Grace Yoo was appointed Executive Director of the Washington State Women's Commission by Governor Jay Inslee in May 2023. Before joining the Governor's cabinet, Grace worked for Starbucks, where she led the company's efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its retail stores. Her team was recognized by President Biden's administration as part of the Federal Buy Clean initiative.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Grace served as a diplomat with the U.S. Foreign Service, where she covered topics such as human rights and labor issues at American embassies in China, Korea, and Germany. In her overseas consular assignments, she advocated for the rights of Americans incarcerated in foreign countries and assisted victims of assault returning home to the United States. She also served in several roles at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., including as an advisor to the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.
Grace received a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies from UCLA and a master's degree in international and intercultural communications from American University. She grew up in Edmonds, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and speaks Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese.