“Uncommon Thinkers” is a partnership between Greater Seattle Partners and Seattle magazine that showcases Seattle’s innovative and ambitious Korean American community. 

Cheryl Lee’s eclectic background spans the fields of engineering, politics, business, and law. As such, the executive director of the nonprofit Korean Women’s Association is well-equipped to ensure that the Seattle area increasingly becomes a place where everyone can thrive.

When Lee took the job at the Korean Women’s Association in 2023, she assumed responsibility for 1,550 employees and an annual operating budget of more than $60 million. Founded in 1972, KWA serves more than 10,000 people annually throughout Western Washington.

KWA provides essential services including in-home caregiving, meals, and much more, and also owns and manages nearly 300 units of affordable housing.

Lee’s sensibility is informed by her parents, who immigrated to Seattle from South Korea when Lee was a child. Before they could save up enough to buy a house, the only home they could afford from their family of seven was a “roach-infested” one-bedroom apartment downtown.

“They worked so hard and sacrificed so much, ” she says. “It still brings tears to my eyes. So, we need to make sure that when people age, and when we age, that we can live healthy, dignified lives.”

Lee started out as an engineer with Boeing Commercial Airplanes, then moved on to Microsoft, where she led global business and marketing initiatives before pivoting to become an attorney. She also served as general counsel to Ballmer Group and was appointed to be the legal adviser to the consulate general of the Republic of Korea in Seattle. Most recently, she was a partner at a law firm specializing in real estate.

All the while, Lee has served the community — a habit she began in childhood, when she would help other immigrant families with parent-teacher meetings. “A desire to empower people has always been in my blood,” she says.

Today, she serves on the boards of the Seattle Symphony, Shoreline Community College Foundation, Allied Arts Foundation, and the Washington chapter of the Korean American Coalition.

Lee recently met with companies in Seoul that focus on technology and solutions for senior services. “They are really thinking ahead,” she says. “I think we have an opportunity to learn from them.”

Lee estimates she’s circled the globe 400 times while traveling for work. Still, there is only one place she wants to be.

“The greater Seattle area is my home,” she says. “And I’m so proud to call it my home.”