Ann Lee

Biography

Ann Young Lee co-founded CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) in 2019 with Sean Penn, evolving from Penn's J/P HRO born in response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, where Ann was living for seven years. Leading as CEO since 2016, Lee transformed CORE into an INGO focused on emergency response, preparedness and community development. With over two decades in the humanitarian sector, her expertise spans disaster relief, climate crises, infrastructure, health, women’s entrepreneurship and livelihoods, and locally led sustainable development. CORE has nearly 300 global staff and has responded on five continents to natural disasters, conflict, climate change, and public health emergencies.