Senator
Mark Warner U.S. Senate Virginia |
Mark Warner spent 20 years as a successful technology and business leader in Virginia before he was elected to public office. The first in his family to graduate from college. Warner was elected Virginia Governor in 2001, and worked with a Republican legislature to turn a $6 billion budget shortfall into a $1 billion budget surplus. He brought business efficiency to state government, launched innovative education reforms, and led an economic development effort that created nearly 130,000 new jobs across Virginia. When Mark Warner left the Governor's Office, Virginia was ranked as the best state for business, the best managed state, and the best state in which to receive a public education.
Governor Warner was elected to the United States Senate in 2008, and serves on the Banking, Budget, Finance and Intelligence committees. At a time when Washington seems gridlocked by partisan politics, he has emerged as a bipartisan leader who's willing to cross the political aisle to bring people together and get things done. Mark Warner has consistently been in the Senate's sensible center, working with Republicans and Democrats to cut red tape and reduce spending. He has partnered with Senate Republicans on every major piece of legislation he has introduced, including bills to end taxpayer bailouts of failing banks, address our significant infrastructure needs, and promote innovative new tools for start-up companies and job creation. |
Congressman Mike Honda
U.S. House of Representatives California, 17th District |
Congressman Mike Honda represents California’s 17th district, which includes Silicon Valley – the leading region for tomorrow’s technologies. He serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and is Chair Emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. He chairs CAPAC’s Immigration Task Force, and authored the Reuniting Families Act. Congressman Honda ensured that President Obama’s historic healthcare reform addressed AAPI health disparities and cultural, language barriers.
Since being held in Japanese American internment camps during World War II, he has championed civil rights. For over 20 years, he advocates to bring justice to “Comfort Women” survivors. Congressman Honda introduced H.Res.121 – the “comfort women resolution,” which passed unanimously in 2007, and secured a provision in the Fiscal Year 2014 spending bill which urges the Secretary of State to encourage the Government of Japan to address the issues raised in H.Res.121. As a senior AAPI Member of Congress and previous seven-year DNC Vice-Chair, Congressman Honda advocated for increased AAPI representation at all levels of our government. |
Congresswoman
Donna Edwards U.S. House of Representatives Maryland, 4th District |
Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards represents Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, comprising portions of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties. She was sworn in after a special election to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 110th Congress in June 2008, becoming the first African American woman to represent Maryland in Congress. She began her first full-term in the 111th Congress in 2009.
Congresswoman Edwards has enjoyed a diverse career as a nonprofit public interest advocate and in the private sector on NASA’s Spacelab project. In 1994, as co-founder and executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, she led the effort to pass the Violence Against Women Act that was signed into law by President Clinton. Since being sworn in, Congresswoman Edwards has secured a number of legislative accomplishments to improve the lives of working families in her Congressional District and around the country. Her first act as a Member of Congress was to add Maryland to the Afterschool Suppers Program, ensuring access to nutritional suppers to afterschool and youth development programs in schools located in low-income areas. During the health care debate, Congresswoman Edwards secured a provision that holds insurance companies accountable for unjustifiable rate increases. Congresswoman Edwards has introduced legislation to expand research and development, domestic manufacturing, and infrastructure spending to create jobs and grow our economy. She was also the first Member of the House to introduce and champion a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. |
Congresswoman
Grace Meng U.S. House of Representatives New York, 6th District |
U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng is serving her first term in the United States House of Representatives. Grace represents the Sixth Congressional District of New York encompassing the New York City borough of Queens, including west, central and northeast Queens. Grace is the first Asian-American Member of Congress from New York, and the only Representative of Asian descent on the entire east coast. She is also the first female Member of Congress from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.
