WASHINGTON – Yesterday, [July 31, 2024,] the United States Senate confirmed Judge Meredith A. Vacca to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Judge Vacca is the first Asian American and woman of color to serve in the Western District, which includes Buffalo, Rochester, and Elmira.
“NAPABA congratulates Judge Meredith A. Vacca on her confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “We are pleased to have supported the 50 AANHPI judges confirmed over the past eight years, spanning two Presidents. Our bipartisan judicial nominations approach and diverse membership have resulted in greater AANHPI representation on our judiciary across the country and political spectrum.”
Judge Vacca has been a judge on the Monroe County Court since 2021 and an Acting Justice on the New York State Supreme Court since 2023. She previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in Rochester, New York, from 2007 to 2020 and as an associate at Hamberger & Weiss LLP from 2005 to 2007. Judge Vacca received her J.D. from the University of Buffalo School of Law in 2005 and her B.A. from Colgate University in 2002.
“Judge Vacca, a board member of the Asian American Judges Association of New York, is active in our community,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “As the 37th AANHPI judge confirmed by the Biden Administration, Judge Vacca will serve a rapidly growing Asian American district in upstate New York. We thank President Biden for nominating, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, and Senator Gillibrand for supporting Judge Vacca’s historic nomination.”
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 80,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, AABANY’s LGBTQ Committee, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Goodwin Procter LLP, hosted a Pride Reception where guests were given a unique opportunity to be the first official viewers of the upcoming short film TAL 탈. The Committee gave the audience a chance to view a work from a group of minds diverse in both origin and ideas, in the continued effort of enhancing visibility and representation for Asian and LGBTQ groups.
The film’s writer and lead actor Wesley Han and director Charlie Gillette, as well as a small group that worked on the piece––some actors, cameramen, and producers––presented their vision: TAL 탈 is a short horror film full of emotion and thrills, that grapples with ideas of filial piety and shame. They sought to shed overworked themes and motifs that often permeate the media that represents Asian-American culture, while incorporating Han’s own anecdotal experiences for inspiration. The result is a fright-fest where Gabriel, an ex-actor and young associate at a top litigation firm in New York City, is hunted by a literal inner demon.
After a script-reading of the film, the panel took questions from the audience. In their answers they expressed their hopes that the film would resonate with the quintessential modern Asian experience, and also shared the process of assembling the film. Han expressed that the film had a youthful energy and would hopefully be impactful for a broad audience, but especially with Asian-American second and third-generation immigrants. Gillette discussed how the film was born of friendship and the SAG-AFTRA strike––the core team had known each other from previous works and had not been working at the time of the first screenplay’s inception.
After the panel, everyone was served complementary beverages and delicious desserts from LGBTQ-Asian-owned bakery ANDO. Guests and panelists alike mingled, met new people, made new connections, and exchanged advice and experience with friends and colleagues new and old. All of this was made possible thanks to the support of Goodwin Procter LLP, our hosts for this event and program.
For everyone that attended the event we extend our profound thanks for your support. To learn more about the AABANY LGBTQ Commitee please click here. To learn more and support the upcoming short film TAL 탈 please click here. And to learn more about Goodwin Procter, please click here.
WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Meredith A. Vacca to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. If confirmed, Judge Vacca would be the first Asian American and woman of color to serve in the Western District, which includes Buffalo, Rochester, and Elmira.
“NAPABA applauds President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Meredith A. Vacca,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “Active in the AANHPI community, Judge Vacca, a NAPABA member, is a board member of the Asian American Judges Association of New York. If confirmed, she will serve in a District, particularly the city of Buffalo, with rapid Asian American growth where the population change surpassed New York City this past decade.”
Judge Vacca has been a judge on the Monroe County Court since 2021 and an Acting Justice on the New York State Supreme Court since 2023. Judge Vacca previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in Rochester, New York from 2007 to 2020. From 2005 to 2007, she worked as an associate at Hamberger & Weiss LLP. Judge Vacca received her J.D. from the University of Buffalo School of Law in 2005 and her B.A. from Colgate University in 2002.
