Co-founder Esther G. Kee along with other Asian American leaders met White House representatives including White House Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordon and Democratic National Committee Chairman John C. White.

Ms. Esther Kee shaking hands with Jimmy Carter after a White House meeting This meeting with Carter led to Richard Holbrooke creating the National Advisory Coucil to the East Asian and Pacific Affair Bureau (NACEAPA) of the U.S. Department of State is created. Subsequently, this organization, the US-Asia Insitute is incorporated as 501(c)(3).

Co-founders Joji Konoshima and Esther G. Kee travel with Deng Xiaoping, paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from (1978 - 1992), on his first post-normalization U.S. visit. Premier Xiaoping is responsible for The Chinese Economic Reform.

Topics of the conference centered around Foreign Policy and Immigration, Small Business, Human Services, Education & Science, Political Leadership and International Trade. The first conference of its kind on Asian Americans.

President Jimmy Carter with USAI founder Joji Konoshima. President Carter gave a key note address for National Leadership Conference to an audience of over 1000 guests from the Asian American community. This dinner marked the launch of multiple events taking place across DC at the State Department, The National Education Association, Office of the US Trade Representatives, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and joint meeting with members from the DNC and RNC.

With the passion of fostering Asian representation in the US, Esther G. Kee, Co-founder and Executive Director of USAI gave the keynote address at the Asian American Heritage Festival in New York City. The first festival in 1979 grew out of the civil rights movements of that era when President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation to declare the first week in May to be Asian American Heritage Week. The proclamation was later extended to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month for the entire month of May.

USAI Chairman, Kay Sugahara speaks with a key US diplomat during the 2nd National Leadership Conference held at the US Department of State in 1981. Topic: U.S. -Asia Economic Relations: Policies and Prospects. The conference saw Deputy Secretary of State William Clark, US Trade Representative William Brock, Under Secretary of Commerce Lionel Olmer and other leaders from government, Asia community, and the private sector.

In August 1981, China’s Vice Premier Gu Mu (front row, center) met with the US-Asia Institute Trade Mission to the People’s Republic of China in the Great Hall of the People. This mission was hosted by the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

Present at the meeting: Kaytaro Sugahara, chairman of the US-Asia Institute, Rep. Robert G. Torricelli (partially hidden), Soichi Yokoyama (Chairman of Bank of Tokyo), Yoshizo Ikeda (Chairman of Mitsui Company), Former US Vice President Walter Mondale, Akio Morita (Chairman of Sony Corporation), Former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Richard Holbrooke, Yoshihiro Inayama (Chairman of Keidanren), Seisi Kato (Chairman of Toyota) and Joji Konoshima , president of the US-Asia Institute.

News Story by Mike Yuen, Special to East/West, an excerpt from San Francisco Newspaper, January 6, 1982

The US-Asia Institute held its 1st Western Regional Conference titled Economic Development.P, held in Los Angeles. Participants included Roger Severance, US Dept of Commerce; Anthony Albrecht, US. Dept of State; Peter Allgeier, US Trade Reps Office; George Moody, President of Security National Bank; and other experts. Elwin Svenson, Vice-Chancellor of UCLA chaired the conference in LA.

The USAI Internship Program gives students a unique opportunity for hands-on experience in the field of U.S.-Asian affairs. Throughout the internship, students play an active role in organizing educational programming, overseas Congressional staff delegations, forums, receptions, and diplomatic off-the-record briefings. The internship program gives students and young professionals the opportunity to engage with Asian affairs and policy as it relates to the affairs of the governments of the United States and Asia. Program initiated with Ms. Pu Ning of the PRC as the first young professional intern.

At this conference, Kay Sugahara presented the Partners In Progress plan, a reverse Marshall Plan in which the Japanese pledged funding to support American infrastructure projects