successes hasheir been missing in our history for far too long and that is why we honor them today. before we continue the program, i want to recognize some special colleagues that are here today. first and foremost, i want to recognize our former secretary formersportation, secretary of congress, norm minetta. [applause] i want to recognize the former chief of staff in this wonderful department -- i don't know if she is hiding. ma, who played a critical role in pushing this forward. [applause] the selection committee was comprised of many people. thank you to all of them for a well-made choice. [applause] and one special person who deserves a lot of recognition is the one who orchestrated this entire thing, which is filled tom, the director -- phil the director of our faith-based and neighborhood partnerships. [cheers and applause] .ome others played key roles the stamford american chinese partnership, the chinese american citizens alliance, the oca, and the asian-pacific members alliance. let's give them a round of applause. [applause] finally, all of you were entertained earlier