WASHINGTON —The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) announced today the selection of nationally recognized attorney Juliet K. Choi as the Senior Vice President for Government & External Relations and Chief of Staff. She will attend the organization’s biennial VOICES Conference in Washington DC, which is being held on September 10-12, 2019.
Choi has over two decades of experience in private, public interest, and government sectors. Choi served in the Obama Administration as chief of staff and senior advisor at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), where she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the 19,000-person agency. Choi also served as chief of staff and senior advisor at the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she worked to implement the Affordable Care Act’s anti-discrimination provisions Section 1557 including language access, a key area of work for APIAHF.
“We have worked with Juliet for over 15 years, including on President Obama’s Task Force for New Americans and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals enrollment when I served as a Commissioner for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” said Kathy Ko Chin, APIAHF president & CEO. “Juliet is a change agent and seasoned strategist who is deeply grounded in immigrant communities and civil rights. She brings an exceptional background, depth of experience, and amount of heart to this position—all important qualities for this newly created leadership position.”
As senior vice president for government & external relations and chief of staff, Choi will oversee policy, communications and stakeholder engagement.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to join the Health Forum, advocating for the health and well-being of over 20 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders,” said Juliet K. Choi. “As the oldest and largest national advocacy organization for the health of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, now more than ever, we must protect access to quality and affordable health care and fight against regressive policies that threaten the wellbeing of all families and communities in our great country.”
Choi is the daughter of immigrants from South Korea. With a long history in public service, Choi serves on the boards of the national YWCA USA and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation. She hails from notable non-profits such as the American Red Cross, Advancing Justice | AAJC, Mental Health Association and Partnership for Public Service. A certified mediator, she clerked for the Hon. Dennis M. Sweeney (ret.) of the Circuit Court for Howard County, Md. She received her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia.