April General Meeting
We are excited to have our guest speaker, Enoka Herat, present at our April 9 meeting. Enoka is the new Policy Director in the Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown’s Administration. She has worked alongside immigrant rights and police accountability advocates across the state, making WA a more humane place to live for all of us. Prior to the AG’s office, Enoka was Policing and Immigration Policy Program Director with the ACLU for nearly eight years, where she helped create landmark legislation around police tactics and use of force. Enoka received her Juris Doctor at University of Washington and her bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan University. Enoka is the proud daughter of Sri Lankan immigrants, and lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids.
|
HAPPEN general membership meetings are scheduled the second Wednesday of the month from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 810 6147 0109 Passcode: 571168
One tap mobile +12532158782,,81061470109#,,,,*571168# US (Tacoma) +16699009128,,81061470109#,,,,*571168# US (San Jose)
 HAPPEN Leadership and Career Development Series on April 16 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm will feature a table talk session with HAPPEN Executive Leadership Policy Lead, Brian Lock (he/him/his), Contract and Finance Specialist for Washington State Department of Health. Brian will share his lived narrative of leadership, challenges and the pathways to be the change.
Brian Lock is honored to serve as the Policy Lead for the HAPPEN BRG. In Board volunteer roles as Co-Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of South Puget Sound (APIC SPS) and the Multicultural Service Center of South Sound, Brian has been involved in policy and legislation that directly impact the Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Communities. Some of this work has involved putting together policy statements and education materials for legislators and in coordinating meetings with local state legislative delegations and occasionally our Congressional representatives.
In his early state government career, Brian had been Co-Chair of the Asian Pacific State Employee Network. Brian has been in Washington State government for nearly 29 years with stops at the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, Office of Financial Management (Serve WA Commission), Department of Commerce, Pierce College, and now at the Department of Health as a Contract and Finance Specialist.
Brian's background has involved public policy, budget development, writing and managing federal grants and contracts, and program development. His educational background includes having a BA in Political Science from Western Washington University and an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University with an emphasis in Public Finance. Brian was also an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Executive Fellow and Executive Development Institute (EDI) graduate.
Prep for May Leadership Development Session
The May session of the Leadership Development program has been changed from May 21st to May 28th to accommodate the annual HAPPEN Heritage celebration. Please update your calendar.
In preparation, please watch this video (55 min) at your leisure to be prepared for the discussion.
Join Zoom Meeting
Contact: Lynora Hirata with any questions.
Lynora has curated various leadership information relevant to our community in Padlet. Feel free to bookmark and check back regularly.
 A Communication Confidence Coaching Series for Asian Americans (AANHPI)
When: April 3, 2025 from 10:00 am to noon
Join meeting
Why is your voice needed?
-
Speak up for yourself and others: Your voice is essential not only for your personal growth but also for allies and others to understand your perspective.
-
DEI is under attack: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts are facing challenges, making it more critical than ever to ensure AANHPI voices are heard.
-
Underrepresentation: AANHPI voices are often not represented in important discussions and decisions.
-
Treatment and perception of AANHPI: Addressing how AANHPI individuals are treated and perceived in various settings is crucial for fostering understanding and change.
Join the last session. Its okay, if you didn't attend the first 2 sessions.
Session 1 Video link
Session 2 Video link
Speak Up: Your Voice Matters - Session 3
- Review the homework and your observations
- Intros of participants who have not spoken up, feedback
- Techniques to be able to get the microphone
- Allyship
- Real-Life scenarios at meeting - role play
- Question and Answers
Act like you want to be seen. Speak like you want to be heard.
We will talk about difficult conversations and discuss what to do referring to this meeting: https://youtu.be/3LFoLFZ5kaI?si=bnAOWb5ksLGB0KMk&t=2220
Cultural Events & Activities
The following are some activities you may want to check out HAPPENing:
Master Classes: Asian American Career Ceiling Lessons "How to Build Your Personal Network, including Through Strategic Allies"
When: May 6, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Cost: Free
The Committee of 100 is offering the forty-sixth Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative event, featuring a Masterclass for Individuals on "How to Build Your Personal Network, including Through Strategic Allies".
Throughout the many events held over the years, one of the observations that comes out repeatedly is the importance of having a strong network inside and outside of the organizations that you are part of. This event will feature insights from two accomplished panelists who have expertise on this topic from their current professional responsibilities as well as their own personal careers: Joy Chen, CEO, Multicultural Leadership Institute and Brian Pang, COO and Head of Partnerships, Stand with Asian Americans.
Allister Chan, Director in Citi’s Investment Banking Division, will be the moderator.
After the conclusion of the fireside chat, there will be a Q&A session during which members of the audience may ask questions.
|
Have Something to Share?
We try our best to curate meaningful and relevant content, opportunities, news, etc., we think will be of interest for our members and allies. Representing over 100 countries and more than 50 communities makes it difficult to stay apprised of everything HAPPENing related to our collective community. We greatly appreciate when opportunities are shared from our members.
This is your bulletin. Feel free to send articles, resources, event information, etc., to be included in future bulletins, and eventually, our website and social media.
Process:
- Submit items by emailing them to HAPPEN@ofm.wa.gov by Thursday morning for the following week's bulletin.
- Time sensitive items submitted will be reviewed and included in the next bulletin.
- Non-time sensitive submissions will be added to the list to be included in future bulletins when we may be looking for content to share.
- Bulletins will usually be distributed on Mondays. Special bulletins will be sent only as needed to provide an update on something already shared or of an urgent nature.
Thank you in advance for sharing, uplifting, and elevating our voices, culture, and opportunities! This is what community looks like.
|
