Hyeonock "Mel" Lee

  • Executive Director
  • Woori Center

Mel Lee is a community organizer and immigrant rights advocate. She co-founded Woori Center and has served as Executive Director since 2020. As a 1st-generation immigrant, she understands the many diverse needs of immigrants and endeavors to make lasting changes for the community, especially those who are linguistically marginalized, low-income, women, youth, and seniors. Under Mel’s leadership, Woori Center has increased Korean and Asian Americans’ voter registration and turnout through linguistically and culturally competent engagement. Mel also amplified Asian American immigrants' voices in Pennsylvania on immigrant justice to extend citizenship, driver’s licenses and education privileges to undocumented immigrants at the federal, state and local level. Other community service and organizing experience includes Korean Americans for Civic Participation, Korean Women’s Center and Philadelphia SESAMO for Safe and Just Society. Prior to her move to the U.S., she worked in arts management in South Korea, with an M.A. in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies from the University of Warwick, U.K.