Leadership

The AACC is affiliated with the Yale College Dean’s Office, located at 55 Whitney Ave, 2nd Floor. This Office supports the Center and its affiliated student organizations. 

AACC Director/Assistant Dean of Yale College

Dr. Joliana Yee (She|Her|Hers)

Dr. Joliana Yee’s tenure as Assistant Dean of Yale College and Director of the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) at Yale began in January 2018. Prior to joining the AACC staff, Dean Yee served as a Residence Hall Director at the University of Connecticut for four years where she worked closely with campus partners to create an inclusive and equitable living and learning environment. Dean Yee’s dedication to serving Asian/Asian American students and striving for social justice stems from her own re-racialization experiences as an Asian international undergraduate student at Miami University over a decade ago. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dean Yee is a first-generation college student who earned her M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University and her B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Miami University. In March 2020, Dean Yee completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago. Her dissertation and research interests focus on the lived experiences of Asian American Student Affairs Educators and the cultivation of Asian/Asian American critical consciousness within higher education. She recently completed her term as Co-Chair for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ (NASPA) Asian Pacific Islander Knowledge Community (APIKC).

AACC Associate Director

 Sheraz Iqbal (He|Him|His)

Sheraz Iqbal started his tenure as the Assistant Director of the Asian American Cultural Center in July 2017. Sheraz was born in Pakistan and grew up in Long Island, NY. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at Ithaca College and his master’s degree in Student Personnel in Higher Education at the University of Florida. Sheraz is a first-generation college student, trailblazing into a career in Student Affairs and Higher Education. He has served in various roles in the field working in residence life, orientation, leadership and service, first-generation student success, and multicultural engagement. His work with Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) students includes serving as the past Chair of Assessment at the University of Florida’s Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs and the past Co-Chair for the Asian Network at Yale affinity group. Sheraz was also the recent past Chair for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Asian Pacific American Network (APAN). Most recently, Sheraz was promoted as the inaugural Associate Director for the Asian American Cultural Center at Yale in April 2022 and served as its Interim Director in 2023.