The Port of Kennewick is set to host a board meeting of Washington’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.  

The state agency’s 12-commissioner advisory board is appointed by the governor to be a voice for Washington’s Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.  

The organization will host a public board meeting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Port of Kennewick’s commission chambers at 350 Clover Island Drive, Suite 200, Kennewick. Port Commissioner Skip Novakovich will give remarks at the meeting.  

A networking social will be held from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 18, at Monarcha Winery at Columbia gardens Artisan Village. The event is open to AANHPI professionals, entrepreneurs and community members, and attendees must RSVP to [email protected].  

During the networking social, a local hero award will be presented, honoring individuals who do outstanding work within the AANHPI communities they represent.  

CAPAA commissioners from the Tri-Cities have nominated two community members for the award: Yongsheng Sun, an author, scholar and senior professor of intercultural studies and sociology at Columbia Basin College, and Asaka Erdmann, a teacher at Chiawana High School in Pasco and adjunct instructor in the Arts, Humanities & Communication department at CBC who also coordinates cultural exchange programs.  

Two Tri-Citians serve as CAPAA commissioners: 

• David Phongsa, marketing and capital projects coordinator for the Port of Kennewick, has represented Benton County as a CAPAA commissioner since 2023. He is Lao American and serves as chair of CAPAA’s economic development committee.  
• Scott Lehrman, a Japanese American and the Pasco School District board president, represents Franklin County as a CAPAA commissioner.