AANHPI advisory board outlines five‑point strategy and plans Feb. 11 networking event

Ralph Yamamoto, chairman of the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) advisory board to the mayor, presented the board’s mission, an iterative planning framework and milestones since the board’s formation in April 2025.

“My name is Ralph Yamamoto, and I'm the chairman of the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander advisory board to the mayor,” Yamamoto said as he walked council through the group’s slides. He described a five‑part focus—economic development, education, social programming and board‑to‑board communication, ad‑hoc events, and marketing/communications—and emphasized that the board’s work is intended to be data‑driven rather than purely anecdotal.

Yamamoto said the board surveyed roughly 153 guests at a mid‑autumn festival at Pacific Square to guide priorities; emerging themes from the survey included small business support, education, culture, public safety, senior resourcing and language barriers. He said the survey responses helped refine a five‑step roadmap and that collaborators identified through in‑person outreach have agreed to participate in a Feb. 11 networking event at Pacific Square.

Yamamoto also cited U.S. Census Bureau figures and said there are approximately 20,000 people of Asian descent in Aurora; he raised health coverage as an example program area, saying he was preparing a proposal to explore why he estimated roughly 4% of the population lacked health insurance and how the advisory board might help close that gap.

The presentation concluded with an introduction of board members and a thank‑you to staff liaison Amy Monroe and deputy chief Nicholas Richard Thompson for support. Yamamoto said he will return to provide a status update to the council in two to three months.