Clark Lee '04 has received the California Democratic Party's prestigious John F. Kennedy Jr. Award for Outstanding Public Service. He received the award during last month's state convention in San Jose, presented by Chairman Art Torres. The John F. Kennedy Jr. Award honors young people their excellence in service to their communities.
"It is a tremendous honor to receive this award. I will continue to do what I have been doing all along encouraging minority and young people to become civically engaged, involved, and turn out to vote because I believe that the power to vote is the most powerful voice one has. Every vote counts," said Lee.
Lee is the CDP 60th Assembly District Committee Chair and is one of the youngest members of the CDP State Executive Board. He is actively involved in minority political empowerment efforts is assisting the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1428 with minority media and community outreach for its ongoing strike. He is also the former publisher and managing editor of The Collage.
Lee currently serves as a consultant to California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley on Asian American affairs in Southern California. He previously served as Asian American outreach coordinator/advisor and regional field coordinator to the anti-recall campaign of former Governor Gray Davis. He interned at the California Democratic Party Los Angeles office in 2002 and at the office of State Assembly member Carol Liu (D-Pasadena) in 2001.
Lee has served as the Communications Director of the California Young Democrats (CYD) and the California College Democrats (CYD). He also served as the College Democrats of America (CDA) Western Region Director and oversaw College Democrats development in seven states. As the University Relations Chair of Asian Professional Exchange (APEX) Mentoring Program in Southern California, he acted as a liaison to minority college students.