Board of Directors 2020

Rick Polintan, Interim Chair

Rick Polintan has had over 35 years of community and union organizing experience since his migration to the United States in 1980 from the Philippines. He was a member of the Union of Democratic Filipinos, doing community organizing against
the Marcos dictatorship and helping Filipinos in their struggle for immigrant rights in the U.S. He helped organize healthcare workers in California and Washington State for the Service Employees International Union from 1986 until his
retirement in 2011.

Rick is actively involved in leadership positions in several organizations. He was Chair of the 11th Legislative District Democrats; member of the board of APACE PAC; Vice-President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Seattle chapter
(APALA); and Vice-President of the Filipino American Political Action Group of Washington (FAPAGOW). Throughout his time working with APALA, he has raised awareness of the need for AAPIs to contribute to the election process and to contribute
by voting.

Bryan Yambe, 1st Vice President

Deputy Mayor Bryan Yambe was elected to Fife City Council in 2013, the youngest person to ever be elected to the council. Bryan is Council Liaison to Rainier Communications Commission – Pierce County TV, the Fife Historical Society, the Youth
Commission, the Fife Milton Edgewood Community Investment Team, and the Education Advisory Committee. Bryan has also been an elected Precinct Committee Officer, served on the Pierce County Young Democrats Executive Board, 25th Legislative
Democrats Executive Board, and the Federal Way Youth Commission.

Lika Smith, 2nd Vice President

Lika has been active in various organizations- Pacific Islander Health Board, UTOPIA-Seattle, Samoan Cultural Committee, NAPAWF, APALA, International Women’s Day-Seattle, past president of Seattle NOW, MLK Organizing Committee, LELO and more.
She is currently a board member of APACE as she works to get her Pasifika community active in political issues as everything is political.

Born in Samoa and raised around the world with her military parents, Lika developed a respect for people and their cultures. She is grateful to her strict Samoan parents who taught their children the ways of fa’a Samoa and for her beloved
elders who shared our stories of tradition and brought history alive.

Alex Hamasaki, Board Member

Alex Hamasaki was born in China and adopted by a Japanese family that raised her in South Seattle. She attended the College of Wooster in Ohio and graduated with a degree in Political Science. After graduation, Alex moved to North Seattle
and worked at an outpatient hospital. She later took on a role as Volunteer Lead for Congressional District 7 with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network advocating for improvements in cancer policy at both the State and Federal
level.  Alex now works as a Legislative Assistant at the Washington State Legislature. Alex is an avid hiker and enjoys experimenting with different milk tea and ice cream recipes.

Kim-Khanh Van, Board Member

Kim-Khanh Van graduated from the University of Dayton- School of Law with extensive legal experiences working at the Criminal Law Clinic and interning at an Immigration Law Firm. She currently is a member of the Washington State Bar Association,
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and a few other legal associations. Ms. Van enjoys volunteering her time as a pro bono attorney for the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project (NWIRP) and King County Bar Association. She was
recognized for her pro bono work with DACA issues by the AILA WA chapter in 2013.