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About OCAPIA

2026 OCAPIA Regular Commission Meeting Schedule

Public Invited to Attend - Please register using the links below:

September 11, 2026 | 11 AM to 1:00 PM CLICK HERE
November 6, 2026 | 11 AM to 1:00 PM CLICK HERE
OCAPIA Behavioral Health Subcommittee: 
Please contact ava.stevens@oac.oregon.gov

Our Vision:

We serve the people of Oregon to empower and support Asian and Pacific Islanders through our special roles as policy advisors to Oregon state policy makers and leaders. OCAPIA is a catalyst that empowers partnerships between state government and our communities in rural and urban areas to ensure success for all Asian and Pacific Islander Oregonians by addressing issues at the policy level.   

Our Mission: 

The mission of the OCAPIA is to work for the implementation and establishment of economic, social, legal, and political equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders in Oregon and to maintain a continuing assessment of the issues and needs confronting Asian and Pacific Islanders. 

Our Principles and Values:

  • Equity for Asian and Pacific Islander Oregonians in jobs and the economy, education, health, safety, family stability, environment, and civic engagement.
  • Equal treatment and protection against discrimination.
  • Access to helpful information on services and available resources.
  • Working in partnership on research and policy analysis of longstanding issues and barriers to success within the API community statewide.
  • Inclusion of Asian and Pacific Islanders’ viewpoints in policy making at the state level.
  • Celebration of and education about the contributions and achievements of Asian and Pacific Islanders in Oregon.

Our Statutory Goals and Strategic Priorities

  • Advocate for equitable policies assuring the success of Asian and Pacific Islander Oregonians at the state level.
  • Engage community and state partners to promote equity for Asian and Pacific Islanders across Oregon.
  • Study and analyze issues affecting the Asian and Pacific Islander community statewide and recommend policy remedies to state policy makers.
  • Grow and develop leaders among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at the state level in all branches.
  • Increase the viability and visibility of the contributions and achievements of Asian and Pacific Islanders in Oregon.

Our Bylaws - CLICK HERE


OCAPIA is actively engaged in its statutory work focused on 7 Strategic Priorities each biennium:
  1. Education
  2. Jobs and the economy
  3. Healthcare
  4. Justice, safety and policing
  5. Stable families and housing
  6. Environmental Justice/Equity
  7. Civic engagement


View our Biennium Report:  CLICK HERE for 2021-23 Biennium Report

Meet the Commissioners

Corvallis, OR

Corvallis, Oregon, is the hometown of Padma Akkaraju. Her personal and professional experience spans various sectors, including local government, higher education, and outreach to K-12 schools and community organizations.

Akkaraju's work has advocated for implementing many aspects of equity, including educational equity, health equity, gender inclusivity, and normalizing neurodiversity. She has developed models and guidelines for centering cultural competence and equity in public service at the individual, organizational, and structural levels.​

Happy Valley

​Joselito Tanega is the Program Manager for the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon (PACCO) where he oversees and coordinates several projects and strategic initiatives in the organization.

He has been the Board Chair for PACCO, and former Council Chair for the Leaders for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council (LEDIC) for Clackamas County.  Through PACCO, Joselito supported work with the Community Chamber Coalition of Oregon (now known as Community Economic Coalition or CEC) calling on state and local leaders to take immediate action to save small businesses during the pandemic; especially, historically marginalized communities.  And this work continues through an equitable lens.

In Clackamas County, Joselito’s work with LEDIC examines county processes to recommend and facilitate changes that foster equity of services and greater inclusiveness. His projects include working with the County’s Public Health Advisory Council in addressing racism as a public health crisis; consulting with the Climate Change Project and how DEI plays a role and collaborating with the County’s Office of Internal Audit in projecting future barriers for people of color in housing, health, transportation and employment.

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Joselito earned his music degrees from The Juilliard School (NYC).  He is a member of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon, Nonprofit Association of Oregon and a UN Online Volunteer.  After business hours, Joselito collects vinyl records, enjoys discovering the latest Korean spy movie and is an expert at playing the clarinet.  Joselito and his wife, Jeanette, live in Happy Valley with their children, Jackson and Luciana.​​

​Kimberely Keli’iKoa Dixon hails from Hawai’i and is proud to have ali’i (royal) ancestry in her immediate background. Kimberely brings to the commission a background of centering the voice of the voiceless in a variety of spaces and topics to include exposing economic and educational opportunities, navigating systems and creating better. One such example was being part of 3 to PhD, a a collaborative partnership between Faubion PK-8,Concordia University, Kaiser Permamente, Trillium and Basics Foods to create a safer, healthier and more educated community. Kimberely is also a Board of Trustees member of Trillium Family Services, one of the largest providers of behavioral health services to children and families in the state of Oregon. She is also the current chair of FIT-COG (Focused Intervention Team Community Oversight Group) which provides oversight of the Focused Intervention Team of Portland Police Bureau, created to address and reduce gun violence in the Portland area.

