New members appointed to CAPAA

Gov. Jay Inslee recently announced the reappointment of Lori Wada and made the following appointments to the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA).

Lori Wada

Lori Wada immigrated to Washington from Seoul, South Korea when she was 18 years old. She has been a state government employee for over 25 years and has been an active and ardent supporter of grass root organizations. Through the 20 plus years as a career state employee, she was able to actively support and participate in affordable housing and healthcare equity initiatives.

Wada was selected as a representative for the 23 member US delegation to Russia during the World Women’s conference, 1991 and in Beijing, China, 1993. She also served on various boards of higher education, low income housing, and community-based social service agencies. Wada brings a diverse background and experience to the CAPAA board with broader focus on social, health, and gender equity issues for the underserved population. Commissioner Wada holds a BA degree from St. Martins University.

Ka’imi Sinclair

Dr. Ka`imi Sinclair is an Assistant Professor at Washington State University – Spokane Health Sciences campus. She has a PhD in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan, School of Public Health, and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of New Mexico. For two decades, she has conducted grant-funded diabetes prevention and diabetes self-management research with racial and ethnic populations across the United States. Dr. Sinclair’s work focuses on culturally adapting health programs and offering them in communities to make them more accessible to underserved populations.

In Hawai`i she worked with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities. Since moving to Washington three years ago, she has become actively involved with the NHPI community in the Puget Sound region, building a community-academic partnership with several NHPI-serving organizations including the Asian Counseling and Referral Service, the International Community Health Services, and the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, of which she is a member of the Board of Directors. (end)