PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Mayor Lee Leffingwell:
Hon. Mayor Lee Leffingwell, the current mayor of Austin, Texas, is being honored with NAAO’s Public Service Leadership Award. He was first elected as an Austin City Council member in 2005, won re-election in 2008, and was elected mayor in 2009. Mr. Leffingwell served for more than five years as a consensus appointee to the City of Austin's Environmental Board and was elected by his peers as Chair for the last four of those years. He has been a steadfast supporter of the Asian American Community including the Asian American Resource Center. And recently hosted the Town Hall Meeting in March that brought over 650 Austin Asian Americans to this very restaurant. Moreover, the Mayor recently traveled to Taiwan where he received dignitaries from Asia. He has consistently supported Asian American cultural programs in the Austin area, including this event tonight.
Mayor Leffingwell, thank you for your support, dedication, and leadership.
Mayor ProTem Mike Martinez:
Austin Mayor ProTem and Chairman of the Cap Metro Board Mike Martinez has devoted virtually his entire career to public service and is thus being honored with NAAO’s Public Service Leadership Award. Before taking office in 2006, Mayor ProTem Martinez served as an Austin firefighter for 13 years. In 2003, he was elected president of the Austin Firefighters Association where he led a successful public campaign to secure collective bargaining rights for Austin firefighters. He also served as the Chair of the Austin Firefighters Association Political Action Committee from 2001-2004. Mr. Martinez’s focus areas have been many, such as, ensuring Austin’s environmental standards, maintaining its strong arts and music culture, enhancing public safety, and improving the availability of affordable housing city-wide. He has worked diligently to find creative solutions to tackle the problem of rapidly rising property taxes in East Austin. Mayor ProTem Martinez serves as the Chair of the Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise and Small Business Council Subcommittee. He has served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Central Texas. Mr. Martinez is a graduate of the LBJ School of Public Affairs West Point Military Leadership Program. He is a strong believer in community involvement and is known for his support of Asian American causes. Mr. Mike Martinez is now the Council’s liaison to the Asian community along with Mayor Leffingwell.
Vincent Cobalis:
Mr. Vincent Cobalis is the current Assistant Director of City of Austin Health and Human Services. In this role, Vince has been a highly recognizable figure in providing health and human services to all the local communities in Austin. Vince has been at his best during disasters like Hurricane Katrina when he worked tirelessly with the victims to ensure they had shelter and food. Vince has been steadfast in supporting the activities and events of NAAO. He has served as the Chair of Asian American Employee Networks (AAEN), which is a member of NAAO. Under his leadership, the organization grew significantly both in terms of recognition and membership. AAEN is one of the founding members of NAAO and Vince was involved in some of the early development of NAAO. He continues to be involved by linking NAAO to opportunities within the City and promoting it as a key ally as the City promotes diversity initiatives. He has been involved in the City’s Asian/Pacific American Cultural Heritage Celebration since it’s inception in 2000. It was through his effort that NAAO was chosen to represent the Asian American community to receive the Asian American Heritage Month Proclamation. For all of the above reasons and more, Mr. Cobalis is being recognized with NAAO’s Public Service Leadership Award.
BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Alex Tan:
Mr. Alex Tan is being recognized with NAAO’s Business Leadership Award. Alex Tan’s greatest contribution is Chinatown Center, which is Austin's largest supermarket of its kind! It has served as a magnet for Asian entrepreneurship, with 40 different businesses calling it their home. Since its opening to the public in 2006, it has been a vital part of the Austin community. Mr. Tan and Chinatown Center is proud to continuously support local Austin businesses and represent the Asian-American community in Austin and its surrounding areas. One of the more recognized events that Alex and Chinatown Center is affiliated with is the annual Chinese New Year's Celebration, which now attracts more than 5,000 people to the Center over a two-day period. Accepting the award on his behalf is Kendi Erickson.
Chien Lee:
Mr. Chien Lee is being recognized with NAAO’s Business Leadership Award for his many contributions to the Asian American community in Austin. Mr. Lee was instrumental in the formation of NAAO, the AAACC, the Asian Contractor Association, and the Texas Federation of Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Whenever the Asian American community needs sponsorship or support on community events, Mr. Lee and his firm always comes forward to contribute their resources to support the community. Recently, the firm contributed approximately their in-kind professional surveying services to the future site of the Asian American Resource Center.
The firm, under Mr. Lee’s leadership, has supported the City’s AAEN in the past years in celebrating the Asian American Heritage Month events. In past years, he has partnered with the NAAO in community health fair, disaster relief campaign, MBE/WBE outreach program, and other numerous gala events. Mr. Lee previously served as a board member for NAAO, AAACC, the Asian Contractor Association, and Leadership Austin. He has been serving as a member of the City of Austin’s Water & Wastewater Commission for more than twelve years. His long time service to the community has served as a role model and inspired many young community leaders to follow in his footsteps in community service.
