THE CAREER OF CATHERINE LEE MPA/ID 2011 is marked by her ability to use both analytics and narrative to create positive change. She has been an economist measuring impact at the U.N. and World Bank; she cofounded a self-care brand that empowers women in Kenya and beyond; and she is an award-winning director and producer of documentary films who is currently leading an Oscar-nominated team. These may seem like very different roles—but what unites them is Lee’s creativity and drive to make a difference for members of society who are often overlooked.
After graduating from Yale with a major in economics, Lee used her data and analytical skills to assess the impact of policies on marginalized populations in Asia, Africa, and South America. For more than a decade, she worked on the ground in 13 countries and for many more remotely to help governments and others evaluate the effectiveness of programs, including those that supported job creation, education, child protection, maternal health, reproductive rights, and climate resilience.
In the course of her work, she was surprised by her ability to move beyond data and forge genuine connections with people from different backgrounds, from beneficiaries of projects to heads of state. “I wanted to listen and uncover the truths behind why programs failed,” she says. “I began to see huge gaps in the behavioral and emotional aspects of program designs.” Her conclusion was that by focusing on narrative, she could offer solutions that were missing from other efforts.
She left the World Bank and started to create media, beginning with documentaries. Her first film, “9at38”, tells the story of a South Korean violinist who attempted a border-straddling concert with North Korean musicians at the 38th Parallel, the world’s most militarized border. When the film debuted in 2018 on The Atlantic magazine’s website, Lee said, “If a single young North Korean musician and a South Korean counterpart can look into each other’s eyes as they adjust pitch or dynamic, then a domino effect begins. Interactions need not be grand to start a butterfly effect to shake the prejudices taught by school and society.” Since then, her films have received numerous awards and in 2021, HBO and DOC NYC named her as one of the top “40 Under 40” documentary makers in North America.
Watch the video: Seeds of a Nation
Lee’s storytelling, combined with her experience dissecting complex public issues, give her a unique ability to captivate global audiences with important yet untold stories. Her dedication has not come without cost: She has been held at gunpoint and has sacrificed salary for herself to keep her self-started endeavors alive.
She was living in Kenya, directing and producing films, when she observed that every time she visited her native South Korea, her Kenyan friends asked her to return with skincare products. This realization presented an opportunity to create a brand that put African women first. Today, the fast-growing company has expanded to other African nations and Lee, who served as the first CEO, has moved on to prioritize her filmmaking. She says, “I am most proud of the viral content we created, which aims to dispel gender and beauty stereotypes and practices such as skin lightening.”
Her classmate Malik Ahmad Jalal MPA/ID 2011 said in nominating Lee for an Alumni Award, “She believes in everyone’s potential, including her own, and does not fear entering unknown rooms, industries, or geographies to build the maximum impact that she can with unprecedented collaborations and partnerships.” In Lee’s words, “Humankind runs on stories. It is up to us whether those stories lead to a prosperous, empathic world or a violent, destructed world.”
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Photography provided by Catherine Lee.