Asian Canadian Educators Network
vision
The Asian Canadian Educators Network (ACEnet) is dedicated to empowering educators to foster inclusive, equitable, and transformative educational environments for all students, with a particular focus on Pan-Asian identities.
mission
EDUCATION
To integrate Asian Canadian histories, cultures, voices, and contributions into Canadian curricula and societal consciousness, in order to foster a deeper understanding of our identities and experiences.
institutional
barriers
To address the complex and intersecting educational, socio-economic, linguistic, and mental health barriers—including the lack of access to culturally responsive supports for 2SLGBTQI+, disabled, neurodiverse and other marginalized identities within the pan-Asian umbrella.
parternships
To build meaningful partnerships and coalitions that unite educators, families, and communities in collective action to address systemic inequities, amplify marginalized voices, and cultivate empowering educational spaces.
SOLIDARITY
To engage in solidarity work, recognizing that all oppressions are interconnected, and collective action is essential to advance equitable practices and build a just, equitable society.
Leadership
To foster leadership, mentorship, and advocacy rooted in a shared commitment to justice, equity, and belonging, while encouraging critical reflection on the systems, beliefs, and practices that perpetuate inequality.
MEET OUR TEAM
she/her
sara leung
President
Sara is a second-generation Chinese educator from Toronto with 16 years of experience. She is deeply committed to creating inclusive, anti-oppressive spaces for students, staff, and families. Formerly an Equity Consultant with a large Ontario school board, she has also supported anti-racism learning with organizations like the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice. After time away to welcome her first child, Sara is excited to return to a school community and continue this important work. Now stepping into the role of ACENet President, she is honoured to advance racial justice in education.
she/her
kalpana makan
Vice President
Kalpana is a seasoned educator with over thirty years of experience in the public education system. Throughout her career, she has excelled in various roles, including classroom teacher, specialist teacher, Vice Principal, and Senior Staff at a teacher's union.
Kalpana has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) initiatives. She has shared her expertise at universities, professional conferences, school boards, unions, and not-for-profit organizations. Kalpana emphasizes the tangible benefits of EDIA principles, highlighting how they can transform both organizations and broader communities, fostering a more equitable future for all.
she/her
linda kwan
Secretary
Linda has been an educator for 27 years. She has worked as an ESL teacher, K-2 classroom teacher, reading intervention teacher and teacher leader, early reading coach, and school improvement process coach. She is currently a Grade 6 teacher. She is committed to early literacy intervention, critical literacy, culturally relevant responsive pedagogy, equity, and anti-racism. She cultivates a sense of social justice through her personal experiences, research-based pedagogies, building positive relationships to transform teaching and learning, and reflective practice for instructional improvement and personal actions.
she/her
sherry pom
Member
Sherry’s upbringing, rich in cultural diversity, ignited a passion for community engagement. She has led inner-city programs for children and youth, where she helped young people discover and nurture their artistic talents. With years of experience running a school art department for teens and young adults, Sherry has since transitioned to operating a vibrant community arts centre, where she continues to rouse creativity and foster artistic growth. Through her work, Sherry is committed to ACENet’s mission of nurturing compassion through education.
she/her
selena tandon
Treasurer
selena’s path to teaching has been shaped by her commitment to equity and justice. With almost 25 years of experience in special education and equity, she has served as an Equity Consultant, Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT), and Multilingual Language (MLL) teacher with the York Region District School Board. Her work emphasizes fostering inclusive, anti-oppressive environments through trauma-informed, culturally responsive practices. Grounded in the transformative power of grassroots organizing and cross-cultural solidarity, selena is dedicated to fostering collaboration and creating space for diverse voices in education.
tHE bEGINING
HISTORY
"In the spring of 2011, a group of educators representing a strong range of expertise began a rich dialogue. Realizing a common journey in education, we forged a path for advocacy and voice. Our deep insight and shared vision designed the foundational cornerstones for ACENet: Asian Canadian Educators Network. Connecting through Asian identities, we have used our profound individual and collective experiences within education to build a network to impact change for educators, students, families, and communities."
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– Founding President, Padmini Padiachy
founding members
aCKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to acknowledge the founding members whose advocations and contributions towards anti-Asian racism, during a period when anti-Asian racism was widely unheard of and otherwise not taken seriously, has been instrumental to the current work and success of ACENet. These people have paved the way for future ACENet members and anti-Asian racism work in education systems at large.
Our heartfelt thanks to our Founding members.
MARCH 2012
​
​Sylvia Au
Roland Sintos Coloma
Ranjit Khatkur
Howard Kwan
Marissa Largo
Kien Luu
Judith Ngan
Padmini Padiachy
Sheena Resplandor
Tony San Juan
Rebecca Tam
Sandy Yep