“President Biden has nominated 40 AANHPIs to Article III courts, and 34 have been confirmed—more than any President in history,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “As we celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, we thank President Biden for nominating and Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Gillibrand for supporting Judge Vacca’s historic nomination.”
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 80,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the United States Senate confirmed Judge Edward S. Kiel to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and Judge Eumi K. Lee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
“We congratulate Judge Edward S. Kiel and Judge Eumi K. Lee on their confirmation to serve on the U.S. District Court,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “Judge Kiel is the first Korean American to serve in the district, a 2010 NAPABA Trailblazer awardee, and an active member of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey. Judge Lee was the first Korean American to serve as president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, and she was a recipient of the 2011 NAPABA Best Under 40 Award. We are exceptionally proud of their commitment to the AANHPI community and are pleased to have supported their nominations.”
“Today, President Biden has appointed 34 AANHPI Article III judges that the U.S. Senate has confirmed. His record of 23 AANHPI Article III women judges confirmed is more than all Presidents combined,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA.
Judge Edward S. Kiel has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey since 2019. Previously, Judge Kiel was a partner at Cole Schotz, P.C., from 2001 to 2019. Before that, he was an associate at Cole Schotz from 1998 to 2001, at Beattie Padovano from 1994 to 1998, and at Jamieson Moore Peskin & Spicer from 1992 to 1994. Judge Kiel served as a law clerk for Presiding Criminal Judge Michael R. Imbriani of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County, from 1991 to 1992. He received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1991 and his B.A. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University in 1988.
Judge Lee has served as a judge on the Superior Court of California in Alameda County since 2018. She was the first Korean American judge ever appointed to the court in Alameda County. Previously, Judge Lee was a Clinical Professor of Law at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and co-founded and co-directed the Hastings Institute for Criminal Justice. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at Keker & Van Nest LLP and Thelen, Reid & Priest LLP. Judge Lee clerked for Judge Warren J. Ferguson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Jerome Turner on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Pomona College.
NAPABA thanks New Jersey and California Senators for supporting their nominations.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.
Washington, D.C.– Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee, introducing Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara, nominated by President Biden to serve as District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank you Ranking Member Graham, my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee. As you know, I enjoyed serving my time on the committee, both for sixteen years in the House and sixteen years in the Senate on the Judiciary Committee
So, I’m honored to come before the committee today to introduce a truly remarkable nominee, Sanket Bulsara, who I was proud to recommend to President Biden to serve as a District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. That’s seven million people in that one district.
Judge Bulsara made history in 2017 as the first South Asian American judge to serve in any court within the Second Circuit when he was appointed the Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District.
New York’s South Asian population is one of the fastest growing in New York and in America, I think. We’re very proud to have more South Asians in the New York metropolitan area than anywhere else, and they’re great, hard-working, family-oriented, law-abiding, great people and we love them. I try to make the bench look more like New York and more like America, and this is one example of that.
Before I begin, I want to take a moment to recognize Judge Bulsara’s wife, Chrissy DeLorenzo, a professor at one of the great medical schools in New York, Stony Brook, and she is with us here this morning, as you can see.
Judge Bulsara is – I’ll forgive him – a Bronx boy, but Chrissy is from Brooklyn so he likes to say he married into Brooklyn.
I also understand that Judge’s Bulsara’s parents, Jay and Aruna, are watching the hearing live from Los Angeles.
And Judge Bulsara’s in-laws, Tom and Loretta, are also watching live from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I’m sure they’re proud too.
Judge Bulsara is the epitome of the American Dream: a proud son of hard-working immigrant parents from India and Kenya who taught him the value of public service at an early age. His father was an engineer for the City of New York for 33 years, who not only raised his son to be a good Yankees fan, but even worked on the renovations of the original Yankee stadium in 1974. Before the renovations, I often got the cheap seats where you sat behind a pole, but they didn’t have that in the new stadium. His mother went to community college at night to become a nurse working with patients in low-income communities.
So, Judge Bulsara’s parents dedicated their lives to public service. I know he’s proud to be following in their footsteps. These are the great American Dream stories. We hear them every day in New York and around the country. It makes us so proud and so optimistic about the future of our country, which I am.
