Yvonne Hsu, Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs

Yvonne Hsu was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2025 to serve as Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs at the California Civil Rights Department. She joins the Civil Rights Department with nearly two decades of nonprofit and government experience and a deep commitment to social, racial, and gender justice.

In this role, Yvonne leads teams in outreach and education, training and development, administrative appeals, and special projects and initiatives including the CA vs. Hate Resource Line and Network.

Prior to her appointment, Yvonne served as Chief of Staff, Rural Housing Service, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture where she led work federal efforts to advance housing opportunities in rural communities. She was Chief Policy and Government Affairs Officer at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum where she led racial, gender justice, and anti-hate policy work. Yvonne has held positions at the National Council of State Housing Agencies and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and the Office of Public Affairs. She has also worked for Rep. Katherine Clark (MA) and Rep. Adam Schiff (CA). She began her career in fair housing outreach, education, and training at the Housing Rights Center in Los Angeles.

Yvonne is a 1.5 generation immigrant and earned her B.A. from the University of California, Riverside.