During her first term in the House, Grace scored several legislative victories, an unusual accomplishment for a new Member of Congress. Her first major legislative effort, to allow federal disaster funds to be used for rebuilding houses of worship damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, passed the House just six weeks after she was sworn in to Congress. She also secured passage of her bill to reduce the massive backlog of veterans’ disability claims, as well as legislation that better protects American diplomats serving overseas, in the wake of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. In addition, the House approved her measure to make the desecration of cemeteries a violation of religious freedom. Born in Corona, Queens, and raised in the Bayside section of the borough, Grace graduated from Stuyvesant High School and the University of Michigan. She then earned a law degree from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. Prior to entering public service, she worked as a public-interest lawyer. Grace resides in Queens with her husband, Wayne, two sons – Tyler and Brandon – and her dog, Bounce. |
Congressman
Chris Van Hollen Maryland, 8th District |
Congressman Chris Van Hollen was elected to Congress in 2002 and quickly earned a reputation as an active, engaged, and effective member of the House of Representatives. He is working to advance policies that support job creation and economic growth, reduce the deficit, and put America on a path to fiscal sustainability and broadly-shared prosperity.
In addition to representing the Eighth District of Maryland and serving in House leadership, Congressman Van Hollen was re-elected by his colleagues in 2012 to serve a second term as the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee. In this position, he serves as a key point person on budget and economic legislation in the House. The Washington Post described Congressman Van Hollen as a “bona fide budget expert” and the LA Times said he “is among his party's best budget minds.” Roll Call has noted that “Van Hollen gets near-universal respect from his colleagues for his intellectual firepower and combination of policy and political chops.” Congressman Van Hollen was given the “Courageous Leadership Award” from The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee and was recognized by Washingtonian Magazine as the “Best Metro Area Member of Congress” and as the “Best Local Elected Official” by Bethesda Magazine. He is a leader of efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, and fought successfully to obtain a historic boost in federal funds for the Bay as part of the Farm Bill and to secure provisions in the Recovery Act that provided loan guarantees for renewable energy projects. A former professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Congressman Van Hollen has a strong background in national security policy. The son of a Foreign Service officer, he lived and studied abroad for many years and has remained active in issues related to U.S. foreign policy and national security. Congressman Van Hollen has received numerous leadership awards for his legislative activities, including the top award from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters for his work on environmental issues! Before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Van Hollen served 4 years in the Maryland House of Delegates and 8 years in the Maryland Senate. He also worked as an attorney in private practice for 10 years. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Georgetown University Law Center. He lives in Kensington, Maryland with his wife, Katherine, and their three children, Anna, Nicholas, and Alexander. |
Congresswoman
Doris Matsui U.S. House of Representatives California, 6th District |
Congresswoman Doris Matsui has represented the city of Sacramento and its surrounding areas since 2005. As a member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee she serves on the Health and Communications and Technology subcommittees.She was at the forefront of the effort to build the Joint Federal Project at Folsom Dam, a $1 billion project that is a model of cooperation and efficiency. She also fights to preserve the region’s water rights and resources within the ongoing Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
She has worked tirelessly to improve access to high quality health care in Sacramento and across the nation. Through her committee work, Congresswoman Matsui helped author the Affordable Care Act, and she continues to work with stakeholders to ensure the Sacramento region has what it needs to provide the access to health care services that every citizen deserves. She is also a champion in Congress for improving our nation’s mental health care system, and secured passage of landmark bipartisan legislation, the Excellence in Mental Health Act, which provides $1 billion to strengthen the mental health safety net. Congresswoman Matsui has been a leader in Congress on tackling climate change, and she serves as a co-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC). During the 114th Congress, Congresswoman Matsui was elected by her peers to serve as a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. As co-chair, she works closely with the 88 women Members of the House to advance issues that matter most to women in the United States. After growing up on a farm in California's Central Valley, Congresswoman Matsui met her husband, the late Congressman Bob Matsui, while attending the University of California at Berkeley. During President Clinton's first term in office, she served as one of eight members of the President's transition board. She later served for six years as Deputy Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Public Liaison. Congresswoman Matsui has a son Brian Matsui and a daughter-in-law Amy Matsui. She has two grandchildren, Anna and Robby. |
Janet Nguyen
CA State Senator 34th District |
The Honorable Janet Nguyen was overwhelmingly elected to the California State Senate in November 2014 to represent the residents of the 34th Senate District. Senator Nguyen has set many firsts in state and national politics. She is the first Vietnamese-American in the country to be elected to a state’s legislative Senate house, and she is the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American elected official in the United States. Senator Nguyen represents more than 925,000 residents in California’s 34th Senate District, which covers the Cities of Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Westminster, unincorporated communities of Midway City and Rossmoor and portions of Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Orange.
