Ahuja was appointed as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ( WHIAAPI ) on December 14 , 2009 . In this capacity , she has continued to work towards helping Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ( AAPI ) access services from the United States federal government . Her work has included increasing health care for AAPI and also inter-agency cooperation between WHIAAPI and the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) to " address exposure to health toxins by nail salon workers , " many of whom are Asian American . Other initiatives have been public to private , such as translating essential information about the Gulf Oil Spill for AAPI individuals still struggling with understanding English . Ahuja has also shared her own experiences , helping to " destigmatize depression and suicide when she opened up about her brother 's suicide . " '' Reappropriate '' stated that it was an important step towards ending " the stigma against mental illness among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders '' . '' On June 6 , 2014 , Kiran Ahuja , as the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders , honored Yuri Kochiyama , on the White House website for dedicating " her life to the pursuit of social justice , not only for the Asian American and Pacific Islander ( AAPI ) community , but all communities of color . " She is also a regular contributor to the '' Huffington Post ''
Gulf Oil Spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Kiran Ahuja