Washington, DC — The Asian American Action Fund (AAA-Fund) praises President Obama's nomination of former Washington Governor Gary Locke to head the Department of Commerce. Locke is a member of the AAA-Fund's Honorary Board.

"Governor Locke is a strong choice to head the Commerce Department," said Gautam Dutta, executive director of the AAA-Fund. "His broad executive experience and internationalist perspective will serve him well in managing the many agencies and varied responsibilities of the Commerce Department."

Locke served two terms as the Governor of Washington, from 1997 to 2005. He was the first Chinese-American to be elected governor in U.S. history. During his tenure, Governing Magazine named Washington one of the nation's five best-managed states. Prior to his eight years as Governor, Locke held elective office in the greater Seattle area for 15 years. He is now a member of the AAA-Fund's Honorary Board.

If confirmed, Locke would become the third Asian-American member of President Obama's cabinet. General Eric Shinseki and Dr. Steven Chu were unanimously confirmed by the Senate to head the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Energy, respectively. President Obama has also appointed Sanjay Gupta to serve as the nation's Surgeon General.

"These high-level appointments reflect not only the Obama administration's commitment to diversity, but also the Asian American community's growing civic engagement and commitment to public service." said Irene Bueno, AAA-Fund Board member. "No one embodies that spirit of service more than Governor Locke, who has devoted himself to his country and community for 25 years."

AAA-Fund is a Democratic political action committee whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) on every level of local, state and federal government in America. To achieve this goal, we address the chronic under-representation of AAPIs as campaign volunteers, campaign contributors, and candidates for political office. The AAA-Fund has endorsed candidates across the country.