Joanne Lin has served as Executive Director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs since April 2023. She brings over 25 years of experience in public interest law, national policy advocacy, and nonprofit organizational leadership.
Joanne has deep expertise in immigrant justice, civil rights, women’s rights and human rights. A battle-tested crisis manager, Joanne has successfully led litigators and advocates fighting for economic and racial justice at the local, regional, national and international levels.
Joanne previously directed the Advocacy and Government Affairs program at Amnesty International USA, focusing on refugee protection and human rights. She also spent a decade at the American Civil Liberties Union leading national policy advocacy on immigration and civil rights. Earlier in her career, Joanne specialized in representing survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault — first at legal aid and then at a national women’s rights organization.
Joanne has been consistently recognized for her significant achievements in public interest law. She received a 2025 NYU Law School distinguished alumni award from the Law Alumni of Color Association. In 2021 Joanne received the Women’s Leadership Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She was also named a top grassroots association lobbyist by The Hill for four consecutive years.
Joanne is a graduate of NYU School of Law (JD), Stanford School of Education (MA), and Stanford University (BA).
