API Chaya recently appointed Joanne Alcantara as the Executive Director. A Chinese and Filipino immigrant, Alcantara was born in the Philippines during Martial Law and moved to Seattle to escape the violence of the Marcos dictatorship. She is a Women’s Studies graduate from Wesleyan University and previously worked at the Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center leading the Youth Program and Queer Network Program.
Alcantara has worked as a community organizer and advocate for women’s rights, including being a founding member of GABRIELA USA, an overseas chapter of GABRIELA Philippines, a
progressive Filipino women’s alliance. She is excited to return to API Chaya’s work after spending several years in Juneau, Alaska.
API Chaya is dedicated to serving survivors in crisis and raising awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander communities, as well as human trafficking in all communities.