Myung J. Lee joins Living Cities as our inaugural Living Cities Fellow and will work with the executive leadership team on signature projects and initiatives. Myung brings an extensive background in leadership, program and people management, governance, fundraising and business development.
As head of several organizations, Myung’s strategic thinking and entrepreneurial mindset has helped to solve long standing social, economic, and systemic challenges.
Most recently, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Inc. (VOA-GNY), Myung was responsible for the oversight of 66 programs. She also diversified VOA-GNY’s funding base and increased critical private donations and unrestricted funds.
Myung previously served as the inaugural Executive Director of Cities of Service. Myung and her team provided extensive hands-on technical support and training that enabled local leaders across the world to effectively engage with historically marginalized and overlooked communities to solve critical challenges, improving individual and systemic outcomes.
Myung’s leadership experience includes her role as Deputy Commissioner of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services. She was also Regional Executive Director at Jumpstart for Young Children, Vice President of Marketing and Development at SafeHorizon, and helped launch AmeriCorps, the federal agency through which hundreds of thousands of Americans serve their communities each year.
Myung has been recognized by Crain’s and City and State New York multiple times for her leadership on the Nonprofit Power 100 list and others. She serves as an advisor to organizations working to strengthen democracy and mentors young professionals focused on social justice work. She holds a bachelor’s degree of Political Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a Juris Doctor Degree from Georgetown Law. She lives in Harlem with her family and their dog.
