December 12, 2012
LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Rick Snyder today announced two appointments and four reappointments to the Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission.
The 21-member commission advances the full and equal participation of Asian Pacific Americans in Michigan.
"These appointees bring years of diverse and outstanding experiences to the commission," said Snyder. "They are great choices for these roles and I am thankful for their willingness to serve."
Appointed:
Asim Alavi, of Ann Arbor, is director of information technology and lead principal technical architect for AT&T in Detroit. Previously, he served as the extranet operations lead for Ford Motor Co. and as a customer network analyst for The Epitec Group. Alavi holds a bachelor's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in computer engineering from Wayne State University. He replaces Lawrence Almeda.
Henry Tanaka, of Auburn Hills, is dean of academic and student services at Oakland Community College's Auburn Hills campus. Tanaka has worked for the college since 1993, and previously served as an instructor and as chair of the humanities department. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in ceramic art from the Kansas City Art Institute and Alfred University in New York, respectively. Tanaka fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Leslie Wong.
Reappointed:
Anand Kumar, of Canton, is controller of Auto Club Trust Bank. He has worked for the Auto Club Group since 1996, serving in various leadership positions, including membership product manager, regional business manager, chief financial officer and director of finance. Kumar is a certified management and chartered accountant. He earned a bachelor's degree in commerce from the University of Madras in India.
Jeffrey Vang, of Chesterfield, is a clinical pharmacist at Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center, a position he has held since 2009. Previously, he served as a staff pharmacist for Walgreens in Southfield, as chief pharmacist for Mount Pleasant-based Indian Health Services and as pharmacy manager for Kroger in Detroit. Vang earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Wayne State University and a medical degree in pharmacy from Shenandoah University in Virginia.
Tsu-Yin Wu, of Ypsilanti, is a professor and Ph.D. program director for Eastern Michigan University's School of Nursing. She also is director of the university's Healthy Asian Americans Project. Wu holds a bachelor's degree in nursing from Yang-Ming University in Taiwan and a master's degree and Ph.D. in nursing, both from the University of Michigan. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Michigan Interdisciplinary Women's Health program.
Chair reappointment:
H. Sook Wilkinson, of Bloomfield, is a clinical psychologist and author. She has been in clinical practice for more than 30 years and consults at Beaumont Hospital's Center for Human Development. Wilkinson is a member of the Northern Michigan University board of trustees. She will continue to serve a term at the pleasure of the governor.
With the exception of Tanaka, appointees will serve four-year terms that expire Nov. 30, 2016. Tanaka will serve the remainder of a four-year term that expires Nov. 30, 2014.
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