Meet the team!

Alvina Yeh, Executive Director
Alvina (she/her/hers) is the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership & Advancement.  Originally from Colorado, Alvina comes from a Chinese family who fled from the Vietnam War. Her experiences as a child of immigrants and growing up in a house that welcomed and supported refugees and immigrants have shaped her values and commitment to community. Alvina’s career demonstrates her deep passion for empowering traditionally disenfranchised groups to become active participants in our democracy. Most recently, she served as the Director of State Capacity Building with State Voices, working with state-based coalitions on program management, strategic planning, and organizational development. Her prior experiences include high-level work on several campaigns at the congressional and presidential level and serving as Program Director at Asian Pacific Islander American Vote. In her free time, you can find her risking friendships over a competitive board game, enjoying live entertainment, traveling, or trying new restaurants.

Kristina Romines, Program Manager
As Program Manager 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.​

Michelle Loo, Program Coordinator
Michelle (They/them/theirs or she/her/hers) joins the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance as the Program Coordinator, supporting the development, planning, and execution of APALA's campaigns and programs. They will work to foster the growth of our chapter and member base, develop capacity in our leaders, build relationships across the labor movement and AAPI communities, and support APALA's general communications and operations needs. Raised by Chinese Malaysian immigrants in New York City and Philadelphia, Michelle is passionate about building the capacity of communities most impacted by systemic oppression. During their time at Barnard College, Michelle organized students, faculty, and professors to make campus a safer space for students of color, first generation students, LGBTQ students, and low-income students. Following that - they worked with housing organizers and homeless advocates as a Congressional Emerson Hunger Fellow. Prior to joining APALA, Michelle coordinated heathcare consumers to share their stories on how national and local healthcare policies impact them. Outside of APALA, you can find Michelle volunteering as an abortion doula, cooking, or crafting. ​

Hana Jeong Pak, Operations and Programs Associate
Hana (she/her/hers) is the Operations and Programs Associate of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership & Advancement. Hana manages event logistics, operations and programs for APALA. Born in Korea and raised in the United States, immigration matters took her back to Korea where she worked in finance for a number of years. Working alongside various corporations in Asia, her long-term volunteer work at an orphanage for girls in Seoul, as well as her own immigration saga heightened her interests in socioeconomic justice and human rights, especially immigrants’ rights and workers’ rights. Hana is thankful to back in the United States and enjoys reading, traveling, and volunteering.
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Marian Manapsal, Strategic Communications Consultant
Marian Manapsal (she/her/hers) is APALA's Strategic Communications Consultant, where she oversees and implements communications strategies for the organization. Prior to joining APALA, she was previously the Communications & Development Assistant at the International Labor Rights Forum, a human rights NGO strengthening workers' rights in global supply chains. Before moving to Washington, DC, Marian worked as a political fundraising staffer for electoral campaigns in Massachusetts on the national, state and local levels. She has been a longtime supporter of Asian American causes -- from leading her university's Filipino-American student organization during her undergraduate career to serving on the boards of the Asian American Resource Workshop and the Asian American Women's Political Initiative (AAWPI). In 2013, Marian was a State House Fellow herself in the AAWPI program, an experience that opened her eyes to the importance of building a pipeline of Asian American leaders to drive policy and political change. Marian is a graduate of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, and she hails from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Vivian Chang, Civic Engagement Fellow - Nevada
As Civic Engagement Fellow for the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Vivian (she/her/hers) coordinates the outreach and mobilization of AAPI communities in Nevada. She organizes field operations in the Las Vegas and Henderson areas, recruiting and training volunteers and working with local partners to strengthen AAPI communities and organizations. Prior to joining APALA, Vivian managed a national coalition focused on defending scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking in the federal government. She also served two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA engaging volunteers and coordinating strategic partnerships 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. Throughout her time at Carnegie Mellon and Princeton University, she dedicated time to cultivating AAPI community and building solidarity across communities of color. Vivian is a native of Columbus, Ohio, sprouting from dual Taiwanese and Buckeye traditions.

Pele Le, Civic Engagement Fellow - Virginia/Washington, D.C.
​Pele Le (he/him/his) is a proud graduate from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. As one of the Civic Engagement Fellow for the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), his responsibilities entail; organizing field operations and voter engagement programs, preserving and strengthening community partnerships, and developing data infrastructure to ensure data-driven campaigns. As a second-generation Vietnamese American and son of refugees from the war in Vietnam, drowned in trauma, isolation, and poverty, these challenges inspired him to reimagine the world and work towards building a better future for himself and the community - one with more empathy, justice, and love. Prior to APALA, he led his university's Vietnamese student organization and the Asian Pacific American Resource Center's student programs, reinforcing the significance of direct-services for first-generation college student and the prioritization of marginalized populations. He previously worked for OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates and Asian and Pacific American Vote (APIAVote), where he discovered the robust political power he had as an individual, but also as a part of the greater pan-Asian community. Besides organizing, Pele savors in open dialogues, cooking new foods, and playing competitive sports.