Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday the appointments of 28 public members to the New Jersey Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission.
The announcement comes during AAPI Heritage Month, which is an annual celebration that recognizes the cultural and historical contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
“In New Jersey, we wear our diversity as a badge of honor,” Murphy said. “As our state is home to the third-largest percentage of AAPI residents in the nation, our AAPI community is a key part of the great diversity in our state. I am proud to appoint these outstanding members to the New Jersey Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission and look forward to working with them to address the social and economic needs of the AAPI community.”
In November, Murphy signed legislation establishing the Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission within the Department of State. The commission is charged with developing policies to address the social and economic needs of the growing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in New Jersey. Under this new law, the commission will be required to submit an annual report to the governor and the Legislature about the commission’s activities.
Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Jersey City), who serves as chairman of the Legislature’s seven-member Joint Asian Pacific American Caucus, applauded the announcement.
“The AAPI Commission will be integral in developing ways to uncover and address the social and economic needs of New Jersey’s burgeoning Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and ensure they feel welcome against the backdrop of pandemic-related violence and hate incidents targeting Asian Americans,” he said. “This esteemed list of nominees is the beginning of the great work we can accomplish together. Congratulations to all of the nominees, and I look forward to working with the commission on their agenda.”
State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Ocean Twp.), vice chair of the Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and sponsor of legislation establishing the AAPI Commission, agreed.
“I would like to commend Gov. Murphy on this strong slate of nominations to the AAPI Commission. Collectively, these individuals represent the wide diversity and the varied and rich contributions that the Asian American Pacific Islander community makes to our multicultural state,” he said. “As we move forward in the 21st century, we need to make sure all our people, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, are valued, encouraged and represented in helping to make New Jersey the best it can be.”
The governor appointed the following members to the commission:
- Peter Ahn
- Cecilia Aranzamendez
- Angela Bae
- Saima Bhutta
- Samantha Bobila
- Saketa Chadalavada
- Dr. Ronald Chen
- Gulshan Chhabra
- Kin Gee
- Smita Nadia Hussain
- Sharmila Jaipersaud
- Vinita Jethwani
- Dr. Khyati Joshi
- Sabeen Kalyan-Masih
- Rippi Karda
- Dr. Naveen Mehrotra
- Anjali Mehrotra
- Rupande Mehta
- Mary Pan
- Falguni Pandya
- Dr. Bishnu Maya Pariyar
- Amber Reed
- Dr. Nimisha Shukla
- Amol Sinha
- Gabriel Tanglao
- Jasmine Ueng-McHale
- Yoginder Virk
- Yan Mei Wang
