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A Trailblazer with a Distinguished Career:
From Legislator to Governor to Secretary…
and Now, Ambassador to China
Nearly 500 Attendees Flock to DC to Thank Secretary Gary Locke and Mona Locke
Thank you for making this evening special!
With touching words, Vida Benavides, previous Executive Director of APIAVote, mused, “When President Obama remarked that we had to export our best products and services to strengthen our economy, who knew that he was going to export one of our best and brightest?”
APIAVote predicted that Secretary Locke would be on his way to new adventures and on Wednesday, July 28, 2011, the Senate unanimously confirmed former Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as the next U.S. ambassador to China. Indeed, it is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to Secretary Gary Locke, the first Chinese American to serve as Ambassador to China.
Chris Lu, White House Cabinet Secretary expressed the fact that “Gary embodies everything that is good about public service, and has affirmed for me that even in the rough and tumble business of politics, it’s possible to succeed and still be a nice person.”
At the event honoring the couple on July 11, Secretary Locke reminded us of the results from the 2010 Census: the Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population grew by 46% since 2000, greater than any other major race group. Always an inspirational leader, he challenged the AAPI leadership to unleash the power of our community through civic engagement and full voter participation.
Click here to read a personal reflection on the event by June Kao, National Executive Vice Chair of East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) and APIAVote Intern.
Mona, thank you for your unwavering commitment to improving the livelihood of AAPI’s. Most importantly, thank you for allowing Gary to spend the time away from your young family in order to serve the nation. We know that your family’s years of public service represent an enormous personal sacrifice. We are eternally grateful.
- Daphne Kwok, former APIAVote Chair
Click here to see more photos from the reception.
Special thanks to Jones Day for providing the beautiful space for this event.
