Archive for July, 2009

Cleveland/Akron, Ohio – The board of Asian Services In Action is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Byun as its new executive director. The appointment is effective July 1, 2009.

Mr. Byun has over 12 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, addressing health and human services, social justice, and immigrant and refugee issues. During his earlier career, he was a volunteer coordinator and later, an HIV/AIDS community organizer. Prior to joining ASIA in 2003, Mr. Byun was in the field of institutional development, assisting nonprofits and research universities to raise financial support for scholarships and programs. At ASIA, he began as a program manager for tobacco control where he was responsible for the agency’s nationally recognized Asian American Youth Against Tobacco program. During his time at ASIA, he has progressively taken on more responsibilities, and in 2005, he was promoted to deputy director and subsequently to acting executive director in July 2008.

Mr. Byun is actively engaged at both the local and national levels. Locally, he is a member of the Community Advisory Committee for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Summit County Social Service Advisory Board. Nationally, Mr. Byun was part of a W. K. Kellogg Foundation advisory committee which made recommendations that led to the $16.5 million, five year Health Through Action Initiative, a project to address health policy change as it relates to Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders. He has been a regular presenter nationally and a past peer reviewer for the Department of Health and Human Services and for the Department of Justice.

Mr. Byun is the outgoing President of the Ohio Asian American Health Coalition. He is the 2009-10 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Ladder to Leadership fellow and is also currently a fellow with the Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership. A native of Seattle, Mr. Byun attended Bowdoin College and received his MPA from the University of Washington.

(Bo, on the right with Congressman Stokes and past ASIA Executive Director, May Chen)

Bo received her Master’s of Sciences in Social Administration (MSSA) and a Certificate in Non-profit Management (CNM) from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. She is a Licensed Social Worker in Ohio. Her concentration is Children Youth and Families.  Bo is very passionate about helping families to meet their children’s needs. Her career goal is to become a culturally competent social worker.

Raised up in China, Bo is proud of her cultural background. Bo also likes to learn about different cultures. She heard about ASIA Inc. through a friend that she met in a conference one year ago. Later, Bo visited ASIA and had several appointments with staff. The diversity of programs in ASIA attracts her most. She is excited to have this opportunity to work with ASIA as its program specialist.

ASIA, Inc. is pleased to announce the 2009 recipients of the Dr. James K.C. Juan Scholarship: Karen K. Choi, David Wu, Patrick Ho, Jessica Parker, Shelby Torre, Li Wei Hung, and David Tan. The Dr. James K.C. Juan Scholarship Program is funded by an endowment established by family and friends of Dr. Juan, a life-long educator for his 90th birthday. Originally formed to promote education study by Asian students, the scholarship is open to students in any field or major providing monetary awards. Special consideration is given to those pursuing a degree in education.

All recipients carry Dr. Juan’s values of hard work, respect for others, the importance of community, and the power of hope in the Asian American community. Jessica Parker, a graduate of Olmsted Falls High School says about her experiences working with the Asian community, “The time I spent with the refugees has made a significant impact on my outlook on life. It helped me realize the needs in our community and has strengthened my compassion for people in general. I strongly believe that we can learn the most from these interactions. Life becomes more meaningful when we humble ourselves, recognize the needs of others and seek to fulfill those needs with a caring heart.” Congratulations, scholarship recipients!