EunSook Lee (She/Her)
Co-Executive Director

EunSook has been with the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund since its establishment in 2013. Previously, she was the Senior Deputy for former U.S. Rep. Karen Bass and Executive Director of local and national organizations serving and advocating for Korean American and immigrant communities particularly in the areas of immigration reform, gender-based violence, and expanding democratic participation. She is also the Founding President of the National Immigration Forum Action Fund and served on the City of LA’s Board of Neighborhood Commission and California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. 

EunSook was born in Korea and immigrated to Canada at a young age. She began her career in alternative community radio first as the News Director and later Station Manager of CKLN radio. Writings of her experiences in grassroots organizing have been published in books such as “The Political Awakening of Korean Americans” in Koreans in a Windy City (2005), “Women Immigrants” in the Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today (2010), and a chapter co-written with Hahrie Han titled “Engaging Korean Americans in Civic Activism” in A Companion to Korean American Studies (2019) as well op-eds in outlets such as the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and the Hill.

Quanita Toffie (She/Her)
Co-Executive Director

Quanita (pronounced Kah-Nee-Tah) joined AAPI Fund and AAPI Democracy Fund in April 2025 with twenty years of experience in grassroots and civic engagement organizing. Previously, she was Executive Director of Groundswell Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) public foundation that resources electoral organizing for reproductive and social justice. Prior, she led Groundswell Fund’s 501(c)(3) Integrated Voter Engagement program, which equipped reproductive justice groups with cutting-edge voter engagement skills and technology. Passionate about advancing multi-entity organizing strategy for social justice, she currently serves on the boards of 501(c)(4) intermediary philanthropic institutions, Proteus Action League and Tides Advocacy.  

Quanita was born in South Africa and immigrated to the United States at a young age. She began her nonprofit career at the Miami Workers Center and helped found New Florida Majority, now known as Florida Rising. She is Cape Malay and joined her parents as they voted, for the first time in their lives, for Nelson Mandela in 1994, which sparked a lifelong commitment to building multiracial democracy. In her spare time, she enjoys supporting local restaurants with her partner and recreating inspiring dishes in her kitchen.