Iowa Asian Alliance Announces Winners of 2007 AdmirAsian Achievement Awards
Recipients to be honored at 6th annual gala on Saturday, October 13

Des Moines, Iowa (September 20, 2007) The AdmirAsian Selection Committee has chosen winners of the 2007 AdmirAsian Achievement Awards. The AdmirAsian Achievement Awards honor individuals and organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and contributions to the community.

This year's honorees are:

Person of the Year: K.A. Nanjappa, a retired engineer whose time and expertise have benefited numerous boards and organizations throughout his lifetime.

Outstanding Asian Business: Informatics, Inc., a Cedar Rapids internet-hosting company owned and run by the Osako family.

Outstanding Business: Citi, a financial services company based in Des Moines . 43% of Citi's Des Moines employees are minorities, specifically 36% of total employees are Asian Americans.

Outstanding Youth: Kristy Huynh, a senior at Iowa State University, whose devotion to those who need health care stemmed from having to interpret for her mother's medical appointments during high school. On her application to medical school, Kristy wrote: "I want to be a physician--a role where healing is more than a job; where caring and compassion should be a daily practice."

Asian Ambassador (non-Asian advocating on behalf of Asian community): Senator Daryl Beall of Fort Dodge, chair of the International Relations Committee for the Iowa General Assembly and a champion of Iowa-Asia international relations.

Outstanding Volunteer: Grace Obata Amemiya, an octogenarian from Ames who uses her World War II internment camp experience as a means to serve and inspire others.

Winners of the AdmirAsian Achievement Awards will be honored at a formal reception, dinner, and awards ceremony on Saturday, October 13, 2007 from 5pm to 9pm at The Meadows Events and Conference Center at Prairie Meadows in Altoona . AdmirAsian is the fall signature event of the Iowa Asian Alliance (IAA) and is hosted by Prairie Meadows and sponsored in part by Citi, Des Moines Register, and Polk County Board of Supervisors.

The selection committee is comprised of Iowa Asian Alliance stakeholders from sponsoring companies, past winners, and the community at large. The goals of this unique and prestigious event are to celebrate the accomplishments of the honorees and to inspire future community leadership. Approximately 350 business and community leaders are expected to attend the event.

For more information please contact Kim Poam Logan at (515) 273-5100 / klpoam@iowaasianalliance.com, or visit: www.iowaasianalliance.com or www.admirAsian.org.