I am grateful to APANO staff, who have rode the waves of so many changes. They have transitioned to working remotely, navigating their own personal care and responsibilities, all while supporting our organizational partners online. Staff did their part to distribute vital resources to frontline workers, immigrant families and small businesses. Many of them pivoted their work and showed up with care. They advocated for renters and convened community members virtually to share resources and build resilience. Staff ensured APANO’s core programs and initiatives remained steadfast through the year to count everyone in the 2020 census, reimagine our future through culture and creativity, and ensure our votes were cast in a critical election year.

I am also grateful to our boards of directors who have led APANO through major organizational and leadership transitions. In partnership with staff, they have updated our mission, vision, and values; set strategic priorities to focus on organizational culture, systems, and identity; and engaged in a process to move APANO towards a distributed leadership model and find a new Executive Director focused on organizational collaboration and culture. I’m grateful to our board members and staff for the patience, grace, and commitment they have shown navigating these transitions.

I am grateful to you: our coalition partners and community members. Our resilience is collective. We would not have been able to do our work without those who alerted us to community needs, connected us to fellow organizations and resources, and gave us feedback to help us learn and grow in our work. Your leadership was instrumental. Asians and Pacific Islanders still face challenges in their day-to-day lives, but together we accomplished a lot in an unpredictable year.

We can already see that 2021 will bring its own waves and challenges. I choose to also focus my eyes on the new beginnings, strengthened relationships, and joys that this year can bring. We’re grateful to be alongside all of you. Let us continue to show up for each other with care and commitment.

Onwards,

Kathleen Holt
Interim Executive Director