election and the federal budget are presenting a lot of challenges on the new team. To get started on the planning for 2013 Farook Sait, former President and Chair for the Honolulu Conference, was appointed to take charge of the Leadership Training Event to be held on May 6-10, 2013 at Long Beach. Farook will be leading a team to visit the Long Beach community. A meet and greet is planned for September 15 at the Long Beach Hilton. Some information has been posted. FAPAC is trying to give you the best value for the training by holding keeping the registration fee unchanged.

The Mentoring Program CDHP held a Resume Workshop on August 24 and thanks are to OPM for presenting the workshop. Writing a good resume is a significant step in landing a good position. CDHP will continue with other training throughout the year to help the participants to move up the ladder as part of the FAPAC Pipeline Initiative.

The October Newsletter is in the planning stage and if you have a story you like to be included please submit the information by September 15.

The new Constitution and Bylaws was presented to the membership on August 1 and after the statutory 30 days eligible members will be receiving a ballot to vote for the ratification on the changes. Watch for the message in your e-mail box.

In the coming year we look for more members to get involved in FAPAC. A new group focusing on Young Professionals will be formed. If you are interested please send a message to fapac@fapc.org. You will see more postings on events and news on facebook. We will be exploring other means of outreach for all members.

August 4, 2012

FAPAC has completed its biennial election on August 1. I like to express my gratitude for the members who have expressed their confidence in me to lead the team for a second term. I am ready to do my best and not disappoint them. I also appreciate everyone on the Nomination and Election Commission who has worked as a team to overcome the different issues and ran a smooth and efficient election.  You will be receiving information on a survey to let us improve on the election process.

On August 1 we have also distributed the revised Constitution and Bylaw thank to the hard work of the CB Committee. After 30 days we will send out the voting procedure for ratifying the new CB to allow a better governing structure with a National Board of Directors and a National Board of Operation. Everyone member will be a part of the decision process through representation of Regional Directors, elected by Chapters, on the National Board of Directors.

The budget uncertainty continues in the federal government so we have to work harder just to stay out of water as we begin our program planning for next year. We are contacting many of our sponsors and partners. The conference team will be visiting Long Beach soon to study the options and to start the long road of providing the AAPI community the best training and networking event on the West Coast.

We had a great event on July 14 at the picnic event at the Wheaton Regional Park with over a hundred attendees and a number of guests including George Leventhal, Member at Large on the Montgomery Council, who delivered a warm greeting.  We are continuing to sign up new members at the different events.

I attended the FEW Conference and together with our NCEPS partners has met with DoD and USAF about the effect of the budget and GSA on attendance of training conferences.  We will continue to work with DoD and other agencies on mitigating the effect.  I will be working with the new team to formulate a budget for the coming year taking in account of the situation that hopefully will also allow us to push forward with the Pipeline Initiative and other new projects. Since National Image decided to move its event to September, FAPAC was the first to hold its conference.  

The July Newsletter is out and we are working on the October issue. FAPAC continues to reach out to the members and the community in general through phone, e-mail, a new website and increasing through facebook and other social media. I plan to form a new Youth Outreach Committee to complement our other efforts to advance the Pipeline Initiative. Our Mentoring Program CDHP is progressing.  We hope to learn from the pilot and to launch an even better program next year.

July 4, 2012

As we celebrate Independence Day we have a lot to be thankful for. FAPAC saw many of its members immigrated to America and took up successful careers in public service. We have enjoyed tremendous freedom thanks to our members in uniform who have made and continue to make sacrifices. Let us remember them. I just received a message from Lorna Mae Devera who is serving her second six month duty in Northern Afghanistan. We look forward to her safe return along with other members.

As part of our annual event we are again putting on a picnic event at the Wheaton Regional Park on July 14, a great opportunity for us to network and enjoy. If you have not signed up please do so as soon as possible so we can get a head count.  The event is open to all members and guests. Bring your favorite dish to share. If you wish to help, please contact Olivia Adrian, our VP for Committees. Bring your colleagues to the picnic so we can sign them up to be new members.

It is election time for FAPAC. The Nomination and Election Committee has sent out information. Nomination has begun and election will be held on August 1. You can vote in person or by electronic ballot.

We have been discussing with our NCEPS partners about the effect of the budget and GSA on attendance of training conferences.  Since National Image decided to move its event to September, FAPAC was the first to hold its conference. We were adversely affected and thanks to the supports of the agencies and many volunteers the effect has been small. I returned from the SAIGE conference and noted the effect on their attendance. FEW will be holding it NTP in July and from the early data their attendance is impacted also. NCEPS has sent a joint letter to President Obama and asked for his personal support. We have shared the letter with OPM and DoD. FAPAC will continue its effort in meeting with agencies to emphasize the importance of training and the value offered by the FAPAC Conference. If you have not done so make sure your attendance is on your IDP and please articulate the benefit of FAAPC training to your everyday work to your agency. If my presence is of any benefit please contact me.

The July Newsletter is out and if you like to have your personal copy contact me or attend the members meeting in DC on July 5.

With the heat wave spreading throughout the country keep cool and be safe. I was among the lucky ones to get my power back after the outage for the week-end.