Asian and Pacific Islander Month Ogden City Council Recognitions 17 May 2022, 6:00 p.m - Council Chambers - Ogden City Council ...

Asian and Pacific Islander Month
                            Ogden City Council Recognitions
                        17 May 2022, 6:00 p.m. – Council Chambers

Suggested introduction: In honor of Asian and Pacific Islander Month, The Ogden City Council
would like to recognize Asian and Pacific Islander’s making a difference right here in Ogden.
This group embodies leadership, business acumen, compassion, problem-solving and
community.

Linda Oda – (Weber State University – Professor)
                    Equity, diversity, inclusion: These three words have seeped deeply into the country’s
                    collective consciousness recently, but for Weber State University Professor Emeritus
                    of Education Linda Oda, the principles behind these words have guided her through
                    life. Over the course of more than five decades, she’s worked in Utah as a teacher,
                    principal, professor, administrator, governor’s director of Asian Affairs and now, as a
                    volunteer for Weber State programs that support diversity. Linda was also honored
                    by Weber State University as part of their “Women of Weber” project in October
                    2021. Now retired, Linda is helping WSU trace the legacy of housing discrimination
in Ogden by researching housing covenants that specifically prohibited minorities from owning property
in certain neighborhoods. Linda has received accolades for her lifetime of work and service, including
the Spirit of American Women Award from the YCC, and WSU’s George and Beth Lowe Innovative
Teaching Award. She was elected the first female president of Phi Delta Kappa in northern Utah, a
professional organization for educators. But Linda insists, her main success is perseverance. She just kept
going, even when it was hard. That’s the message she continues to share as the volunteer advisor for the
Peer Mentor Program in the WSU's Office of Access & Diversity, where she helps students learn how to
support each other in their academic success. She tells students, both through her words and through the
example of a lifetime, that education is not always easy, but worth the price.

Tina & Tony Chen – (Owners of Tona Sushi Bar & Grill)
                       Tony Chen grew up in Ogden, Utah. He worked in a Japanese restaurant while
                       attending college. Tony moved to San Francisco to pursue his career after college
                       where he worked as a designer in an architectural firm and kept a position in a
                       Japanese restaurant. While gaining knowledge in the architectural field, Tony
                       found his true passion remained in cooking. The idea of owning his own
                       restaurant one day had always been in his mind since his teenage years.
                         Tony and his wife, Tina moved back to Ogden in 2004 and opened Tona together.
The name Tona is a combination of both Tony and Tina. Tina is the general manager and Tony is the
Executive Chef. Tony’s creative cooking style soon drew local attention. He is a believer of local
sourcing. He understands the contributions local farmers have for the community and uses seasonal
ingredients in his dishes whenever possible. Tony also supports sustainable fishing. He maintains a
positive and responsible attitude toward sustainability in both the fish and ingredients he chooses and the
dishes he creates.
Grateful with the help and support from the community, Tony and Tina seek ways to give back whenever
they can. For many years, Tina was an active member and served as a volunteered treasurer for the
Historic 25th Street Business Association. The association brought street events like Harvest Moon
Festival and Witchstock to the community. Tina also serves as a current board member (treasurer) for the

Ogden Downtown Alliance, where its mission is to increase economic vitality and community vibrancy
throughout Ogden's Central Business District. Besides working many hours at Tona, you can find Tony
and Tina enjoying their time off biking with their kids on one of the many scenic Ogden trails.

Deborah Thackinh – (Goldenwest Credit Union – Community Leader)
                           Deborah was born and raised in Ogden, Utah. She is first generation of
                           Laotian Heritage. As a community member she volunteers her time with the
                           Junior League of Ogden and has been a serving member since 2016. She has
                           served on the Board as a Communications Director and currently as the
                           Treasurer.
                           She commits her time promoting volunteerism and initiates ideas to improve
                           the community through engaging conversations with her peers. She knows
                           there's a lot of work and hard conversations to be had in many areas of need.
Her time with the Junior League of Ogden has given her the opportunity to develop her confidence as a
servant leader.
An important role she hopes to work towards is improving her involvement with and maintaining her
cultural heritage, sharing stories of her experience growing up as an Asian-American and creating a
journey for her kids and legacy to continue the Laotian language and traditions in modern America.
She has a deep appreciation for welcoming and celebrating inclusivity of culture and heritage and hopes
to be more involved in highlighting and encouraging ways to connect different communities together to
share that same appreciation.

Aloha Reynolds – (Department of Defense Hill AFB – Program Manager)
                          Aloha Reynolds was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United
                          States with her family when she was nine years old. She transferred to
                          Weber State University on an Ambassador scholarship in 2004. Aloha fell in
                          love with the local community as she attended recruiting and charitable
                          events, along with volunteering at Lewis Elementary with their after-school
                          programs. In 2006, she graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in
                          Criminal Justice. Right after graduation, Aloha worked in the Utah State
                          Courts Second District Court for 11 years. While working at the courts,
                          Aloha took the opportunity to raise awareness with the needs of the
community and coordinated employee charitable auctions and drives for Your Community Connection
(YCC) for many years.
 Aloha joined the Junior League of Ogden (JLO) in 2016 and served on the Board for four years serving
as VP of Strategic Development and Membership Director. Aloha worked on strategic plans for its
members, numerous community projects (human trafficking awareness and education, Junior JLO,
Midtown Clinic, Oasis Garden, YCC, etc.), along with connecting with local women to join Junior
League and helping them with their desire to volunteer and improve their community.
Aloha graduated with her Master of Business Administration degree from Western Governors University
in 2016. In 2017, she started working for the Department of Defense at Hill Air Force Base as a Program
Manager for the Munitions Sustainment Division. She is a member of the United States Air Force’s
AAPI Group for the Directorate of Diversity and Inclusion. Aloha continues to be an active member with
JLO.

Aloha has been married to her husband, Nathan Reynolds, for 15 years. Nathan has been supportive of
all of Aloha's efforts with the Ogden community. In her spare time, Aloha loves to spend time with her
family and friends, cooking, traveling, cuddling her fur-baby, Nala, and supporting local businesses.
Aloha holds a deep love for the Ogden community and continues to find different ways to serve.

Aiko Kusuda (deceased) – (Owner of Jimmy’s Flowers)
                         Aiko Kusuda, age 101, passed away on Sunday, March 27, 2022. She was a
                         few short days away from celebrating her 102nd birthday. She was born on
                         April 8, 1920, in Pocatello, Idaho to Kameji and Miyoshi Okamura. Her father
                         passed away in October 1930 leaving her mother with six children. This was
                         the Depression years and a difficult time for the family.
                         Aiko graduated from Pocatello High School in May 1938. She moved to Tulsa,
                         Oklahoma in November 1939 to be the live-in companion to the young
                         daughter of a Japanese couple. While there, she attended and graduated from
                         the Oklahoma School of Business in June 1941.
She met her husband Jimmy while he was stationed with the U.S. Army in Camp Crowder, Missouri.
They were married in Pocatello, Idaho on July 27, 1944. Following his discharge from the service in
December 1945, they resided in Los Altos, California for a short time. They moved to Ogden in August
1948 and on September 2, 1948, opened Jimmy’s Flower Shop at 450 25th Street. Over the years, the
business has flourished and now consists of three stores and a wholesale division operated by their
youngest son and two grandsons. She worked in the business most of her life and was active in Utah
floral associations. On the community level, she was a member and served as president of Soroptimist
International of Ogden, a service club for executive women. She was an active member of the Ogden
Christian Church.