Linda Lee: Biography
Linda Lee is an American Democratic politician and nonprofit executive who represents the 23rd District on the New York City Council, covering eastern Queens neighborhoods including Oakland Gardens, Bayside, Fresh Meadows, and Douglaston-Little Neck. Elected in 2021, she became the first Korean-American ever elected to the City Council and the first woman to hold the District 23 seat. A former social worker and nonprofit CEO, she has built her Council career around mental health policy and now chairs the powerful Finance Committee. This biography covers her origins, education, career, and rise, with citations to primary or strong secondary sources.
Early life and family
Linda Lee was born on July 3, 1979, in Manhattan, the daughter of South Korean immigrants 12. Her family first lived in the Southern Tier of New York State, in the town of Elmira, before moving to Nassau County when she was around ten, and she has lived in the Oakland Gardens neighborhood of Queens for roughly 18 years 23. Her immigrant family background and her experience as part of what she has described as the sandwich generation, the daughter of aging parents and the mother of two young sons, are central to her public identity 4.
Education
Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College and a Master of Social Work from Columbia University 15. Her social-work education shaped her career in community services and mental health, the fields that preceded and informed her political work.
Nonprofit career
Before entering politics, Lee served as President and CEO of Korean Community Services (KCS) of Metropolitan New York, described as the city's first community-based social-service organization focused on the Korean community, serving over 1,300 members daily through programs in aging, education, immigration, workforce development, public health, and mental health 67. Under her leadership, KCS was named a Champion of Change by the Obama White House in 2014 for its work expanding healthcare access, and Lee spearheaded the creation of the only New York State-licensed mental health clinic operated by a nonprofit serving the Korean-American community 78. Her nonprofit work is the foundation of her policy expertise.
Personal life
Lee lives in Oakland Gardens, Queens, with her husband, Jie, and their two sons 6. She has been active in community and religious life, serving on the leadership team of New Vision Covenant Church, on Community Board 11, as a Commissioner of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission, and on the board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City 6. Her personal life is closely tied to the community she represents. Net worth and additional personal details were not reliably established in the research underlying this piece.
Election to the City Council
Lee was elected to the City Council in November 2021, succeeding fellow Democrat Barry Grodenchik, who had announced he would not seek a second term 13. She ran on a platform emphasizing senior services, police accountability, and workforce recovery from the pandemic, and she won a competitive seven-candidate Democratic primary in a district that is roughly 46 percent Asian American and home to significant Indian, Chinese, and Korean communities 39. Her victory made her the first Korean-American and the first woman elected to represent District 23, part of a historic wave that produced the most diverse City Council in New York history 16. Her elections are detailed in the campaigns section of this series.
Rise on the Council
Lee quickly established herself on the Council. She was appointed chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction (later renamed Mental Health and Substance Use), where she spearheaded the Council's Mental Health Roadmap, a comprehensive policy initiative, and she became vice co-chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus and co-chair of the Queens Delegation 810. In early 2026, newly elected Speaker Julie Menin appointed Lee chair of the Finance Committee, one of the Council's most powerful positions, which oversees the city's budget 111. Her rise is detailed in the career-timeline and legislative sections of this series.
A moderate Democrat
Lee has described herself as a New York Moderate, a characterization that aligns with her district's political makeup and her approach to issues including housing and climate, where she has at times pushed back against the progressive consensus 13. Her moderate positioning is explored in the policy section of this series.
Place in New York politics
Linda Lee's biography is that of a daughter of Korean immigrants who rose from nonprofit leadership to become the first Korean-American member of the New York City Council and, within a few years, the chair of its Finance Committee. Her combination of social-work expertise, mental-health policy focus, and moderate Democratic positioning in a diverse, politically engaged outer-borough district makes her a distinctive figure in the Council, as explored across the other sections of this series.