Meet Our Educator Advisory Board
Our Educator Advisory Board plays a pivotal role as counsel, acting as a sounding board for all our programming and curriculum development. This team works hand-in-hand with TeachAAPI to ensure our programs are engaging, high impact and useful to all educators.
Peter Cha is an Academic Support and Human Development Teacher at Harvard-Westlake School. In the middle school’s Learning Center, Peter works with students on study strategies, work completion, time management, school-life balance, and executive function skills, all in support of each student’s academic success. He also advises Harvard-Westlake’s Asian American Culture Club. He first was inspired to enter education by his classes and community work at Pomona College, where he majored in Asian American Studies and Sociology. He also holds a Master of Arts degree in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University.
Peter Cha
Educator Advisory Board
Debbie Chae is an upper elementary school teacher at The Willows Community School. Debbie is part of a group of talented and highly trained individuals, who are experts in child development and are dedicated to educating and nurturing young people. These teachers model character, creativity, and lifelong learning.
Debbie Chae
Educator Advisory Board
Chris is the Associate Head of School for Community Engagement at Campbell Hall in Studio City. He is a dedicated advocate for social justice in education. As a founding consultant of the Campus Culture Group, he works towards fostering inclusive and equitable school environments. He promotes diversity and inclusion through faculty and staff recruitment, program design, and policy adherence.
Chris Dennis
Educator Advisory Board
Karen Fukushima serves as Dean and Dean Department Head of Middle School at Harvard Westlake. She has been a member of the HW family since 1999. As the Head of the Middle School Dean Team, she works alongside a team of Deans, Counselors and Learning Specialists. In addition to teaching 8th grade history, she is also faculty advisor for the Middle School Asian American Culture Club and South Asian Student Association. Karen designed and taught a summer school course on Asian Americans and Los Angeles, and will start teaching an elective in Ethnic Studies this year.
Karen Fukushima
Educator Advisory Board
Visual strategist, org design consultant, co-author of The New Team Habits. Creator of Strategic Planning Playbook. Believes in leadership, equity, and strategy. Senior Transformation Consultant at August Public.
Kawai Lai
Educator Advisory Board
Experienced early childhood and elementary education teacher/administrator with anti-bias and anti-racist pedagogy focus. Skilled in social-emotional and academic development and tech integration. Passionate about leadership, educational reform, and impact on the system. Holds California Multi-Subject Teaching Credential.
Janet Lee
Educator Advisory Board
Mei-Ling Leonard is the Assistant Head of School for Early Child Education at St. James’ Episcopal School where she is responsible for the staff and faculty, students and families of the Preschool through Grade 3. She is the visionary and creator of the Center for Belonging, a physical space to support the social emotional well-being of students while instilling DEIJB in all educational aspects of the school community.
Mei-Ling Leonard
Educator Advisory Board
Stephanie Leung is a passionate educator who currently holds the positions of Assistant Head of School and Head of Lower School at Mirman School. Stephanie’s journey in education has been marked by a diverse range of experiences, including serving in teaching and leadership roles in schools in New York and Los Angeles. She holds certifications in various areas including school leadership, early childhood education, special education, and gifted education. This extensive knowledge base enables her to provide invaluable guidance and support to both students and fellow educators.
Stephanie Leung
Educator Advisory Board
Meera Ratnesar is the Head of School at Curtis. With experience in independent school education and administration, she specializes in mathematics and curriculum design. She implemented various initiatives to keep Curtis at the forefront of educational practices and is dedicated to leading a vibrant and joyful school community.
Meera Ratnesar
Educator Advisory Board
Hayley, an experienced educator, across independent, international, and charter schools. With over 20 years of experience as an administrator, curriculum developer, instructional coach, and teacher, she has worked in schools across the United Kingdom, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and New York. Currently, she serves as the Director of Teaching and Learning at the John Thomas Dye School in Los Angeles.
Hayley Roberts
Educator Advisory Board
Gary is the Associate Academic Dean at the Governor’s Academy in Byfield, MA. He works to incorporate DEI work into classroom curriculum, where students must grapple with the issues as part of their expected learning outcomes. Gary also serves on the advisory board of the Asian American Footsteps Conference, an annual regional conference for AAPI students at New England independent schools.
Gary Satow
Educator Advisory Board
Joel Sohn is the assistant head of school for planning and strategic initiatives at Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA. Joel has held multiple leadership roles in different independent schools, primarily focusing on improving the culture of belonging through strategic initiatives and practices. He also plays an active role in mentorship and leadership cultivation of AAPI educators in independent schools across the country.
Joel Sok Sohn
Educator Advisory Board
Garret serves as the Dean of Students, Prep Division, at Windward School. Prior to coming Windward, Garret was the Ninth Grade Dean at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, where he also served the community as an advisor, history teacher, football coach, outdoor education trip leader, and member of the admission team. As a third generation educator, he takes great pride in being a lifelong learner, especially on the topics of culture and social justice. Garret and his high school sweetheart have two sons. They love living in L.A. and exploring the cultural diversity of Garret’s adopted home away from the islands.
Garret Tyau
Educator Advisory Board
Jason Wang is a DEI practitioner and is the Assistant Director of Equity & Inclusion at Brentwood School. He earned a Bachelor’s degree is Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific University and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Biola University.
Jason Wang
Educator Advisory Board
Erwin Wong is the Director of Enrollment Management at The Buckley School. His responsibilities include admission, financial assistance, retention and he is especially honored to be advisor to the AAPI student affinity space. The better half of his professional life has been devoted to cultivating school communities thru leadership roles in Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
Erwin Wong
Educator Advisory Board
