Meet the team!

Alvina Yeh, Executive Director
Alvina (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).  Originally from Colorado, Alvina comes from a Chinese family who fled from the war in Vietnam. Alvina is a lifelong community organizer with experience in political, electoral, and issue-based campaigns. She is deeply passionate about building a movement where everyone has a fair shot in a thriving society. She has previously 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 work on several campaigns at the congressional and presidential level and serving as Program Director at Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote). Alvina currently serves as the Co-Chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and on the board of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) Action Fund.  Alvina lives in Washington, D.C. with her partner, Jeff, and child, Mazie. In her free time, you can find her risking friendships over a competitive board game, crafting, trying new food, or just trying to take a nap.​

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) 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 healthcare 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. ​

Vivian Chang, Civic Engagement Manager
Vivian (she/her/hers) joins the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance as the Civic Engagement Manager, overseeing APALA's efforts on Census 2020, civic engagement, citizenship, and political work. Her new role builds on her recent leadership of APALA's field program in Nevada, coordinating and mobilizing AAPI communities for record voter turnout. She previously worked in federal science policy, as well as 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. 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.​

Maggie Tsai, Data and Program Coordinator 
Maggie (she/her/hers) joins the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance as the Data and Program Coordinator, providing data management, training, reporting, and technical assistance to support chapter leaders, members, and Civic Engagement fellows in the execution of APALA's civic engagement programs. A Taiwanese immigrant, Maggie grew up in California before moving to the East coast to attend New York University and the University of Rhode Island. Prior to joining APALA, Maggie served as a staffer in the United States Senate, handling portfolio areas in AAPI outreach, STEAM education, and immigration casework. She previously served as a Congressional Emerson Hunger fellow, working in anti-hunger policy, child care and community development efforts. Following-that, Maggie worked in Nevada mobilizing AAPI voters, where she cultivated her passion for building a movement centered on youth, racial justice, and building stronger networks of care. When she’s not organizing, you can find Maggie cooking, hiking, or sitting by the ocean.   ​

Organizing and Civic Engagement Fellows

Anna Xin Guo
Anna Xin (she/her/hers) joins APALA as the DC Civic Engagement Fellow. As a fellow, Anna will be working on projects related to the Census through chapter and partner outreach, follow-up, and social media support. She is deeply honored to join such an incredible team. Anna graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a Bachelor's in English and a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She spent two years as a high school college counselor in Omaha, Nebraska, supporting her students’ journey toward graduation then success in college. She is passionate about urban studies, grassroots movement, reproductive, campaign, and environmental justice and hopes to align her life work with the principles of radical liberation and healing. In the future, Anna intends to run for local elected office. It brings her joy to cook healthy meals, spend time outside, read, and grow plants and community.

Dim Mang
Dim (she/her/hers) is the Michigan APALA fellow at Rising Voices of Asian American Families based in Detroit, MI. Born in Mandalay, Myanmar, Dim grew up in a working-class family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was raised by two Zomi immigrants who personified radical politics and actions in their everyday lives. At the University of Michigan, Dim studies History and Political Science with a minor in Asian Studies. She has organized with the United Asian American Organizations (UAAO) and the Climate Action Movement (CAM), in addition to serving on the boards of the Roosevelt Institute at U-M and Beta Alpha Pre-Law and Public Service Fraternity. She hopes to return to Myanmar in the summer of 2021, working for a year in Yangon, the city where she grew up for the first seven years of her childhood. Ultimately, Dim hopes to serve the Burmese American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma in whatever way she can. Dim bullet journals in her free time, in addition to teaching herself how to cook Burmese dishes and trying to get back into her bookworm habits. She is also continuing her elusive journey to concoct the perfect iced latte. ​

Jeeva Muhil
Jeeva Muhil (She/her/hers) joins APALA as the Philadelphia Civic Engagement Fellow.  Jeeva also bartends in the Philadelphia Airport where she is a shop steward with Unite Here Local 274.  She is passionate about building worker solidarity at a grassroots and international level, immigration justice, and racial justice.  Jeeva grew up in Michigan.  She became involved in organizing through her school’s Student Labor Action Coalition and has worked in the service industry for several years.  As a fellow Jeeva will be working to build up APALA’s worker base through chapter and partner outreach; holding teach-ins and trainings to help AAPI workers navigate unemployment and housing issues; and expanding our solidarity program.  When she is not working Jeeva can be found watching Korean dramas, cooking, and attempting to learn Tamil.

Sophie Mark-Ng
​Sophie Mark-Ng (she/her) is the APALA fellow based in Massachusetts at the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA). Sophie was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts and worked with CPA prior to joining APALA. There, she helped to increase civic engagement among the Chinese population in Greater Boston as well as to address changing community needs due to the Covid-19 crisis. Sophie is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree at Macalester College in American Studies and Studio Art. Outside of academia, Sophie has been involved in efforts to amplify and diversify BIPOC voices on campus through Macalester's AAPI student group and BIPOC led publication. In her spare time, Sophie enjoys reading, making ceramics, and drinking boba tea. 

Tammy Chang
Tammy Chang (she/her/hers) is the Houston APALA fellow based within the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, where she works to promote a fair census count of the AAPI community, advocates for the voting rights of Texans, and supports local communications efforts. Tammy is a proud first-generation graduate of the University of Houston, where she studied Marketing, Finance, and Leadership. In college, she worked on initiatives to foster civic engagement within the student population on campus and to empower entrepreneurs in under-resourced communities off-campus. She cares deeply about incorporating principles of mutual aid and solidarity in her work, and as is passionate about building immigrant power through representation and accessibility. Outside of work, Tammy enjoys spending time fostering neonatal kittens, practicing her writing and graphic design skills, and recreating vegan recipes from her dual Chinese and Taiwanese heritage.