Joanna Kong

Joanna Kong received her B.A. in Criminology, Law, and Society from UC Irvine and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law. Joanna began her career as an attorney at a large multinational law firm where she specialized in representing companies throughout the various stages of a company’s development, including mergers, acquisitions, and other exits.

Following a successful career as a lawyer, Joanna went on to pursue a career in philanthropy so she could work in a field where she could be creative and help solve pressing social issues. She currently serves as the Executive Director for the Sun Family Foundation, a private charitable foundation focused on advancing educational opportunities and the well-being of the underserved in Orange County. In her role, Joanna has been instrumental in expanding the Sun Family Foundation’s grantmaking and community presence in Orange County using a trust-based approach to philanthropy.

Joanna serves on several nonprofit Boards, including Orange County Grantmakers and Guang Yuan Charitable Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan, an organization that offers scholarships to underserved students in honor of her grandmother, who was a beloved high school biology teacher in Taichung, Taiwan, and a single mother to three children. Joanna also co-founded and co-chairs the Board of Asian American Futures, a nonprofit organization that engages in high-impact, collective philanthropy to ensure Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are seen, heard, empowered, and united.

In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Joanna co-authored a children’s book called R is for Rice, that celebrates Asian American food and culture. Joanna has been recognized by the Orange County Business Journal as its 2021 OC500 Most Influential, the OC Register’s 2021 125 Most Influential, and Philanthropy Unbound’s 2021 Philanthropy 100 List.