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P.I.E

Project Team

An "unconditional love" for community -- this is the essence of volunteer service. There are not enough hours in the day for those of us who get involved in our communities; life is busy, it is like a day out in the fields.

Nevertheless, those with compassionate hearts and passionate souls choose to reach out and take a stand. They are the ones who liven up our lives, community, and keep the momentum going. Countless hours are given freely and sacrificially to make this project meaningful, impactful and successful -- all for the greater good.

The APAAROC P.I.E Project Team:

Mimi W. Lee, is a founding board member of APAA, and served two terms as president. As Chairperson, she is both the creative and tech lead of this project. The P.I.E. initiative is her invention. A Hong Kong native, Mimi has backgrounds in information technology, management, accounting, Asian studies, psychology, and chemistry. She was the founding president of the Asia Pacific Exchange (APEX) employee network at Eastman Kodak Company, and an active member of six employee networks. She is a passionate photojournalist, writer, graphic artist, community advocate and has a multitude of interests.

Mimi is the lead researcher and writer in presenting Dr. Brijen Gupta, one of our five honorees.

Marilyn Ajavananda, as Co-chair, is a Democrat and Chronicle newsroom copy editor; she is an active community enthusiast and participates in many local and distant community events. Daughter of a Thai father and a German mother, Marilyn experiences and appreciates the values and challenges that people of multiethnicities face, and society's reality and perceptions upon them.

Marilyn is the lead researcher and writer in presenting Hkadin Lahtaw Lee, one of our five honorees.

Ronna Treier is the president of APAA and the Rochester Japanese Association. Ronna is a veteran program planner, solutions developer, and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. A third generation Japanese-American (sansei), whose parents and grandparents were interned during WWII, Ronna is passionately committed to stimulating Rochester's curiosity about the rich lives and varied activities of America's diverse APA peoples and cultures.

Ronna is the lead researcher and writer in presenting Dr. Masanori Seto, one of our five honorees.

Lily Lee has served as past president of APAA and is currently on the executive team as secretary and plays a dual role as communications director --  a role she loves! Almost a New York City native, she is a "product" of Macau (birthplace). Lily believes that unity can happen only when all people make the effort to understand and respect individual differences and align common strengths to bind "oneness" to build strong communities.

Lily is the lead researcher and writer in preserving the memory of Edline Chun, one of our five honorees. It is our privilege to include Ms. Chun in our premiere exhibit at the MAG, and it is our intention to composite a biography of her life based on interviews with those who knew her well. This is a working progress that is planned to be completed in the fall.

Mar Doromal is a founding member of APAA, a lifetime treasurer on its executive team, and a founding member of APEX, an employee network at Eastman Kodak. He is also past president of the Filipino-American Association of Rochester. Retired from Kodak as a financial anaylst and senior accountant, he is active in the community and an asset in a financial business capacity.

Mar is the lead researcher and writer in presenting Ruben Garcia, Esq., one of our five honorees.

The Technology Team:

Seth Caleb Weeks re-created APAA's website and is instrumental in setting up the technical functionalities in the APAAROC P.I.E Project. Currently, an engineering major at Rochester Institute of Technology, Caleb has an intense enthusiasm for web design and is quite a whiz at it. Active in many sports and extra-curricular activities; and recipient of numerous awards, such as in honor rolls and servant leadership, Caleb's earlier schooling experience includes studying at the British School of Kuwait.  

Noel Nichols is a self-directed and creative problem solver. Owner consultant of Chanango Business Services, Noel has a background in accounting and finance. He has many diverse interests including jumping aboard the APAAROC P.I.E Project's technology team.

Dan Dickerson serves as a consultant on technology matters for APAA and is also a board of directors member. He was instrumental in setting up APAA's previous web site design. Dan is a business/systems analyst at Eastman Kodak Company.

Other significant contributors include:

Jeff Palma, owner of Jeff Palma Photography, he is an active community advocate and serves others with his photography talent. Jeff has assisted in our project by printing all the portraits and photos for the mobile exhibit.

Tina Yee, an award-winning multimedia photojournalist at Democrat and Chronicle, Tina led a workshop on interviewing and filming on May 16, 2013 from 5:30 -7:30 p.m. at the newspaper headquarters on Exchange Street, which was open to the public.