White House Initiative on AAPI faces questions from community leaders

INSTAGRAM / WHIAAPI
Holly Ham, left, visits with Mike Nguyen, of VN TeamWork, which offers youth after-school programs, senior social programs for the AAPI community in Houston. 

ASAM NEWS

HOLLY HAM, the new executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPIs), is conducting a national meet and greet tour to connect with local AAPI organizations. 

Ham kicked off her tour last month in Chicago. This month, she met with AAPI leaders in her hometown of Houston, Texas. 

“The regions may share common challenges. However, we will also find unique characteristics about different Asian subgroups across the country and islands,” Ham said in an interview with AsAmNews. “It would be difficult for me to understand AAPI issues solely from D.C.” 

The main focus of Ham’s tour will be on higher education and tax reform. She believes the Tax Cuts and Job Act will bring benefits to all Americans, especially small business owners. 

“The average corporate tax rate among OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations is 24 percent. Our small business owners can face a federal tax rate as high as 44 percent,” said Ham. “The reduced tax rate will help small businesses tremendously.” 

Not all AAPI leaders agree. Representative Judy Chu, D-CA, the first Chinese/American woman elected to Congress, questioned the focus of Ham’s tour. 

“Is the Commission a tool of Trump’s to support his tax reform?” she asked.

“In reality, many Asian Americans are actually harmed by the tax reform bill,” Chu continued. “There are high numbers of Asian/Americans living in California, New Jersey, and New York, where the state and local tax deductions have been capped drastically. Economically, they will be very hard hit.” 

Chu is supportive of current White House AAPI initiatives to increase AAPI success in higher education.  A part of her efforts have been dedicated to expelling the model minority myth. 

While there are AAPIs being accepted into selective four-year universities, 50 percent of AAPIs attend community college. Additionally, the AAPI community has seen a 38 percent increase in those living in poverty from 2007 to 2011. 

“We have Asian Pacific Islanders that have high secondary school dropout rates, low rates of college participation, and low college completion rates,” said Chu. “Many of them are Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders. This is why it’s important to disaggregate data on Asian Americans and not lump everybody into the same category.”

Ham, on the other hand, argues that there has been too much emphasis on pushing young people to obtain four-year degrees. Instead, she encourages prospective students to look at alternative options such as industry-recognized certificates, credentials, licenses, badges, micro-degrees, apprenticeships, and two-year degrees.  

Courtesy of WHIAAPI

Executive Director Holly Ham visits the culinary training
program of the Chinese American Service League in Chicago

“There is a supply and demand disconnect with 6 million unfilled jobs in the U.S. due to a lack of skilled workers,” said Ham. “We need a higher education system that looks at the demand for skills and puts programs in place to supply that need.”

This tour is helping to fulfill one of Ham’s two immediate goals for the WHIAAPIs, the other being to fill the vacated positions in the Commission. 

Chu spoke warily on the current state of the WHIAAPIs, “I was wondering how one could conduct such a Commission, which is so important, in the face of a President who would like to tear down family immigration and make America white again. How is it even possible to operate a Commission such as that?” 

“I believe that is why those sixteen commissioners resigned,” Chu added. 

“The resignations should have been expected,” reasoned David S. Chang, former Chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party. “Whenever you have a big switch in parties, you’re going to see an outflow from organizations because of the differing opinions on party platforms.”

“A new Administration deserves a new Commission,” said Ham. “It is such an honor to serve as the executive director of WHIAAPI. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many stellar AAPI leaders and look forward to meeting and hearing more of what’s top-of-mind for them.”

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New leader named for White House Initiative on AAPIs

Holly Ham

AFTER MONTHS of wondering if the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders would continue to exist in the Donald Trump administration, a new executive director has been named.

The advisory commission is assured to continue within the U.S. Department of Education after the announcement Thursday (Nov. 29) naming Holly Ham as executive director.

In this capacity, she is responsible for directing the efforts of the White House Initiative and the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs to advise federal agency leadership on the implementation and coordination of federal programs as they relate to AAPIs across executive departments and agencies. The White House Initiative on AAPIs works with these entities to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through increased access to, and participation in, federal programs in which they may be underserved.

"I am excited to step into this role at a time when Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are now the fastest growing racial group in the country," says Ham. "This is a wonderful opportunity to connect this diverse community to federal programs and resources, and I look forward to meeting with community members across the country."

RELATED: Mass resignation of President's Advisory Commission of AAPIs

Two of Ham’s immediate priorities include filling the President’s Advisory Commission and touring across the country to mend fences with AAPI community leaders. 

Sixteen of the 20-member commission resigned in February citing differences with the new administration on sanctuary cities, refugee bans, increased border and immigrant enforcement and attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The vast majority of the AAPI voters did not support the Republican candidate or the new president's actions since he took office.

Chris Lu, former Deputy Secretary of Labor and former co-chair of the commission said Trump’s position on issues have been “destructive” toward the AAPI community.

Ham has been at the U.S. Department of Education since Trump took office helping in the transition from Obama's team to Trump's. She was named to the post as the Assistant Secretary for Management after serving on the Trump campaign team in 2016.

Prior to joining the Trump campaign, Ham had an extensive career in private enterprise focused on increasing organizations' productivity through technology. Ham is a fellow at the Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute (APAWLI) through the Center for Asian Pacific American Women.

Ham is a graduate of the University of Houston, where she received both her Bachelor and Master of Business Administration degrees, graduating Beta Gamma Sigma. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children.

The advisory body was created by President Bill Clinton and continued under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

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