* Established the Consortium for Democratizing Academic Publishing and Knowledge in January 2022. This Consortium of concerned senior scholars will focus on mentoring off-networked scholars on their manuscripts for journal articles as a first step in this long decolonizing process. Making spaces in the existing journals for a more diverse range of scholars and their studies from less visible contexts is an important first step in changing the academic conversation. Hearing new voices from marginalized communities can create a readiness to explore alternate publishing venues and practices for decolonizing knowledge and developing more inclusive epistemological structures going forward. Visit the site for more details: https://sites.psu.edu/publishing/
* Founding director of the Migration Studies Project at Penn State University. Migration Studies Project (MSP) is an interdisciplinary research group that focuses on generating and analyzing data and expanding the theoretical frameworks for the study of contemporary mobility. Participants focus on the complex intersections of forced migration, language, gender, racism, and neoliberalism through biweekly meetings. Through engaging discussions and hands on data analysis sessions led by participants, MSP seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by forcibly displaced populations, while also shedding light on the linguistic, gender-based, racial, and neoliberal dynamics that shape their experiences. The group is engaged in ongoing research on the communication of international STEM scholars. Occasionally, guest speakers and distinguished scholars give invited lectures on current topics. For information on research and publishing activities, visit https://sites.psu.edu/migrationstudiesproject/
*Established AAPLES (Asian and Asian Pacific Language Education Schools) in May 2018. AAPLES seeks to network the organizers and teachers of community-organized schools for Asian and Pacific Islander children in Pennsylvania. This collective will seek resources to enhance the functioning of the schools, share curricular and pedagogical information, and combine research with pedagogy to improve instruction. Interested individuals and schools are free to join this site and share the pedagogical resources posted here, attend workshops and meetings announced, or request necessary educational and organizational help. Teacher developments seminars and resources will be offered free of charge for community-based educational and language teaching schools. For information on past activities, visit here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342609192966927/
*Serving since January 2021 in the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission (PSLECAC). Created by an executive order signed by the governor in July 2020, the commission’s purpose is to improve policing practices within law enforcement agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction, with a focus on promoting transparency, fairness and accountability. The commission will examine events and conduct reviews of policies, practices and procedures relating to use of force and biased-based policing and make recommendations for implementation of corrective measures. Visit here for proposals and deliberations of PSLECAC: https://www.osig.pa.gov/pslecac/Pages/default.aspx
*Founding executive committee member and editor of SJC-CGC Alumni (USA), Inc. This group has been established to create community among past pupils of the schools St. John’s and Chundikuli Girls’ College in Sri Lanka, connect the global diaspora of Tamils with development efforts in war-damaged Jaffna, and contribute to the needs of current teachers and students in the schools. See for news and information: https://sites.psu.edu/eagl/