Jo-Ann Yoo is the executive director of the Asian American Federation (AAF), a membership organization that works with the nearly seventy nonprofits that represent and support the pan-Asian community. Established in 1989, AAF is a pan-Asian non-profit organization representing a network of community service agencies in the Northeast. These agencies work in the fields of health & human services, education, economic development, civic participation, and social justice. The Asian American Federation’s mission is to raise the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness and organizational development.
Jo-Ann’s professional experiences include program management and operations, fundraising, and advocacy in the fields of community development and immigrant rights. In the past, she organized 200 Asian small businesses in Flushing to advocate for increased city resources, a six-month effort that resulted in a funding increase of $1.4 million for neighborhood programs. She also managed a $227 million Lower Manhattan Development Corporation project in the aftermath of 9/11 to provide financial assistance to residents impacted by the terror attacks.
Jo-Ann currently serves on the boards of Nonprofit New York and the Advocacy Institute. She previously served on New York State AARP’s Diversity Council, board of National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, YWCA of Queens, and was a founding board member of Korean Americans for Political Advancement. She was also a member of the first cohort of New York City Coro’s New American Leaders Program and served on the Alumni Advisory Board of Coro New York, as well as an advisory committee of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. She holds a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Denver, and an executive management certificate from Harvard Business School. Jo-Ann is particularly proud of her immigrant heritage and loves to hear others’ immigration stories.