NAPAWF Announces Christina Baal-Owens as New Executive Director
The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Christina Baal-Owens as its new Executive Director, marking an exciting new chapter for the organization. Christina steps into this role after serving as NAPAWF’s Interim Executive Director since August.
Since joining NAPAWF, Christina has led the organization with clarity, care, and vision, providing steady leadership, strengthening internal culture, and reaffirming NAPAWF’s strategic priorities to support the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during a complex and demanding moment for both the organization and the broader movement.
“Christina is the perfect leader for NAPAWF at this moment, “ said Miriam Yeung, Board Chair of NAPAWF. “Since stepping into the Interim Executive Director role, she has given a master class in leading through transition. Christina provides thoughtful leadership, sharp insight, deep commitment to our mission, and a joyfulness that makes the impossible seem doable.”
Christina brings a powerful combination of movement experience, strategic leadership, and a relationship-centered approach grounded in social justice values. Prior to joining NAPAWF, Christina built her career in the labor and immigrant rights movement, working in coalition to expand civic engagement and build voting power in communities that are often overlooked. Her leadership has consistently focused on challenging systems that marginalize women, particularly women of color, immigrants, rural communities, and low-income people.
Christina’s work has been shaped by her lived experience as the daughter of Filipino immigrants and as a mother to two young daughters – perspectives that inform her commitment to dignity, equity, and collective power.
“As Interim Executive Director, it has been a profound privilege to steward NAPAWF during this moment,” said Christina Baal-Owens. “NAPAWF is a unique and vital organization that holds our histories, nurtures our leadership, and fights unapologetically for justice for AAPI women and girls and gender expansive folks. I am honored to continue this work alongside our incredible staff, Board, members, and partners as we build toward the future.”
As Executive Director, Christina will lead NAPAWF into its next chapter, deepening its role within the reproductive justice, immigrant justice, and democracy ecosystems, and advancing a long-term vision rooted in collective liberation and power.