Jeanne E. Manese, Ph.D. received her degree from the University of Maryland, College Park with a specialization in Counseling Psychology. Dr. Manese is a practitioner-scholar-consultant and served as the Director of the University of California Irvine (UCI) Counseling Center for over a decade, retiring in 2018. Currently, Dr. Manese is an independent consultant based in Hawaii. She is one of the national advisors for The Steve Fund. Dr. Manese is published in the areas of multicultural supervision and training, mentoring, and university strengths-based outreach programs. She recently co-edited Cases in Multicultural Clinical Supervision: Models, Lenses and Applications (2019). Dr. Manese has achieved the distinction of Fellow in the American Psychological Association (APA Division 17 and 45) and is a Fellow of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA). Dr. Manese has been honored by the Association of Counseling Center Agencies (ACCTA), the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) in the area of multicultural training. She was awarded the APA Minority Fellowship Program James Jones Lifetime Achievement Award for Service in 2018.
Alyssa Hufana is a 4th year doctoral candidate in the Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology (Counseling emphasis) at UC Santa Barbara. Alyssa was born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area and currently resides in Orange County, California. Alyssa’s professional interests revolve around multicultural and social justice issues, resilience among Asian American and Pacific Islander populations, Filipinx American psychology, and culturally responsive prevention and intervention. Alyssa is currently an American Psychological Association (APA) Pre-doctoral Fellow in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Asian American Psychological Association member, and student leader in American Psychological Association’s Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race.
Marcia Liu, Ph.D. is a Licensed Counseling Psychologist. She was born in New York before moving to Maryland. She received her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her MA from NYU, and her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. Currently, Dr. Liu works as the HCAP Mental Health Coordinator a Hunter College, where she works with Asian American/Pacific Islander college students. She is also a Compensation and Pension Psychologist at The Brooklyn VA Hospital, and has a private practice where she meets with women of Color, Queer People, and/or trauma survivors. She practices from a relational and psychodynamic orientation. Her research and clinical interests focus on mental health policy, acculturative stress, gender, race-related stress, Asian American/Pacific Islander health, racial identity, and trauma.
Jay Wang is currently on sabbatical from academia but is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (BSA, Biology) and the University of North Texas Health Science Center (M.S., Medical Sciences). Jay has served on The Steve Fund YAB since 2017 and has enjoyed every second of it! Through the YAB, he hopes to continue building a foundation and space for SOCs juggling their various identities and ensuring that they have the proper mental health tools to progress and reach whatever goals they may have later in life. In particular, Jay has a strong desire to reach out to LGBTQ+ youth, immigrant and first-generation students, and language brokers.
Maryam Mian is a Pakistani American undergraduate student at Hunter College. In her final semester, she will be graduating with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a minor in Asian American Studies. Alongside her classes, she works as the program assistant for the Hunter College AANAPISI Project and actively commits herself to helping those around her. An avid cat-lover and artist, Maryam strives to support immigrant and first generation students and LGBTQ+ youth.
The Steve Fund recognizes that these are challenging, unprecedented times. We are a resource for students, their families, faculty and administration, and our mental health partners. COVID-19 is no exception. Our new webinar series, Community Conversations, features members of the Steve Fund community sharing how they are navigating this “new normal.” We hope that their challenges, experiences and insights will inform and inspire you. You are not alone, and the Steve Fund is here to provide the support you need.
Our Mission: Promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color