About Us
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association (CAPASA) is a non-partisan, bicameral Congressional Staff Organization whose mission is to serve and support Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
CAPASA is registered with the Committee on House Administration and abides by the rules set by the Committee.
Our Story
CAPASA was formed over 25 years ago by a group of AANHPI Capitol Hill staffers to serve as a space and resource for our community. The organization was created with several goals in mind: to better serve the constituent base, to help its members professionally, and to work towards increasing the number of AANHPI staffers.
Our membership and representation on the Hill has grown substantially in the years since, a trend that is reflected nationally as well. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have gone from being on the margins to becoming the margin of victory. Our community has become the fastest growing demographic in the United States, and proved crucial in swing states including Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.
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Over the years, CAPASA has built a substantial network of alumni, advisors, and members that span from the upper echelons of government to C-suite employees in the private sector. We continue our work to recruit and retain AANHPI staffers, create an inclusive space for our community, and build a pipeline to public service.
“We want to do anything we can do to increase the number [of AANHPI staffers] and get more people at the table.”
Courtni Pugh, founding CAPASA member
