Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the re appointment of John Doan and Evelyn Lee, and the appointment of Jodie Tanaka, Mukhtar Thakur and Yi Li You to the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.

John Doan, of Columbia Heights, is Fast Lanes Program Director for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He previously served as Assistant to the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Finance. Doan also currently serves as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He received a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Doan is appointed to the Council as a representative of the Vietnamese community and will serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008. He joined the Council in 2000 and currently serves as the Council's Chair.

Evelyn Lee, of Ramsey, teaches piano at the St. Joseph School of Music in St. Paul. She also serves as Chair of the 2004 Dragon Festival. Lee is Past President and a founding member of the Minnesota Indonesia Society. She also previously served as President of the Indonesian American Society of Minnesota. Lee previously served as Vice Chair of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattanville College in Purchase New York and a Master of Music degree from Yale University. Lee is appointed to the Council as a representative of the Indonesian community and will serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008. She joined the Council in 1998.

Jodie Tanaka, of Greenwood, is the CEO of Tanaka Advertising, Inc. in Minneapolis. She serves on the board of the Metropolitan Economic Development Agency and is a recipient of their 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year award. Tanaka previously served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Minority Supplier Development Council and received their 2000 Supplier of the Year award. She received the 2003 Community Leadership Award from the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans. Tanaka is appointed to the Council as a representative of the Japanese community and will serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008. She replaces Masami Suga on the Council.

Mukhtar Thakur, of Oakdale, is Director of the Office of Technical Support for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). He is the co-founder of an Indian music radio program on KFAI. Thakur currently serves as Executive Producer for "Geet Mala," a public television program aimed at the Twin Cities Asian Indian community. Thakur received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University College of Swansea in Wales, UK, and a M.S. in Management of Technology from the University of Minnesota. Thakur is appointed to the Council as a representative of the Asian Indian community and will serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008. He replaces Cherian Puthiyottil on the Council.

Yi Li You, of Lakeville, serves as Executive Director of the Twin Cities Chinese Counseling Center. She also serves as a medical and court interpreter. You previous worked in the mental health/social work field at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, the Metropolitan Community Mental Health Center in St. Paul, and the Colonial Place Nursing Home in Minneapolis. She received a B.A. from the Tainjin Foreign Languages Institute in the Peoples Republic of China and a B.S. in Social Work from Minnesota State University—Mankato. She is appointed to the Council as a representative of the Chinese community and will serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008. She replaces Jennie Hsiao on the Council.

The Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans advises the Governor and Legislature on issues pertaining to Asian-Pacific Minnesotans. The Council also advocates on issues of importance to the Asian-Pacific community in Minnesota. The Council is made up of 23 members, including 19 appointed by the Governor.