Jocelyn Leung (She/Her) is a public health professional specializing in community-based participatory research and evaluation. Her parents came from Hong Kong, and she continues to retain fluency in Cantonese, her first language. Previously, Jocelyn worked closely with public transit-dependent communities to advance health equity along the projected Metro Blue Line Extension from North Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park. While at Freshwater Society, she listened as members of Native Nations, farmers, people of color, and county staff described how warming temperatures and increasingly unpredictable rainfall harmed livelihoods and communities. This experience spurred her to persuade lawmakers at the Minnesota State Capitol to introduce a bill allowing communities facing the “first and worst” of climate change to lead in finding upstream public health and downstream treatment solutions that can protect their communities’ mental health. As someone living with mental illness, she talks openly about mental health to reduce stigma and embolden systemic change. She is excited to join CEP and work with other advocates in advancing equitable and restorative pathways of governance at the Capitol.
