Executive Board
Asian & Pacific Islander Social Work Educators Association (APISWEA) is a national organization that represents Asian and Pacific Islander (API) social work educators, discusses issues of concern to social work educators and students, and promotes social work education and research of API in the social work context.
President
Dr. Peter Szto
Azusa Pacific University
Biography
Dr. Szto is President of APISWEA. He is also Professor of Social Work at Azusa Pacific University. Szto has decades of experience teaching mental health policy, leading travel courses to China, and developing documentary photography as a tool of social work research. In 2022, he was a Senior Fulbright Scholar at the National University of Singapore (NUS), teaching and studying the ‘hidden youth’ phenomenon. His career trajectory includes growing up in Queens, NYC, mental health work in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Philadelphia. He has earned degrees from Calvin University, Michigan State University, Westminster Theological Seminary, and his doctorate from University of Pennsylvania.
Secretary
Dr. Jieru Bai
California State University, Los Angeles
Biography
Dr Jieru Bai is an Associate Professor at California State University Los Angeles. She obtained her Ph.D. from Indiana University and MSW from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her major research area is acculturation and its impact on health and mental health. Dr. Bai is also an expert in program evaluation, with extensive experience evaluating social service programs.
Treasurer
Dr. Regina Trammel
Azusa Pacific University
Biography
Regina Chow Trammel, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., is a professor in Azusa Pacific University’s Master of Social Work program. Her clinical background includes private practice and psychiatric and medical settings. She researches Christian mindfulness, mentors future social workers, and authors publications integrating Christian faith, mindfulness, and social work education and clinical practice.
Co-Treasurer
Ms. Serena Lee, MSW
University affiliation forthcoming
Biography
Serena Lee is a licensed clinical social worker specialized in treating complex trauma and dissociation. She owns her own private practice called Soul Tea Therapy, and also serves as a clinical supervisor at another group practice. Serena hopes to pursue a social work PhD in the future to contribute to the field of trauma studies.
Doctoral Student
Ms. Luan Sy
Regent University
Biography
Luan H. Sy, MSW, ACSW, is a doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision at Regent University and a Southern California clinician. Her work connects mental health research with culturally responsive community care, emphasizing group work, participatory research, clinician–community partnerships, and mental health access in Asian American communities through collaboration.