Washington, DC—The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is proud to announce the launch of the Asian Pacific American Political Database, a searchable online resource that contains profiles of hundreds of Asian Pacific American (APA) elected officials and political candidates. The database was made possible through the generous support of Yum! Brands, Inc., and will be hosted on the APAICS website at www.apaics.org.

The APA Political Database is a comprehensive, national directory of Asian Pacific American politicians serving at all levels of government, from local school boards to the U.S. Congress. Database users can browse through the full list or perform targeted searches by ethnicity, party affiliation, location, gender, and other distinct categories.

“With the launch of the Asian Pacific American Political Database, anyone with an internet connection can instantly locate and learn about APA elected officials and candidates throughout the country,” said Ruby G. Moy, Acting Executive Director of APAICS. “Thanks to our partnership with Yum! Brands, Inc., APAICS is able to offer a dynamic resource that reflects the latest political developments and provides a constantly updated overview of the APA community’s growing role in government and public policy.”

In the year 2000, there were approximately 320 Asian Pacific American elected officials nationwide. Today, that figure has grown to over 450, with APA candidates winning high profile seats in new states like Louisiana, South Carolina, Connecticut, and Idaho.

“APAICS is pleased to see the progress that’s been made over the last ten years,” said Moy. “However, we are also keenly aware of the fact that the APA political community still remains largely scattered. We hope that the information and contacts made available through our database can serve as the foundation for creating a national network of Asian Pacific Americans in public service.”

The Asian Pacific American Political Database was built by a team of 20 staff members, editors, and researchers. The notebook computers used for the project were generously contributed by Dell Inc. The database can be accessed online at www.apaics.org/database.

About APAICS:

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is a national non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting Asian Pacific American participation and representation at all levels of the political process, from community service to elected office. Founded in 1994 by former Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, APAICS serves as a resource to Congress and the general public on issues related to the political advancement of Asian Pacific Americans.

About Yum! Brands, Inc.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., is the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with more than 37,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries and territories. The company is ranked #216 on the Fortune 500 List, with revenues of nearly $11 billion in 2009. Four of the company’s restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and Taco Bell – are the global leaders of the chicken, quick–service seafood, pizza and Mexican–style food categories. A&W Restaurants is the longest running quick–service franchise chain in America. Outside the United States, the Yum! Brands system opened more than four new restaurants each day of the year, making it a leader in international retail development. The Company has consistently been recognized for its reward and recognition culture, diversity leadership, community giving, and consistent shareholder returns. In 2007, the Company launched World Hunger Relief, the world’s largest private sector hunger relief effort to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds to benefit the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies. To date, this effort has raised nearly $60 million for WFP and other hunger relief agencies and is helping to provide approximately 250 million meals, saving the lives of millions of people in remote corners of the world where hunger is most prevalent.

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