Biography
Chai Lee lives in Saint Paul and represents District 13: in Ramsey County, the cities of Little Canada, North St. Paul, the portions of the City of Maplewood north of I-94, and the portions of the City of Saint Paul south of the Mississippi River and east of Edgerton Street; and in Washington County, the cities of Landfall and Oakdale.
Lee was born in Thailand and moved with his Hmong family to the United States when he was a year old. They lived in Fresno, California, until 1998, and then moved to Saint Paul, where he attended Humbolt High School and Carleton College. He enjoys photography, reading, going to movies, and watching mixed martial arts. He’s also a history buff, both military and general history. In his work on the Met Council, Lee is focused on emphasizing the Met Council’s role as a leader in convening and facilitating collaboration to support equitable and sustainable planning and policy
Lee is a Program Director for Nexus Community Partners, where he runs a leadership program called the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI). Previously, he was a constituent service representative in the office of Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. Lee has served on the District 1 Community Council in Saint Paul, the Gold Line BRT Community and Business Advisory Committee, and the Saint Paul’s Long-Range Capital Investment Budget Committee (the CIB), among many other volunteer community activities.
Lee is interested in the intersections of the Council’s many responsibilities; for example, how the region balances environmental concerns with the need to house people and provide a robust transportation system. He also has a strong interest in the Council’s role in addressing the region’s affordable housing crisis.
“I have worked hard to keep community voices at the table wherever I have served and have always worked on the side of racially equitable policies,” Lee said. “As a Council member, I want to elevate my interests in future policy planning through an equity lens, whether we are making decisions about housing, transportation, water resources or any other issue.”