Dahni Tsuboi, Our CEO (2025-Current)

Dahni Tsuboi, JD, is the new Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.  

Dahni has dedicated her 30+ year career serving the nonprofit sector, in multiple capacities — as a senior leader, attorney and advocate, interim executive, strategic advisor, consultant, and leadership coach.  Throughout her career, she has guided community-based nonprofits through pivotal moments of growth and change along with foundations, social enterprises, legal service organizations, and national healthcare systems. 

Dahni’s ties to AJSOCAL began in 2023, when she partnered with the CEO and Chief of Staff as a strategic advisor, coach and consultant. Most recently, she was interim Chief Operating Officer for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Prior to that, she was interim COO for the East Bay Community Foundation and the Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay.  She founded COO for Emergix LLC dba Agentic Foundry, an AI startup supporting healthcare, wellness and nonprofit organizations.  

Her commitment to social justice is rooted in her extensive work across the not-for-profit sector. Prior to focusing on social impact, she spent many years in healthcare leadership, most recently as Senior Vice President of Organizational Transformation at City of Hope, a top 10 national nonprofit cancer center.  There, she architected and led the organization’s first-ever Office of Transformation, to facilitate success for this $5B (and 12,000 employee) healthcare leader. She pioneered an internal consulting function, with capabilities in change management, business processes, operating model design, governance effectiveness, and portfolio and project management 

A culture champion, Dahni co-designed the DEI program and was recognized for creating an environment that prioritizes and inspires people. She was the founding executive sponsor for the Women’s Professional Network (the largest employee resource group), and the longest-tenured ERG sponsor in the organization. 

Dahni began at City of Hope in 2001 in the Office of General Counsel, where she oversaw the department’s daily operations and served as the Lead Labor & Employment counsel. Prior to City of Hope, she started her career at a law firm, rising to partner in an accelerated six years. She advised clients on a range of matters and represented them in mediations, arbitrations, and trials. 

A transformational leader, she has uplifted numerous mission-driven organizations and their leaders, bringing strategic thinking, operational excellence, and deep passion for social justice.  With a people-centered approach to leadership, she ensures that organizational change honors brand identity, culture, and core values while delivering measurable community impact.  

Dahni’s board appointments include Report for America (formerly The GroundTruth) and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps. Her professional affiliations include the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Japanese American Bar Association. She also serves as an Advisory Council member of “Moving the Needle”, a collective of women leaders in the “Chief” networking organization working to amplify impact by bringing together leaders and resources around social change causes. 

A magna cum laude graduate of Wellesley College, Dahni earned her Bachelor of Arts in English with a Minor in Spanish, followed by her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. She is proficient in Spanish.   

Download her headshot here.