Council Member Linda Lee represents the 23rd Council District in Eastern Queens. She was elected to the Council in November 2021, becoming the first Korean-American ever elected to the City Council, and the first woman to hold the seat.
Prior to taking office, Linda was the President/CEO of Korean Community Services (KCS) of Metropolitan New York, Inc., New York’s first community-based social service organization focused on the Korean community. KCS’s mission is to be a bridge for Korean immigrants and the wider Asian community to fully integrate into society and overcome any economic, health and social barriers to becoming independent and thriving members of the community. KCS serves over 1,300 members daily through culturally competent programs in the areas of Aging, Education, Immigration, Workforce Development, Public Health, and Mental Health. KCS has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic helping members receive unemployment benefits, PPP loans, COVID tests, and vaccinations. Under Linda’s leadership, the Obama White House named KCS as a Champion of Change in 2014 for its work around the Affordable Care Act. Linda also spearheaded the creation of the only State-licensed Article 31 Mental Health Clinic serving the Korean-American community operating in New York.
Prior to working at KCS, Ms. Lee worked in operations and administration for the New York State Health Foundation and as a social work intern in the North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System. She received her Master of Social Work from Columbia University and her Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College. Linda is passionate about improving social service delivery for at-risk populations, improving healthcare and mental health access to New Yorkers, and promoting the wellbeing of seniors to a top priority in New York City.
Linda serves on the leadership team at New Vision Covenant Church, as a National Advisory Committee member of NYU’s Center for the Study of Asian American Health, and on the School Leadership Team at her son Drew’s school PS 203. She previously served on Community Board 11 in Queens, as a Commissioner of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission, and as board member for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City.
Linda, a lifelong New Yorker, lives in Oakland Gardens with her husband Jie and her two sons.