Daphne Kwok is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Asian American & Pacific Audience Strategy at AARP. Her work empowers Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) to choose how they live as they age. She brings to AARP her experience as a “leader of leaders” through her community service in promoting and empowering the AAPI community.
In 2010, Daphne was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Commission served as the “eyes and ears” of the community advising the President and the federal government about the issues impacting the AAPI community. As Chair, Daphne met with members of AAPI communities throughout the country, connecting them to regional federal agency representatives. Daphne concluded her term as chair in May 2014 but continued as a commissioner until February 2017.
Previously, Daphne was Executive Director of Asians & Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California. She was also the Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation in San Francisco. For 11 years, she was the Executive Director of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national membership-based civil rights organization, where she addressed: hate crimes, campaign finance, immigration, Census 2000, English-only, and affirmative action. She was the first elected Chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a network of national APA organizations. She also served as Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.
A 1984 graduate of Wesleyan University, Daphne is the first Asian American to serve on its Board of Trustees, is a trustee emeritus and chaired the Wesleyan Alumni Association.
