Meet the team!
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Sandra Engle, Executive Director
Sandra (she/her/hers) serves as the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership & Advancement (IAPALA). Sandra has deep roots within the labor movement. While working as a criminal appeals lawyer at The Legal Aid Society of New York, she was active in her local (UAW Local 2325) and elected Vice President. After taking a leave of absence, she began organizing with multiple unions across the U.S., including UAW, IAM, USW and AFGE. She eventually came home to the UAW when she was put on staff in the Organizing Department and became Assistant Director. In addition, she has served as UAW Assistant Director in the National CAP Department as well as Education Department. While serving in the National CAP (Community Action Program) Department based in Washington, DC, she helped craft a membership engagement program in the 2012 election which led to the highest turnout of UAW members in recent history who voted overwhelmingly for President Obama. She also designed a successful pilot program that doubled membership contributions to V-CAP (UAW’s PAC) at two locals. Most recently she was Director of UAW's Communications and Strategic Campaigns Departments. She views her activism through the lens of an organizer and believes that the power of the labor movement is in teaching others how to advocate for themselves. She is a proud member of the Michigan APALA chapter, a Lifetime Warrior and former Recording Secretary of national APALA. In 2022, she started a dialogue within the UAW about its role in the murder of Vincent Chin. She lives in Wyandotte, Michigan, with her husband Joe and dogs Scooter and Ike and a cat who answers to Lucy. |