Becky Lee

As a young leader and catalyst for change in the fight against domestic violence, Ms. Becky Lee is the force behind Becky’s Fund, a cutting-edge source of social change and public service based in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Lee received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan and then continued on to receive her Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Interested in the prevention of domestic violence, Ms. Lee has been working on issues concerning domestic violence survivors over the last twelve years as an advocate, a policy associate and an attorney. She is also passionate about creating awareness on the specific needs of battered immigrant women, such as language access and cultural competency. Additionally, she has worked as a kickboxing instructor for over six years and has focused on helping battered women regain their confidence and self-esteem through her classes.

Ms. Lee brings her expertise of domestic violence not only to her role as Executive Director of Becky’s Fund, but also to the individuals and families with whom she works personally. Ms. Lee first became aware of the tragedies of domestic violence during a college lecture delivered by a criminal attorney who specialized in acquitting battered women who were imprisoned for killing their abusers in self defense. The impact of this lecture on Ms. Lee was so significant that she has dedicated her career to addressing the social, cultural and legal barriers that entrap domestic violence victims.

Domestic violence currently impacts one in three women in her lifetime and can happen to anyone regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic status. In 2006, Ms. Lee agreed to compete on the acclaimed CBS prime-time television show “Survivor: Cook Islands”. The show’s premise was a competition to test the survival skills of 20 people for 39 days on an uninhabited island. Ms. Lee believed that the strength needed to successfully compete had strong parallels with what domestic violence victims need to survive: individual inner strength combined with the ability to adapt to new obstacles. As second runner-up, she used the prize money to start Becky’s Fund.

The prevention-based mission of Becky’s Fund is to foster awareness of domestic violence, encourage advocacy among peers, promote activism through outreach programs and create support for victims. Domestic Violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, background, or socioeconomic status. Becky’s Fund openly confronts this issue and tackles it by finding ways to help those who are struggling with domestic violence to find safety for themselves and their children.

Becky’s Fund executes its outreach strategy through national awareness and media campaigns, using radio, print and television public service announcements. The non-profit leverages education, Web 2.0 technology and essential resources to enable critical one-to-one connections between victims and survivors. These crucial resources take aim at the heart of damaging social beliefs that perpetuate a cycle of struggle among so many people in our community. Through its website and programs, Becky’s Fund also connects donors with the specific needs of domestic violence victims. Currently, Ms. Lee is speaking on college campuses across the country to educate tens of thousands of students on how to recognize the warning signs of dating violence, how to get help, and how to help a friend in need.