Cuc Vu

Cuc Vu is the Chief Diversity Officer for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest civil rights organization working to ensure equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Vu provides the vision and strategy to help HRC fulfill its stated commitment to diversity and inclusion at every level of the organization. The position is a first for an LGBT organization and sets an ambitious mark for HRC to unite the strength of its more than one million members and supporters with people of all backgrounds to end discrimination and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Vu has launched a new HRC Women & Leadership program, convened a Diversity & Inclusion Council supported by leaders from both the corporate and non-profit sectors, and initiated a ground-breaking program called Equality Forward that engaged 5,000 LGBT people of color in partnership with more than 100 organizations. The first of its kind, the Equality Forward research results reveal the attitudes and opinions of African American, Latino/a, and Asian Pacific Islander American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, a part of the LGBT community that is often not heard.  Vu is now exploring the creation of a first-ever leadership training program to develop a new cadre of straight allies and LGBT people of color advocates with the language and cultural competency to bridge the LGBT and people of color communities.

Vu joined HRC after more than 10 years in the labor movement at the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as an advocate for women, immigrants and workers. At SEIU, Vu worked alongside Eliseo Medina and led the union's immigrant rights work, helping to establish SEIU as the leading union on immigrant rights issues, according to the Washington Post.  Those who have worked with Vu note her ability to bring people together and to create broad-based coalitions.

Vu is still deeply connected to the immigrant community. She serves as a founding member and President of the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund and is a founding board member of the Civic Participation Campaign, two national nonprofit organizations focused on increasing the civic participation of immigrants in the United States.  She has also served on the boards of several organizations, including the National Immigration Forum and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Born in Saigon, Viet Nam, Vu grew up in Olympia, Washington, and currently resides in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Pomona College and Columbia University, and is a proud alum of the Rockwood Leadership Program.  Her story is part of the 1,000 Voices project.  Vu and her wife, Gwen Migita, were among the first same-sex couples to marry in DC in 2010.