Office of the County Executive
Press Release
Dec 15, 2005

Nine-Member Committee Will Advocate for the Asian American Community and Seek to Improve Cultural Understanding

Hauppauge, NY – Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy announced today the creation of the Suffolk County Asian-American Advisory Board, a nine-member panel which will discuss and advise the county on issues of importance to the growing community of Asian Americans.

"The Asian American Advisory Board will be an invaluable tool to me as a conduit to the needs and concerns of the community, as I strive to make government representative of all the people it serves," said Levy.

The advisory board, which will meet monthly, will encourage civic participation by Asian Americans, promote and assist Asian-American business development and work to improve cultural understanding between the Asian American community, government and all residents.

The panel will be overseen by the County's Office of Minority Affairs and will include nine Asian American Suffolk County residents.

Board members are listed alphabetically below:

Dr. Chung Chi Chou, of Huntington Station;

Akie Naito Gearns, of Eastport;

Belinda Pagdanganan, of Bay Shore;

Rev. Francis Sang, of the SS. Cyril and Methodius Church in Deer Park;

Dr. Panna Shah, President of The Shanti Fund;

Stella Shieh, of Commack;

Ritu Wackett, of the Small Business Development Center of Farmingdale;

DaZhou Wang of Lloyd Harbor;

Dr. Jim Yih-Jin Young, of Lake Grove

"While there are many core issues which impact all Suffolk residents and all communities – such as taxes, education, affordable housing, public safety and access to health care – we continue to be sensitive to the needs and interests of the various ethnic groups which make up nearly 20 percent of our population," Levy said.

Original: http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/pressreleases.cfm?ID=1483&dept=19