For her efforts to serve the community, Senator Nguyen has been awarded the We Give Thanks 2004 Women of Vision Award, which recognizes outstanding women who have provided exceptional services to the community. Nguyen was also named to the Class of 2008 Latino OC 100 for her work with the Latino community. In addition, the Orange County Register has listed her as one of the “30 Vietnamese-Americans to Watch.” Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Senator Janet Nguyen and her family escaped their homeland on a small wooden 10-meter boat sailing across the South Asia Sea in search of freedom. After passing through numerous refugee camps, Senator Nguyen and her family arrived in California in 1981. She is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Senator Nguyen resides in Garden Grove with her husband Tom and two sons. |
Congressman Raúl Grijalva
U.S. House of Representatives Arizona, 3rd District |
Raúl Grijalva began his career in public service as a community organizer in Tucson. Four decades later, he continues to be an advocate for those in need and a voice for the constituents of his home community. From 1974 to 1986, Raúl served on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, including six years as Chairman. In 1988, he was elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where he served for the next 15 years, chairing the Board for two of those years. Raúl resigned his seat on the Board of Supervisors in 2002 to seek office in Arizona's newly created Seventh Congressional District. Despite a nine-candidate primary and the challenge of being outspent three-to-one by his closest competitor, Raúl was elected with a 20-point victory, thanks to a diverse coalition of supporters that led the largest volunteer-driven election effort in Arizona.
Throughout his career, Raúl has always fought for underrepresented voices. The passions that drove him as a School Board member to fight for and succeed at implementing bilingual education in Arizona are the same passions that motivated him to help pass the first bond package containing a $10 million commitment to reinvest in older, poorer neighborhoods while he was a County Supervisor. Likewise, they are what drive him today as he fights to reform our broken immigration system, ensure livable wages for American workers, and create vital land protections to safeguard our nation's natural treasures for the next generation. In 2014, Raúl was elected Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee by his Democratic colleagues on the committee. He also serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and is a Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as well as a long-standing member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. |
Congresswoman
Tammy Duckworth U.S. House of Representatives Illinois, 8th District |
Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. She was re-elected to represent Illinois’ 8th Congressional District in 2014 and was sworn in for her second term on January 6, 2015.
In 2004, Duckworth was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard. She was one of the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom until her helicopter was hit by an RPG on November 12, 2004. Duckworth lost her legs and partial use of her right arm and was awarded a Purple Heart. Duckworth spent the next year recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where she quickly became an advocate for her fellow Soldiers and testified before Congress about caring for our Veterans and wounded warriors. Following her recovery, Duckworth ran for Congress in 2006. After a narrow loss, she became Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. She worked to create a tax credit for employers who hired Veterans, established a first-in-the-nation 24/7 Veterans crisis hotline, and developed innovative programs to improve Veterans’ access to housing and health care. In 2009, President Obama appointed Duckworth to be Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. At VA, Duckworth led an initiative to end Veterans homelessness. Duckworth recently completed her PhD in Human Services at Capella University. In her spare time, she volunteers at local food pantries and enjoys couponing and flea markets. Duckworth served in the Army Reserve Forces for 23 years until she announced her retirement at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. Duckworth lives in Hoffman Estates with her husband Bryan, an Army Major, and their daughter Abigail. Since her recovery, Duckworth has resumed flying as a civilian pilot. Fulfilling a promise she made at Walter Reed, she has also completed several marathons. |
Congresswoman
Lucille Roybal-Allard U.S. House of Representatives California, 40th District |
In 1992, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress. As a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Congresswoman has worked tirelessly to create jobs, improve health services, and create stronger, better educational opportunities for her constituents in California’s 40th Congressional District. She also ranks as one of the House’s foremost supporters of immigration reform, a strong homeland security system, labor unions, veterans, and the rights of women and children.
Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is the first Latina to serve on the House Appropriations Committee, and the first Latina to serve as a chair or ranking member on a House Appropriations Subcommittee. As the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, the Congresswoman fights to ensure our homeland security personnel have the resources they need to keep our country safe, and she advocates for bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform that treats immigrants humanely, focuses on deporting those who threaten national security, and better secures our borders. From her position on the House Appropriations Committee, the Congresswoman has secured millions of dollars to create jobs on much-needed local construction and transportation projects, and at organizations throughout her district. She has been at the forefront of the fight to improve the quality and affordability of health services, and has led legislative efforts to protect the health of mothers and babies. She has successfully secured funding for local health needs, including infant and child care, prenatal health, dental care, HIV testing, substance abuse, diabetes treatment, and telehealth services. She has been equally successful in obtaining federal dollars for local education and labor projects, including job training and placement services, arts and vocational education, afterschool care, early education, magnet schools, and English literacy programs. In addition to the Homeland Security Subcommittee, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard serves on two other Appropriations Subcommittees: the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee, which oversees federal funding for public education, workforce training, and health care initiatives; and the Energy and Water Subcommittee, which oversees federal funding for water and energy infrastructure projects, the Army Corps of Engineers, and nuclear defense programs. She also serves as a House Democratic Senior Whip, and is a member of the following caucuses, among others: the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where she serves on the Civil Rights, Housing, and Voting Rights Task Force; the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC); the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); and the Democratic Outreach & Engagement Task Force. |
Congressman
Ed Royce U.S. House of Representatives California, 39th District |
U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R) is serving his eleventh term in Congress representing California's 39th District, based in Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties. He and his wife, Marie, are longtime residents of Fullerton, CA. Almost 30% of the residents of Royce’s district are of AAPI descent, and Congressman Royce is one of the premier advocates in our nation’s capitals for the interests of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Royce's priorities in Congress are: addressing our national debt, protecting our homeland, eliminating pork-barrel spending, fighting crime and supporting victims of crime, strengthening education for all students, spurring job creation and strengthening Social Security and Medicare. For the 113th Congress, Royce was selected to be Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Royce has served on the Committee since entering Congress in 1993. Immediately prior to becoming Chairman of the Committee, Royce served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade and a member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. Congressman Royce has consistently championed partnerships between the United States and nations of the Pacific, and has been a strong advocate for the victims of human rights abuses in Asia. In 2004, he was an original co-sponsor of the North Korean Human Rights act, which was signed into law to promote human rights in North Korea and protect North Korean refugees. Royce has also been long-been involved in calling attention to the abysmal human rights conditions in Vietnam. He has worked on several important pieces of legislation to promote religious freedom and democracy in that nation, including the Freedom of Information in Vietnam Act, the Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act and the Vietnam Human Rights Act. As a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, Royce sits on two Subcommittees: Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, and Insurance and Housing. Royce has served on the conference committees for some of the most significant legislation in the financial services arena. For more than a decade Royce has called for a stronger federal regulator to limit Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's excessive risk taking at the expense of taxpayers. Royce has consistently earned honors and awards from the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Watchdogs of the Treasury, Americans for Tax Reform, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, United Seniors Association, 60 Plus, American Share Holders Association, Citizens for a Sound Economy and the Small Business Survival Committee. A California native, Royce is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, School of Business Administration. Prior to entering public service, his professional background includes experience as a small business owner, a controller, a capital projects manager, and a corporate tax manager for a Southern California company. Royce and his wife, Marie, have been married for 28 years. |
Congresswoman
Barbara Lee U.S. House of Representatives California, 13th District |
Congresswoman Barbara Lee is a forceful and progressive voice in Congress, dedicated to social and economic justice, international peace, and civil and human rights.
