What is a District Leader?
District Leaders are unpaid volunteer elected officials and each district has two District Leaders, one male and one female, with the same responsibilities. This guarantees gender parity in the Democratic Party, established by Eleanor Roosevelt as part of the reform movement. Each term of office is two years and there are no term limits. Elections are held in odd-numbered years.
District Leaders identify and champion the community’s needs before elected officials and government agencies. They work with community organizations and other neighborhood-based civic groups on local issues. Although District Leaders have no legislative authority or budget, they are often successful in advocating for both legislation and funding related to community needs by working closely with neighborhood elected officials.
District Leaders serve as conduits to the community they serve and they play a very important role in communicating the needs and concerns of the community to elected officials. District Leaders also have a role in electing judges for New York’s Civil, Supreme and Surrogate Courts. In addition, District Leaders sit on the Executive Committee of the NY County Democratic Committee and attend Democratic Committee meetings. District Leaders are an essential role in our electoral process by educating voters about various candidates and help mobilize voters to vote on Election Day.
District Leaders identify and champion the community’s needs before elected officials and government agencies. They work with community organizations and other neighborhood-based civic groups on local issues. Although District Leaders have no legislative authority or budget, they are often successful in advocating for both legislation and funding related to community needs by working closely with neighborhood elected officials.
District Leaders serve as conduits to the community they serve and they play a very important role in communicating the needs and concerns of the community to elected officials. District Leaders also have a role in electing judges for New York’s Civil, Supreme and Surrogate Courts. In addition, District Leaders sit on the Executive Committee of the NY County Democratic Committee and attend Democratic Committee meetings. District Leaders are an essential role in our electoral process by educating voters about various candidates and help mobilize voters to vote on Election Day.
Our District Leaders
Jenny Lam Low
A long-time resident and activist in Chinatown, Jenny is the first Chinese American to be elected as a Democratic District Leader in the Chinatown and Lower East Side area, a party position that she has held since 1995. Jenny was elected a Democratic State Committee Member in the 65th AD since 2014. She is a Vice Chair in the NYS Democratic Committee. In these roles, Jenny has established relationships with key community leaders and elected officials at local, state and federal levels to bridge the communication and understanding of the needs of the community where she lives, works and volunteers. Jenny received a number of awards and recognition for her leadership in her professional and community volunteer work.
Passionate about inclusive leadership and diversity among elected officials, Jenny joined the board of Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee (ERLC) in 2010 and currently serves as Vice President. Founded in 2001, ERLC’s mission is to support pro-choice Democratic women running for elected offices across New York State. (http://www.eleanorslegacy.com/)
Jenny serves as the Board Chair of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) whose mission is to serve the Chinese-American, immigrant and low-income communities in New York City by providing services, skills and resources towards economic self-sufficiency. With an annual budget of over $130 million, CPC is one of the largest Asian multi-social service non-profit in the U.S. Founded in 1965 by a few civic minded community activists as the first social service agency to serve Chinese-Americans in New York, CPC currently serves over 8,000 clients each day with over 50 programs in 30 locations throughout New York City. CPC’s services include: child care, youth service, workforce development, senior services, home attendant service, family counseling, and walk-in multi-service centers. (https://cpc-nyc.org/)
Jenny has worked as a strategic philanthropy and community relations management executive for over 25 years. She has extensive experience in corporate philanthropic grant making, operational processes, and legal and regulatory compliance.
Currently, Jenny is the Director of Community Engagement for City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
Jenny has a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and management sciences from Yale University. A long-time resident of Lower Manhattan, she and her husband raised their son in the very communities she serves.
