Announcing the Keynote Speaker of the Second Annual Belonging Awards: Connie Chung Joe

The Caruso Law Office of Diversity and Belonging is delighted to announce the keynote speaker for the Second Annual Belonging Awards on February 24, 2022. 

Connie Chung Joe, JD, is the Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Advancing Justice – LA), the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Prior to joining Advancing Justice – LA in August 2020, Connie served as the Executive Director of the Korean American Family Services (KFAM) for 11 years. Under Connie’s leadership, KFAM nearly quadrupled its budget and staff, with culturally and linguistically responsive services to immigrant families, particularly those struggling with mental health, domestic/family violence, and acculturation stresses. Prior to joining KFAM, Connie was a public interest lawyer for seven years. She worked at the Housing Rights Center in Los Angeles representing clients in fair housing cases and the American Civil Liberties Union in Chicago working on immigrant’s rights, reproductive rights, post-9/11 racial profiling, police accountability and First Amendment cases. Connie received her BA in Spanish and International Relations from USC and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

Connie is active in advocating for and addressing the needs of API communities. She served for 3 years as the Vice-Chair of Planning with the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), a consortium of 40+ API serving organizations throughout Los Angeles County. Connie was also the co-chair of A3PCON’s Mental Health Subcommittee. She served as the co-chair for 2 years with the API Domestic Violence Task Force of Los Angeles County and co-founded the API Human Trafficking Task Force of Los Angeles County. She has served as co-chair and steering committee member of the CA Culturally Responsive Domestic Violence Network, which consists of culturally-specific domestic violence organizations across the state working to improve services for the most vulnerable communities in California. Connie has been honored for her work by the Asian Pacific Women’s Center and Asian American Drug Abuse Program. Connie has testified on several occasions before the California State Assembly on Domestic Violence to advocate for the needs of immigrants, APIs, and other vulnerable populations in the State. In 2016, she was appointed by California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon to the Domestic Violence Advisory Council. In 2017, Connie was named by CA Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and LA County Board of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas a 40 Under 40 Emerging Civic Leader. She currently serves as a member of Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council. 

Tickets for the Belonging Awards are still available for in-person or virtual attendance. Please visit the event page for more information and to register at Belonging Awards.