John Tandana, a longtime community activist, was elected Dec. 5 as the new president of the United Nations Association’s Queens chapter, a group which promotes the mission of the UN in Queens.
Tandana always dreamed of working throughout the world for the United Nations, but the Flushing resident was not accepted into the agency. Seven years ago, he attended a meeting of the Queens UNA chapter and since then he has been an active member, serving for the last two years as vice president — Patricia Hollander will replace him in that role — and helping to organize events such as the group’s Earth Day celebration and Ambassador Program.
“My goal is to build coalition with various community organizations, to promote cultural exchange, to educate people on global issues and climate change and to increase membership that is as diverse as possible to reflect the spirit of the United Nations,” Tandana said in a statement.
Born in Indonesia, Tandana studied architecture and urban planning in Germany and got his doctorate in 1983. He came to the United States in 1985. He has traveled extensively to 32 countries and speaks five languages.
For more information on the Queens UNA chapter, visit unaqueens.org
— Connor Adams Sheets
