Joanna Derman

Joanna YangQing Derman is the Director of the Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights, and National Security program at AAJC. Joanna’s primary responsibility is developing and executing advocacy, research, and coalition-building strategies on national security and civil rights issues as they pertain to anti-Asian hate and discrimination. She crafts and advances policy solutions especially aimed at combatting the profiling of Asian Americans and immigrant communities based on race, religion, ethnicity, and/or national origin.

Joanna started her career on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., where she served as advisor on immigration and foreign affairs to then-Senator Kamala Harris. She played an instrumental role in developing the Senator’s legislative record, with a special emphasis on international human rights and freedom, and diversity and inclusion in foreign policy and defense institutions. After the Senate, Joanna went on to work as a Policy Analyst at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), where she addressed fraud, waste, and abuse of power in the federal government.

Joanna earned her B.A from the University of Chicago, and her M.Phil from the University of Oxford. Joanna is a Fulbright Scholar.