Grace Yoo was appointed Executive Director of the Washington State Women's Commission in May 2023. Before joining the Women's Commission, 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, Yoo 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. Yoo 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.
Yoo 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.