Judge Bulsara has all the qualities of a first-rate jurist. His colleagues and peers have praised his “excellent judgment” and he has been described by those who know him well as brilliant, ethical, even-keeled, energetic, hard-working. Those are some of the words my judicial panel used when they met him.
His credentials are undeniable: he’s a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law, he clerked for Judge John Koeltl of the Southern District of New York. After years in private practice, he worked to protect investors and our community’s financial markets at the SEC, where he served as Acting General Counsel in 2017.
Judge Bulsara also has a broad range of pro-bono work, and has been recognized for his outstanding representation of victims of domestic violence. He’s also worked to defend the rights of the incarcerated and individuals on death row.
And, again, he made history in 2017 as the first South Asian American federal judge on any court in the Second Circuit when he was appointed the Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of New York, where he served honorably since. I’ve appointed great people to that bench.
In short, Mr. Chairman, our courts need more people like Sanket Bulsara.
The Democratic Majority has been very proud of confirming scores of highly qualified, diverse judges– nearly 180 judges in fact –to the federal bench. Thank you, Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Graham, and everyone else who has cooperated to help us reach that number.
These judges are reshaping the judiciary for the better, not only by making our courts look more like America, but by restoring trust and balance on the bench through their broad range of experience. I am confident that Judge Bulsara will serve with distinction. That’s why I’m proud to support his nomination.
I want to thank the Judge and his wife for being here. I want to thank the members of the committee once again and my colleagues on the committee for the opportunity to be here today. And I look forward to working with you to confirm more judges in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you.
Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy
President Joe Biden nominated Captain Lia Mitoko Reynolds, United States Navy, to Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy (DJAG) with the rank of Rear Admiral (two stars). If confirmed, she would be the first AANHPI Flag Officer to serve in the United States Navy JAG Corps.
“NAPABA congratulates Captain Reynolds on her nomination. She is widely recognized as one of the top officers in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. In 2019, she was presented with the Burton Award for Public Service in the Military. NAPABA also awarded her the Military & Veteran Service Award in 2019,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “An active member of NAPABA, Captain Reynolds has served as a Navy JAG officer for 26 years. She is well qualified to serve as the Navy’s DJAG, and we urge the United States Senate to confirm her quickly.”
Captain Reynolds serves as the Assistant Judge Advocate General of the Navy (Operations & Management). Her past assignments include serving as Senior Military Assistant to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense; Senior Detailer, Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Tennessee; Commanding Officer, Region Legal Services Office Hawaii; Deputy Fleet/Force Judge Advocate in Bahrain; Special Assistant for Legal and Legislative Matters to the Secretary of the Navy in Washington, DC.; Commanding Officer of Naval Legal Service Office, Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia headquarters in Naples, Italy; Deputy Executive Assistant to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy in Washington, DC; Assistant Officer in Charge of the Trial Service Office Pacific Detachment in Yokosuka, Japan; Staff Judge Advocate for the Joint Interagency Task Force West; and trial and command services attorney for the Trial Service Office West, Branch office Lemoore, California.
“Captain Reynolds serves as a role model and inspiration to AANHPI attorneys,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “AANHPIs have been underrepresented in our military’s General and Flag Officers ranks. We are proud of Captain Reynolds’s service to our Nation, and we congratulate her on the nomination.”
Captain Reynolds is a Hawaiʻi native and received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, JD from the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School, and LLM with distinction from Georgetown University Law Center.
NAPABA thanks President Biden for nominating Captain Lia Mitoko Reynolds.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.
Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy
WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Sanket J. Bulsara to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
“NAPABA congratulates Judge Sanket J. Bulsara on his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He is an experienced jurist and has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge on the court since 2017,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “A native New Yorker and active member of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, Judge Bulsara, who was – at the time that he was appointed a U.S. Magistrate Judge – the first South Asian American to serve as a judge within the Second Circuit, is exceptionally well qualified. We are proud to support his nomination.”
“The South Asian population is one of the fastest growing in New York City, representing four percent of the population,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “President Biden’s nomination and Senator Schumer and Gillibrand’s recommendation of Judge Bulsara recognize the importance of having a judiciary representative of the community.”
Judge Sanket J. Bulsara has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York since 2017. From January 2017 to May 2017, Judge Bulsara served as the Acting General Counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he had been the Deputy General Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Adjudication, and Enforcement since 2015. Prior to that, Judge Bulsara worked at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr L.L.P. as an associate from 2005 to 2008, a counsel from 2009 to 2011, and a partner from 2012 to 2015. For six months between 2007 and 2008, he served as a Special Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office, and he worked as an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson L.L.P. in Los Angeles, California from 2003 to 2004. Judge Bulsara served as a law clerk for Judge John G. Koeltl on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2002 to 2003. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude, in 2002 and his A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1998.
NAPABA thanks President Biden for nominating Judge Bulsara and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for supporting his nomination.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.
Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy
WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Adeel Mangi to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. If confirmed, Mangi would be the first American Muslim judge on any federal appellate court in the Nation.
“NAPABA congratulates Adeel Mangi on his nomination,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “A 2014 NAPABA Best Under 40 awardee, Mr. Mangi has been an active leader in the Asian American community, and his pro bono work supporting the American Muslim community is groundbreaking. He is exceptionally well qualified to serve on the court, and we urge the U.S. Senate to confirm him quickly.”
Adeel A. Mangi is a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. He began his legal career there as an associate in 2000, became counsel in 2009, and was elevated to partnership in 2010. Mr. Mangi received his LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 2000. He qualified as a Barrister and received his Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Skills from the City University London Inns of Court School of Law in 1999 and his First Class Degree in Law from the University of Oxford, Pembroke College, in 1998.
“President Biden has nominated 34 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders to an Article III court, and 26 judges from the AANHPI community have been confirmed. Today, AANHPIs represent 6.5% of the federal judiciary,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “As a point of comparison, President Trump confirmed 13, President Obama confirmed 22, and all presidents prior confirmed 19 AANHPI judges.”
NAPABA thanks President Biden for nominating Adeel Mangi and the New Jersey Senators for supporting his nomination.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.
Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy
WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Edward S. Kiel to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Judge Kiel would be the first Korean American to serve in the district if confirmed.
“NAPABA congratulates Judge Edward S. Kiel on his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey,” said Sandra Leung, President of NAPABA. “A 2010 NAPABA Trailblazer awardee, Judge Kiel is an active member of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey and is well qualified to serve on the bench. We urge the Senate to confirm him quickly.”
Judge Edward S. Kiel has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey since 2019. Previously, Judge Kiel was a partner at Cole Schotz, P.C., from 2001 to 2019. Before that, he was an associate at Cole Schotz from 1998 to 2001, at Beattie Padovano from 1994 to 1998, and at Jamieson Moore Peskin & Spicer from 1992 to 1994. Judge Kiel served as a law clerk for Presiding Criminal Judge Michael R. Imbriani of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County, from 1991 to 1992. He received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1991 and his B.A. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University in 1988.
“We applaud President Biden for nominating his 32nd Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander to the Federal judiciary,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “We thank the New Jersey Senators for recommending and supporting his nomination.”
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.
Yesterday [October 4], the United States Senate confirmed Susan Kim DeClercq to serve on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge DeClercq is the first federal judge of East Asian descent in Michigan.
“NAPABA congratulates Susan DeClercq on her confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, a district where nearly half of all AANHPIs in Michigan live,” said Sandra Leung, President of NAPABA. “The first federal judge of East Asian descent in Michigan, Judge DeClercq is an experienced prosecutor with experience in private practice and corporate law. NAPABA is proud to have supported her nomination to the bench.”
Susan K. DeClercq has been Director and Counsel of Special Investigations at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan, since 2022. Judge DeClercq previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division since March 2014. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in September 2004, Judge DeClercq was an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom in Washington, D.C., and she clerked for Judge Avern Cohn on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge DeClercq received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Wayne State University School of Law in 1999 and her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1995.
“Ms. DeClercq is the 24th Article III judge nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “With each confirmation, President Biden sets a new benchmark for future Presidential administrations.”
NAPABA thanks United States Senators Stabenow and Peters of Michigan for recommending and supporting her nomination.