First elected in 1998 to represent California’s then-9th Congressional District (now the 13th), the Democratic lawmaker has established a reputation for principled and independent stands, unafraid to take on the tough issues and speak her mind for her constituents, for a more just America, and for a safer world. As a social worker by profession, being an advocate for people dealing with the federal bureaucracy has been a priority. She has aggressively represented the needs of the underserved and vulnerable people in her district and throughout the U.S., vigorously advocating for a wide range of social and economic concerns. In 2007, Congresswoman Lee (D-CA) joined with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and Rep. Joe Baca of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to form the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus (COPC). The Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus seeks to bring together lawmakers, organizations, community leaders, and other key stakeholders to find concrete solutions to end poverty. The COPC is committed to increasing awareness about and finding bi-partisan legislative solutions to eliminating poverty in the United States. The Congresswoman has been a strong proponent of safe communities, affordable housing, the homeless, low income energy assistance, job training, making health care affordable and universal, just immigration policies, the establishment of a living wage, and protection of the right of women to make decisions about their reproductive health. She is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and former co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. |
Congressman
Mark Takano U.S. House of Representatives California, 41st District |
For more than twenty years, Mark Takano has worked to improve the lives of Riverside County residents, both as an elected official and as a teacher at Rialto High School.
Born and raised in Riverside, Mark's commitment to public service began at an early age. His family roots in Riverside go back to his grandparents who, along with his parents, were removed from their respective homes and sent to Japanese American Internment camps during World War II. After the war, these two families settled in Riverside County to rebuild their lives. Mark attended La Sierra High School in the Alvord Unified School District, and in 1979 he graduated as the school's valedictorian. Mark attended Harvard College and received his bachelor's degree in Government in 1983. In 1990, Mark was elected to the Riverside Community College District's Board of Trustees. At RCC, Mark has worked with Republicans and Democrats to improve higher education for young people and job training opportunities for adults seeking to learn a new skill or start a new career. He was elected Board President in 1991 and helped the Board and the District gain stability and direction amid serious fiscal challenges. During Mark’s long history of public service in Riverside County he has served on the Community Advisory Board of the Children's Spine Foundation and the Board of the Chancellor's Asian Pacific Islander Community Advisory Center at the University of California, Riverside. He has served as chairman of the Riverside Mayor's Task Force on the Digital Divide, as a charter member of the Association of Latino Community College Trustees, as a member of the Association of California Asian American Trustees and as a member of Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education. He is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Visionaries Award. Today, Mark Takano represents the people of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley and Perris in the United States Congress. He serves on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and the House Education and Workforce Committee. |
Delegate Mark Keam
Virginia House of Delegates 35th District |
Mark Keam represents Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates. In 2009, Mark became the first Asian immigrant elected to hold state-level office in Virginia. As a third term legislator with a reputation for bipartisanship and effectiveness, Mark focuses on creating jobs, improving schools, addressing traffic gridlocks, reducing burdens on businesses, strengthening social safety nets, and making the government more accountable.
Mark serves on Commerce, Education, Finance, and Agriculture Committees. Several bills he authored have become law in Virginia, including green jobs tax credit, healthcare jobs for military veterans, property tax relief for elderly homeowners, food allergy safety training, sales tax fraud prevention and prisoner reentry reforms. Born in Seoul, Korea, Mark spent his childhood in South Vietnam until just before that country fell to communism. His family then moved to Australia before settling in America when Mark was a teenager. He graduated from the University of California at Irvine and Hastings College of the Law. |
