Long-time Bay Area Democratic activist David Mineta was confirmed by the Senate this week in the position of Deputy Director of Demand Reduction for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Mineta is currently the Deputy Director of Asian American Recovery Services, one of the nation’s largest non-profit organizations specifically geared towards addressing mental health issues in the Asian American community.
Mineta was nominated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy back in March: this link contains a fairly detailed biography of the various organizations Mineta has been involved with. In his new position, overseeing the Office of Demand Reduction, Mineta will be helping to develop and promote federal programs to reduce drug abuse and addiction, as well as to improve addiction treatment.
I’m pretty excited to see another prominent Asian American activist find a home in the Obama Administration. In my book, President Obama has made great strides in rectifying the chronic underrepresentation of Asian Americans in public service and politics. President Obama isn’t just nominating Asian faces; he is nominating Asian American folks who have impressive resumes — both in general terms, and in regards to the work they’ve done for the Asian American community.
