Governor Pillen Announces Appointments to the Commission on Asian American Affairs

Members have been appointed to serve on a newly created commission charged with advocating for the interests of Asian Americans.

Gov. Jim Pillen announced 13 appointments to the Asian American Affairs Commission on Monday.

The Commission will coordinate programs related to Nebraska’s Asian American community in housing, education, welfare, employment and other issues. It will be overseen by a president and four other board members. A final appointment remains to be made within the commission, which will have a total of 14 members.

Current members include:

• Maureen Brase, Raymond
• Weysan Dun, Omaha
• Deepak M. Gangahar, Elkhorn
• Maorong Jiang, Omaha
• Kieu Tram, Lincoln
• Joanne Li, Omaha
• Yunwoo Nam, Lincoln
• Arunkumar Pondicherry, Lincoln
• Rebecca (Jueyezi) Reinhardt, Lincoln
• Vickie Sakurada Schaepler, Kearney
• Ryo Suzuki, Kearney
• Hiep Vu, Lincoln
• Carol Wang, Omaha

The law requires members of the new commission to be of Asian descent. Non-voting ex officio members may be appointed by the commission and do not need to be of Asian descent.

Members of the Nebraska Commission on Asian American Affairs will join other commissions for racial and ethnic minority groups already represented in state government.

State Sen. Rita Sanders, of Bellevue, sponsored the bill creating the commission, which was signed into law by Pillen in April. The same bill was previously introduced but failed to gain traction in the Legislature in recent years.

The creation of the commission means that Asian Americans in Nebraska will now have direct access to the legislature and state government through the commissioners. It is intended to act as an advocate for housing, education, welfare, medical/dental care, employment, economic development, law, and as an information resource.

Opportunities in government representation have existed for Native Americans in Nebraska since 1971, African Americans since 2021, and Latinos since 1972.

Sanders previously said the commission could boost the state’s economy by being more welcoming to diverse communities within the Asian American population.