Six months after the ouster of its interim director, Yale has named a graduate student from Loyola University, Chicago, as the new director of the Asian American Cultural Center.
The Yale Daily News report Joliana Yee will take over in January. Current interim co-directors Courtney Sato and LiLi Johnson are returning to their studies.
Yee was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is currently working towards a doctorate degree in higher education with a special emphasis on multi-cultural education.
Perhaps not coincidentally, her dissertation project is focusing on best practices of Asian American Cultural Center directors across the country.
“I see it very much as complementary to the work that I will be doing, so timing-wise it’s perfect,” Yee said. “It will give me additional insights into how Asian American Cultural Centers are operating across the country.”
The selection of a permanent director comes two years after the resignation of Saveena Dhall who served in that role for 16 years. Raymond Firmalino, who was Dhall’s assistant, took over, but resigned after much criticism and a revolt from his staff.
“This process has taken a while because we wanted to get the right person, someone who has a sense of what it’s like to work with students … but also can help us move forward,” said Yale’s Vice President of Student Life. “We were looking for people who had experience working in student-intensive roles.”
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