Passionate about inclusive leadership and diversity among elected officials, Jenny joined the board of Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee (ERLC) in 2010 and currently serves as Vice President. Founded in 2001, ERLC’s mission is to support pro-choice Democratic women running for elected offices across New York State. (http://www.eleanorslegacy.com/)
Jenny serves as the Board Chair of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) whose mission is to serve the Chinese-American, immigrant and low-income communities in New York City by providing services, skills and resources towards economic self-sufficiency. With an annual budget of over $130 million, CPC is one of the largest Asian multi-social service non-profit in the U.S. Founded in 1965 by a few civic minded community activists as the first social service agency to serve Chinese-Americans in New York, CPC currently serves over 8,000 clients each day with over 50 programs in 30 locations throughout New York City. CPC’s services include: child care, youth service, workforce development, senior services, home attendant service, family counseling, and walk-in multi-service centers. (https://cpc-nyc.org/)
Jenny has worked as a strategic philanthropy and community relations management executive for over 25 years. She has extensive experience in corporate philanthropic grant making, operational processes, and legal and regulatory compliance.
Currently, Jenny is the Director of Community Engagement for City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
Jenny has a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and management sciences from Yale University. A long-time resident of Lower Manhattan, she and her husband raised their son in the very communities she serves.
Justin C Yu
Justin Chin-Shan Yu was born in 1945 in Chunking, China. Yu’s family was originally from Manchuria, in the North East part of China. He lived in Beijing until the age of four when he and his family moved to Taiwan, the Republic of China, because of the Chinese Civil War. Yu is the son of the late Cecilia Hsiu-Ya Chang, a renowned Chinese author, and the nephew of the late Paul Cardinal Yu-Pin, Archbishop of Nanking.
Yu obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from National Taiwan University and immigrated to the United States of American in 1970 to pursue his studies, earning a Master of Science from Pratt Institute. He made his home in Chinatown, New York in 1977 after living in Jackson Heights, Flushing, Brooklyn and Fort Lee, NJ.
Before retiring in 2006, Yu worked for twenty-five years as a reporter specializing in immigration issues for World Journal Daily, the largest Chinese newspaper in North America. Prior to joining the World Journal, he was employed with Greenwood Textiles, located in Manhattan.
For the last thirty years, he along with his wife Lena Yu, have also been small business owners. Yu has been active within the community for the last three decades. He served as President of the Chinese Language Journalist Association, Confucius Plaza Housing, and Chairperson of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Yu was also the President of the Lin Sing Association, one of the largest Chinese American civic organizations, and his term ended on March 1, 2008. He is also President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
On March 1, 2008, Yu commerced a two-year tenure as President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New York, an umbrella organization encompassing over sixty Chinese American organizations, of which Lin Sing Association is a member organization.
Yu is the author of numerous Chinese books and booklets, including The Key to Immigrating to the United States, The Story of Sister Ping, Immigration to Canada and All Aspects of H1-B Visas.
Yu enjoys music, Chinese calligraphy, reading and traveling. He has two daughters Rosemary and Pauline.
Yu obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from National Taiwan University and immigrated to the United States of American in 1970 to pursue his studies, earning a Master of Science from Pratt Institute. He made his home in Chinatown, New York in 1977 after living in Jackson Heights, Flushing, Brooklyn and Fort Lee, NJ.
Before retiring in 2006, Yu worked for twenty-five years as a reporter specializing in immigration issues for World Journal Daily, the largest Chinese newspaper in North America. Prior to joining the World Journal, he was employed with Greenwood Textiles, located in Manhattan.
For the last thirty years, he along with his wife Lena Yu, have also been small business owners. Yu has been active within the community for the last three decades. He served as President of the Chinese Language Journalist Association, Confucius Plaza Housing, and Chairperson of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Yu was also the President of the Lin Sing Association, one of the largest Chinese American civic organizations, and his term ended on March 1, 2008. He is also President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
On March 1, 2008, Yu commerced a two-year tenure as President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New York, an umbrella organization encompassing over sixty Chinese American organizations, of which Lin Sing Association is a member organization.
Yu is the author of numerous Chinese books and booklets, including The Key to Immigrating to the United States, The Story of Sister Ping, Immigration to Canada and All Aspects of H1-B Visas.
Yu enjoys music, Chinese calligraphy, reading and traveling. He has two daughters Rosemary and Pauline.