Amourence Lee

Why do you do what you do?

I was 16 working two jobs in high school when I moved into affordable housing. Good public policy saved my family.  Since then, I’ve been on the front lines of movement work, as a direct service provider and bilingual case worker for immigrants living with HIV/AIDS in NYC, two-time nonprofit executive director, startup founder, and former Mayor – the first Asian woman elected in the City of San Mateo. I’m known for being an unapologetic voice for equity and justice and I bear my battle scars with pride.

What drew you to the foundation?

I first joined the foundation’s big tent when I got that famous call from Ms. Retha Robinson, who heard that I was organizing folks in my redlined neighborhood. We were fortunate to be selected for Koshland Fellowship Program to bring critical investment in leadership capacity and resources to our community. Now almost 5 years later, I’m thrilled to join the Policy and Innovation Team. What excites me most about the San Francisco Foundation is the opportunity to nourish and catalyze the movement to create inclusive communities and economies that centers compassion, stability and belonging.

How would you describe your role?

It was once illegal in California for people of color to vote, own property, for LGBTQ+ folks to marry. For over 75 years, the San Francisco Foundation has helped bend the arc of history towards racial and economic justice. My role is to collaborate and partner with the community on policies that dismantle systemic inequities and uplift those who have been harmed and marginalized.