Grace Y. Toh Joins Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum as Executive Director

WASHINGTON, DC - Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum (“FRIENDS”), the independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to building the National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, DC, announced that Grace Y. Toh  has joined FRIENDS as Executive Director.

She has over 30 years of experience in private banking and wealth management and served as a Senior Vice President at prominent financial institutions. She is also a founding member of an SEC registered investment management firm.  Throughout her career, she has served on a number of not-for-profit boards, including Friends of National Zoo (FONZ), Smithsonian Women’s Committee, Wellesley College Alumnae Association, Wellesley Business Leadership Council and Wellesley College Board of Trustees.

Grace is a graduate of Wellesley College with a B.A. in Economics and Chinese Studies. She studied Management Information Systems at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and earned her MBA in Finance from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.

“Grace brings extensive knowledge and experience to FRIENDS, advancing our mission to establish a national museum on the National Mall,” said Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Handel Lee. “Her deep understanding of our funding priorities, combined with her ability to cultivate essential relationships, makes her invaluable to this endeavor.”

About FRIENDS

In June 2022, President Biden signed into law HR 3525, establishing an eight-member, bi-partisan commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture in our nation’s capital. Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose immediate priority is to support the nonpartisan Commission established by Congress and tasked with drafting a report on the Museum’s feasibility and creation. The Commission is expected to officially convene mid-2025. From that point, the group has 18 months to submit a comprehensive report to Congress. On that track, Congressional authorization would be anticipated in 2027, site selection and funding appropriation in 2030, with construction and exhibitions beginning in 2031. Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum is an independent organization not affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution or the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

Learn more at https://www.friendsofnapam.org.

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