Executive Council
Meet Our President
Dr. Fay Shin
Fay Shin is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at California State University, Long Beach. She is the former chair of the department and has taught courses in the Single Subject and Multiple Subject Credential Program. She is also the coordinator and advisor for the Asian Bilingual Authorization Credential Program at CSULB.
She received her Ph.D. in Education, M.A. in T.E.S.L. from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA. She has a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and she is a former Los Angeles Unified School District elementary and middle school teacher. She is a consultant to school districts, conducting workshops domestically and abroad. Her research and publications have focused on English language development, literacy and bilingual education. Her publications include Summer Reading: Program and Evidence, and curriculum published by Rosen Classroom titled Journeys- ESL/ELA in the Content Area: Science.
Professor,
California State University Long
EMAIL: Fay.Shin@csulb.edu
Council
Dr. Grace Cho
Vice-President Programs and Treasurer
Professor, California State University Fullerton
Dr. Grace Cho is a Professor in the Department of Secondary Education at California State University, Fullerton. As a former LAUSD teacher, her interest and passion in teaching and research centers on preparing educators to nourish educational equity and academic achievement among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Dr. Cho’s research includes Bilingual Education, Heritage Language Development, and Teacher Education. She earned her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Southern California, specializing in Language, Literacy & Learning. She provided leadership in developing Korean, Mandarin & Vietnamese bilingual authorization programs and a study abroad program for her department. She is also leading a team in developing Korean American Ethnic Studies Curricula. Dr. Cho is trilingual in Korean, Spanish, and English.
Dr. Erika Saito
Vice-President Membership
Director, Strategic Partnerships P-14 Education
University of Massachusetts Global
The Asian American Education Project
L. Erika Saito, Ph.D., is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at University of Massachusetts Global. She served as the Program Director of the Masters in Education and teacher credentialing program & Social and Emotional Learning emphasis at National University and Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction at Teach Us. Dr. Saito is a California credentialed teacher with over 15 years of experience in K-12 public and private schools in southern California. In 2022, Erika co-authored an online K-12 certificate in Asian American Studies for educators and continues to develop programs and professional development for in-service and practicing teachers in the US and internationally. Dr. Saito serves as a consultant for The Asian American Education Project promoting the need for visibility and inclusion of APIDA History and Ethnic Studies with PreK-12 parents, teachers, districts/county offices, and organizations. She is also an English Language Specialist with the US Department of State and trains teachers in social and emotional learning in English language classrooms.
Her research and publications center on Asian American history, communities, ethnic identity, social and emotional learning, and societal reception. Further, she holds editorial roles for Issues in Teacher Education, and Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education.
Pauline Dong
Pauline Đồng is a Vietnamese American educator from Orange County, California. She serves as a Vietnamese language teacher at Westminster High School in Westminster, California. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with B.A. degrees in Asian American Studies, History and Education Sciences. She subsequently attained her teaching credentials and M.A. in Education with a focus on Dual Language Development from California State University, Long Beach. Currently, she is in her 2nd year of the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program at California State University, Long Beach. Beyond her service as a Vietnamese language teacher, she dedicates much of her time to advising student clubs on-campus and connecting students to learning and service opportunities provided by Vietnamese American organizations in Orange County.
Dr. Nirmla Flores
Website Manager and Newsletter Editor
Assistant Professor, California State Polytechnic University Pomona
As a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, Dr. Nirmla Flores was privileged to serve as a bilingual elementary school teacher for 12 years while performing the duties of a site technology coordinator. Her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership for Social Justice with a certificate in Reading Literacy and a master’s degree in Education with a Multicultural emphasis paved the way to her teaching of various graduate and undergraduate courses such as Foundations in Literacies, Language and Literacy, STEM, and Rhetoric and Writing. As an Assistant Professor for the Education Department at Cal Poly Pomona, she has co-edited and co-authored a book, written book chapter/journal articles, and received internal/ external grants that address the cultural and linguistic needs of K-12 students. She has also taken the lead for an international research project with a team of American and Costa Rican University professors on a comparative analysis of literacy instruction. As a current CAAPAE Board Member, a CABTE Webmaster, and an ELLLI advocate, Nirmla has gained much appreciation for biliteracy/multiculturalism and a relentless desire to bring diverse groups together around a common vision.