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 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 serves the following organizations: Congressional Progressive Caucus Center Advisory Board, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium Action Fund (NAKASEC AF) Board, and the Solidarity Center.  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) serves as the Civic Engagement Manager of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, overseeing APALA's programs on voting, redistricting, immigration advocacy, and political engagement. Her 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 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.​

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 care networks. When she’s not organizing, you can find Maggie cooking, hiking, or sitting by the ocean.   ​

Maricel Laquindanum, Operations and Development Coordinator
Maricel (she/her/hers) joins the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance as the Operations and Development Coordinator, where she performs office operations, fundraising, development, and administrative duties. As the daughter of immigrants from the Philippines, she witnessed firsthand the effects of unsafe, grueling, and xenophobic working conditions. From this experience, she is passionate about combatting labor exploitation, racism, and anti-immigration bias. She believes that individuals should not just work to make a living but rather thrive in their working environments. As a full-time Stewardship Intern at Grace City Leadership Institute, she worked with local and international organizations that tackled the issues of poverty, homelessness, and low-income challenges. She also coordinated and led global mission trips around the world to provide aid and serve the local communities in Honduras, Peru, Guatemala, and the Netherlands. In her free time, Maricel enjoys writing poetry and stories, discovering new artists for her Spotify playlists, singing, and going to art museums and bookstores. 

Rachel Jeong, Intern
Rachel (she/her/hers) joins the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance as the Racial, Immigrant, and Worker Justice Intern, providing support to staff on campaigns and programs. Born in Incheon, South Korea, Rachel immigrated to California at age two and has since been a long-time resident of Koreatown, Los Angeles. Prior to joining APALA, Rachel attended the University of California, Berkeley as a Legal Studies major. She has previously worked as a Development Intern at the Coalition on Homelessness and as an Immigration Specialist at the Law Offices of Kyung Hee Lee, PC. Her decision to join APALA came after she had experienced worker injustice first-handedly at various restaurant jobs as a part-time college student. In her free time, Rachel enjoys playing Minecraft, testing her spicy food consumption levels, walking her cat, and binge watching horror movies and true crime documentaries.

Clarissa Cheung, Intern
Clarissa (she/they) joins the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance as the Programs Intern, providing support to staff with mobilization and programming while working on developing trauma-informed lenses for the work that APALA does. Prior to joining APALA, she interned with the Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (APIDVRP) where she co-created and organized their ongoing virtual healing space series. A senior at American University in Washington D.C., their studies in Sociology, Transcultural Literature, and Multi-Ethnic Studies and their involvement with affinity student organizing ground their approach to organizing and world-building. Some of her joy-sparking activities include making art, sharing food and sunsets with loved ones, and swiping all her time away playing Candy Crush. 

Organizing and Civic Engagement Fellows

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.

Syeda Bano
Syeda (she/they) is the Georgia APALA fellow based out of the Asian American Advocacy Fund in Norcross, Georgia. Syeda was born in Pakistan and has lived in Georgia since she was three, spending much of her childhood at her mosque and with her family. As a Shia Muslim she finds her roots of radical politics and organizing in her religious practices, inspired by the perseverance of Zainab bint Ali. Syeda received a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Sociology in 2020 from Oglethorpe University. Syeda's lived experiences fuel her commitment to fighting for justice, equity, and liberation, centering marginalized communities in her work. When she is not working Syeda is with her family and friends, drinking boba tea, or reading.

JingJing Zeng
JingJing is a 1.5-generation Chinese American from Guangdong, China before moving to Philadelphia when she was 5 years old. She is proud to call Philly her hometown, to be of Cantonese heritage, and to be a FGLI (first-gen, low-income) immigrant college student. During her time in university, she was involved with the Pan-Asian American Community House, Chinese Students’ Association, Asian Pacific Student Coalition, and multiple other FGLI/AAPI affinity spaces. Outside of academia, she is very passionate about inner-city public education, civic tech/data for social good, and centering mis/under-represented communities especially in the AAPI diaspora. Currently, she is pursuing law school so she can ground public policy and social impact in data to solve real-world issues that affect all marginalized communities. In her free time, she enjoys reading all sorts of books, drinking boba, and watching political satire. 

Munni Rahman
My name is Munni Rahman (she, her). I am a Bangladeshi American who is a current resident of Warren Michigan.  I graduated from a Detroit High School named Davis. I went to Kalamazoo College and Wayne State University focusing on Sociology.   I want to help build a community which we can all thrive in.  Having equal opportunities for AAPI communities is an integral part of building prosperous communities. I love to take walks around my neighborhood and during the Summer, attempt at growing things in the garden. I would like to see myself on a bike in the near future, enjoying the breeze on my face.

Kristi Mai
Kristi is an APALA Organizing Fellow housed with the Pilipino Workers Center. She graduated from UCLA this past June with a B.A. in Asian American Studies and History, with a minor in Labor Studies. She first got involved with the community organizing world as an intern with the Chinatown Community for Equitable Development (CCED) in January 2020, where she put on a tenant town hall to mobilize UCLA students against the displacement and evictions of Chinatown tenants. In addition to her time with CCED, also held leadership roles with the Vietnamese Student Union and Asian Pacific Coalition at UCLA. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games, reading, and traveling with friends.