KAYA-D.C. Cofounder Joins Democratic National Committee as the Director of Asian American Pacific Islander Outreach

Naomi Tacuyan Underwood, KAYA-D.C. co-founder, America’s Opportunity Fund (AOF) Campaign Fellow and former Deputy Director for APIAVote has joined the Democratic National Committee as the Director of Asian American and Pacific Islander Outreach. Under the leadership of Chairman Tim Kaine and DNC Vice Chair Mike Honda, the Democratic National Committee will be launching an unprecedented mid-term Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Outreach program that will help galvanize the AAPI electorate to turn out the vote for the democratic leadership. “We are proud that Naomi was tapped to lead the DNC’s AAPI Outreach efforts. Her grassroots experience and strategic political communication skills combined with her passion in organizing AAPI communities for electoral engagement is the leadership we need to help continue the progress we have made under President Obama and the Democratic Party”, said former Cabinet Secretary and AOF Chairman Norman Mineta. Prior to her appointment, Naomi served as Deputy Director of APIAVote; she managed media, partner communications, the production of educational and research materials, and conducted field and communications trainings for APIAVote partners. In the 2008 elections, APIAVote was instrumental in mobilizing over 20 coalitions and community groups in 14 states to conduct AAPI voter mobilization efforts, as well as garnering unprecedented attention on the growing importance of the AAPI vote. Naomi also served as an America’s Opportunity Campaign Fellow in which she helped play an instrumental role to implementing campaign outreach and political communication strategies for Hawaii State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa’s special election bid for Congress last May who is now headed for the general election this fall.
A Filipina American who hails from the U.S. island territory of Guam, Naomi is very active with several progressive-civic engagement endeavors; an adviser to KAYA – Filipino Americans for Progress, former Board member for DC Chapter of National Asian Pacific American’s Women’s Forum, adviser to National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity. Because of her stellar leadership track, Naomi was named by the Filipina Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. “Naomi comes from the community; her strong qualifications and work ethic will ensure that AAPI’s are integrated in the party’s outreach efforts. We thank DNC Vice Chair Mike Honda for his instrumental leadership in launching this vital program,” said AOF Leadership Adviser & Principal at Dewey Square Group, Vida Benavides.