Institute Staff

Paul Watanabe, Director, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science. Dr. Watanabe also serves on the faculty of the Ph.D. Program in Public Policy, and the Master's Program in American Studies.

Shauna Lo, Assistant Director, manages the Institute's administrative activities, assists with project development and implementation, and provides research support.

Michael Liu, Community Programs Coordinator and Research Associate, is responsible for developing, organizing and implementing the Institute's initiatives that work directly with Asian American community leaders and organizations.

Nathan James Bae Kupel is the Programs and Events Assistant and is a UMass Amherst graduate.

Oiyan Poon, Research Associate, works on research projects and grant proposals related to issues of public health and education.

Carmen Li is an undergraduate student at UMass Boston majoring in Management. She is the Institute's Web Developer and Office Assistant.