Suk Rhee

About Suk Rhee

Our missions are vital and so are we. I am a practiced organizational strategist who takes a human-centered and trauma-sensitive approach to navigating complexity within organizations and collaborative efforts for social change. My approach focuses on transforming ourselves in order to transform the conditions around us, embedding renewal within structures and practice, and strengthening the connections within the ecosystems that sustain us. My most enduring contributions to change efforts have been built upon the dignity and safety required for values-based relationships that sustain organizational, policy, structural, and broader systems change.I have prioritized multi-racial organizing and the leadership of communities of color, immigrant and refugee, and many other self-identifying communities which has led to roles across a range of conditions that shape community well-being: civic engagement, community self-determination, health, housing, environmental and economic justice, and more. These roles have added to my own lived experience to inform a deep, evolving understanding of the fractal nature and generational impact of complex systems. In our collective responses to community and social trauma, we have unintentionally created trauma-organized organizations. Many times, the limits of our organizational understanding, practices and forms have led many groups to default to tools and organizational development processes steeped in the very constructs of injustice we seek to dismantle, further perpetuating harm and contrary to our deeply held values. If you have been experiencing and thinking about how our organizations can evolve differently-and how we can build upon different foundations for health, economy, community, and care-let’s explore and work together.

Experience

1. Reach Fund Director

   Borealis Philanthropy

   Jun 2024 — Present

   Current other roles: Board of Directors, CareOregonBoard of Directors, CareOregon FoundationAdvisor, INTERSECTPrevious roles: ConsultantVice President, Programs, Asian Americans / Pacific Islanders in PhilanthropyBureau Director, Office of Community & Civic Life, City of Portland (OR)Vice President, Strategy & Community Partnership, Northwest Health Foundation (OR)Program Director, Arsalyn Foundation (CA)Program Coordinator, Association for Utah Community Health (UT)Organizer, Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (NM)Board of Directors, ACLU of OregonBoard of Directors, National ACLU (Oregon affiliate representative)Board of Directors, Asian American / Pacific Islanders in PhilanthropyBoard of Directors, GRANTMAKERS of Oregon and Southwest WashingtonBoard of Directors, McKenzie River Gathering Foundation (now Seeding Justice)

Education

• Antioch University Seattle

  Master of Arts (M.A.), Whole Systems Design

• Oberlin College

  BA, Psychology

Skills

• Community Outreach
• Community Development
• Public Policy
• Research
• Fundraising
• Grant Writing
• Nonprofits
• Volunteer Management
• Grants
• Capacity Building
• Non-Profit Administration
• Program Evaluation
• Workshop Facilitation
• Philanthropy
• Public Speaking
• Community Organizing
• Program Development
• Facilitation
• Non-Profits
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Board Development