Pete K. Patel, PE:
Mr. Pete K. Patel is being recognized for his steadfast support of Asian American causes and events in Central Texas with NAAO’s Business Leadership Award. Mr. Patel is the Chairman and CEO of CP&Y, Inc., a professional engineering corporation that develops infrastructure projects in the environmental, water/wastewater/solid waste, highways, bridges, airports, and transit fields. CP&Y has 8 regional offices in Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma. Mr. Patel is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Texas and has more than 37 years of experience in the development of infrastructure projects in the US and overseas. Mr. Patel graduated in 1973 with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso. Prior to joining CP&Y in 1981, Mr. Patel spent eight years with URS Forest & Cotton in Dallas and two years with Texas Instruments. Under Mr. Patel’s leadership, CP&Y has been a consistent supporter of Asian communities throughout Texas for the past 30 years. CP&Y has contributed to many efforts of the Austin Asian American Chamber of Commerce and other Asian organizations across the state.
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Nancy Bui:
Nancy Bui is being honored with NAAO’s Community Leadership Award. As president of VAHF (Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation), Nancy has been a tremendous force behind the effort to provide opportunities to Vietnamese American individuals or organizations to contribute to the betterment of the society. Her significant contributions include formation of “Operations VAKRE” (Vietnamese American Katrina Relief Effort) which raised $30,000 for the evacuees and then assisted city authorities in caring for those who took shelter in Austin. She partnered with the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum to present a 1-day exhibit chronicling Vietnamese Americans moving to the US: “Painting a Picture of Vietnamese Americans in Texas.” She also partnered with Austin History Center and Austin Public Library and created the “Vietnam to Austin: Restoring Community" exhibit that focused on the history, transition, and contributions of Vietnamese Americans in Austin. And last April, through VAHF, she partnered with the Center for Asian American Studies (CAAS) to organize “The Other Veterans: Women & Children of The Vietnam War" exhibit at UT, Austin. This event was covered by the local media, including Channel 8 TV.
Emily Dedear :
Emily Dedear is well-known in the Austin area as one of the prime advocates of the Asian performing arts. Her dance academy, the Love of China School of Dance, has provided the community with a beautifully expressive art form for the past 12 years. In addition to serving as the founder and director of her school, Emily also participates in various volunteer programs which expose elementary-age children to different world cultures. She and her students have performed at many fundraising and community events, including the fundraiser for China earthquake and Chinese Society of Austin fundraiser for Typhoon Morakot victims, American Red Cross of Central Texas benefit event, Chuy's Children Giving to Children Parade, First Night Austin, and more. As a graduate of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, Emily is dedicated to helping her students grow into confident performers and successful individuals. In 2008, she received the Flying Phoenix award from the National Dance Association of Republic of China (Taiwan) for her continued achievements. In her devotion to the arts, she has encouraged many students - young and old alike - to impact their community and spread the love of China's exquisite culture. In recognition of her many contributions, Emily is being honored tonight with NAAO’s Community Leadership Award.
Shanker Reddy:
Mr. Shanker Reddy is being recognized for his extended service to the Asian American community and to the community at large in Austin with NAAO’s Community Leadership Award. Shanker has been a resident of Austin for over 20 years. Shanker is employed full-time at National Instruments but makes the time for a multitude of social and community causes. He is the current chair of the Asian American Resource Center board that is driving the construction of this facility. He is the past president of the NAAO and has long supported NAAO’s initiatives, such as, the fundraiser for the Tsunami Relief Fund. Shanker has volunteered for Meals on Wheels for three years to deliver meals to the elderly in the E. Austin area. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the India Community Center (ICC) which is a member of NAAO. He has twice served as department coordinator for the annual United Way charitable campaign at his place of employment. Shanker has an abiding interest in the political arena and has participated in fundraising for political campaigns. Last but not the least, he also served on the board with the Telugu Cultural Association (an ethnic Indian organization) and Chinmaya Mission of Austin.
PRESIDENTIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
Raymond Chan
Raymond Chan is being honored with NAAO’s Presidential Recognition Award for his long-term commitment and service to the Asian American community and the community at-large. Raymond has been in Austin for over 35 years. He is the owner of Raymond Chan & Associates, Inc., a civil engineering consulting company established in 1989. He has been active in the Asian community and the community at-large for over 15 years. He was not only one of the founders of the NAAO but also served as its first president. Besides NAAO, he has served as a board member for the Asian American Resource Center non-profit organization. He was one of the major forces pushing AARC since the start. He served on its board for a few years. Through his company (Raymond Chan and Associates), he provided pro-bono services during the design phase. In addition, his company is a regular donor for many NAAO events/programs. Within the community at large, he has served on the City’s Charter Revision Commission. Raymond has also volunteered his time and served as a panelist on many public forums for small business owners and engineers. Currently, he is serving as a member of the Mayor’s Community Cabinet.