National Staff

Meet the team!

Sandra Engle, Interim Executive Director
Sandra (she/her/hers) serves as the Interim 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.

Vivian Chang, Civic Engagement & Racial Justice Director
Vivian (she/her/hers) serves as the Civic Engagement & Racial Justice Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, overseeing APALA's programs on voting, redistricting, immigration advocacy, and political engagement. Her role builds on her leadership of APALA's AAPI outreach field programs in Nevada and Georgia, coordinating and mobilizing AAPI communities for record voter turnout. She previously worked in federal science policy and served two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Philadelphia, Pa., and Moline, Ill. She is dedicated to advancing social and economic justice informed by the collective power of communities, and to improving physical environments. She holds an MPA from Princeton University and a B.S. and B.A. from Carnegie Mellon, where she dedicated time to cultivating AAPI community and building solidarity across communities of color. Vivian's hometown is Columbus, Ohio, sprouting from dual Taiwanese and Buckeye traditions.

Sara Greiner, Operations & Finance Manager
Sara (she/her/hers) serves the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance as the Operations & Development Manager, where she performs office operations, fundraising, development, and administrative duties. Sara first started her work at APALA as a part-time Operations Coordinator while attending graduate school at the University of George Washington for International Development Studies. She was born and raised in Hong Kong before moving to the United States to pursue higher education and a career on advancing social and economic justice. Sara is half Thai and has volunteered her time at the Thai Community Development Center. After work hours, Sara trains Muay Thai and also enjoys spending time with friends and family, planning her next adventure, or watching crime drama.

Kristina Romines, Economic Justice & Capacity Building Director
As the Economic Justice & Capacity Building Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership & Advancement, Kristina (she/her/hers) oversees the development, planning, and execution of APALA’s campaigns and programs. She works to foster the growth, sustainability, engagement, and effectiveness of APALA’s network of chapters and pre-chapters across the country. Prior to joining APALA, Kristina coordinated the field operations of several national women’s organizations and, utilizing an intersectional framework, campaigned on a wide range of progressive issues. Originally from Hawaii, Kristina is hapa Filipina. She grew up on a number of military bases and began her political career organizing in Virginia. It is this background that has shaped her passion for community, with particular interest in multi-racial/ethnic identity and organizing southern and rural communities. When she is not campaigning to advance worker, immigrant and civil rights, she can be found walking her hound dog named Hermione or coaching a middle school girls’ basketball team.