Kimberely also has served on the Crisis Response Team, a volunteer effort used to meet community at some of its most traumatic intersections. Recently, Kimberely held a state-wide coordinator position within the Oregon Youth Authority and currently has oversight of the 94 neighborhoods within the city of Portland. Kimberely holds a masters degree in Management and Organizational Leadership and spends free time with her children, grandchildren, extended ohana and friends. ​

Portland

​Sy Kim is an International Program Manager of Northwest Community Credit Union (NWCU). Sy is responsible for developing new programs and businesses for developing our diverse communities and creating an accessible financial platform that will improve financial service experiences for underserved community members.

 From 2009-2018, Sy worked in Seoul, Korea where he had the opportunity to take part in many market development projects around the globe with the Hyundai Motor Group.​

Sy was born in Korea and first moved to the United States when he was six years old. From then on, he has gone back and forth between the two countries and have had the blessing to learn, work and live to fully experience both cultures. He holds a MS in New Media from Korea University and a BA in Media and Communications from University of Oregon.

 Sy currently serves as a board member for the Asian American Council of Oregon, the Korean American Chamber of Commerce in Oregon, the State of Oregon Translation Advisory Council, the Korean Society of Oregon, and the Korean War Memorial Foundation of Oregon.

 Sy's favorite activities are travelling and exploring and he has been to more than 20 countries around the world.  He is a family guy and spends most of his time besides work with his wife, Jennifer and two kids, Tayeon & Seongtae. On a daily basis he enjoys swimming, golfing, gaming, and reading.


Southern Oregon

​Jason Iosua Mendoza is afakasi (half-Samoan) and his mother was raised in Fagaloa bay in Samoa then immigrated to Oregon in the 1980s. Jason was born in Medford, OR and raised in California. He returned to Oregon attending Southern Oregon University (SOU) earning his bachelor's in criminology. After working in Community Justice for several years, Jason worked for Oregon Child Welfare.

Jason then returned to SOU as an Area Coordinator (AC). As an AC, he assisted SOU students obtain housing, managed campus properties, trained staff, and was a conduct officer. Jason advised both Samoan and Hawai'i clubs, assisted and accompanied SOU admissions with recruiting students in American Samoa, and was appointed by Governor Kotek to a fiduciary position on SOU's board. He worked to help Polynesian students acclimate to higher education and mainland life. He participated in the SOU Army ROTC physical training (PT) program and shared the PT journey with ROTC cadets.

Jason helped plan the Pacific Islander Student Alliance Conference in Portland and the Pacific Islander Celebration events in Southern Oregon. For the City of Ashland, Jason was appointed to the Housing and Human Services Committee advocating for those seeking housing and basic human needs. Jason works for the Oregon Department of Human Services as an Eligibility Benefits Specialist assessing, generating, and confirming benefits for Oregonians. Jason is an Airman for the Oregon Air Force National guard and has prior experience with the Oregon Dept of Justice.

He enjoys spending time with family, friends, and being of service to the Samoan community.

Portland
​Senator Lisa Reynolds, MD, is an Oregon State Senator, a mom, and a pediatrician serving children and families in Washington & Multnomah Counties. She was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2020, was re-elected in 2022, and was then appointed to the Oregon State Senate in 2024.

She serves Senate District 17, which spans from Portland's Cathedral Park neighborhood through Downtown and Northwest Portland to parts of Beaverton, Hillsboro, Bethany, Cedar Mill, and surrounding communities.

Senator Reynolds is laser-focused on making Oregon the best place to grow up by reducing child poverty, improving infant and maternal health outcomes, combating gun violence, and securing housing and health for every Oregonian child. She serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health, where she is committed to directing the state towards upstream solutions to socioeconomic inequities. She also serves on the Senate Committee on Health Care and the Senate Committee on Human Services. Her pediatric practice grounds her work and informs everything she does in the legislature.

Lake Oswego
​Daniel is a son of Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States in 1975.  Daniel was born and raised in Camas, Washington. Daniel and his wife, with their entrepreneurial spirit, founded and operate Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen, located in the South Waterfront community since 2008. Daniel was elected to the Lake Oswego City Council in 2018, the first person of color elected to serve on City Council.

Daniel also serves presently as a community volunteer as a Director on several organizations boards -  Immigration Counseling Service Business for a Better Portland and Co-Chair of PCC School of Business & Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee.​


 



OCAPIA Statute

185.610 Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs; confirmation; term; officers; quorum; compensation and expenses
185.620 Duties
185.625 Additional duties

Public Records Requests (PRR)

The Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office (OACO) responds to requests for public records in the general way described in the Oregon Department of Administrative Services' (DAS) Public Records Requests policy (pdf).

The DAS Public Records Requests Fees and Charges policy outlines the fees the department charges for records, and the process the agency uses to fulfill requests.

Please choose one of the following methods to request public records from OACO:
1. Email your request to Jeff Selby, Executive Director with "PRR" included in the subject line: jeff.selby@oac.oregon.gov

OR

2. Mail a written request to this address:

Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office
PO Box 123
West Linn, OR 97068




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