Sam Yoon was elected as a Boston City Councilor At-Large in November 2005, making history as the first Asian American ever to run for elected office in Boston.  Now serving his second term, Sam is known for his work to promote good government by bringing innovation to city hall and transparency to budgeting.

With degrees from Princeton University and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Sam has an extensive background in community development and affordable housing.

Sam began his professional career as a Project Manager for Community Builders, the nation's largest non-profit developer of affordable housing.  From here Sam worked for numerous community-based non-profits in the Boston area including Boston Aging Concerns, an organization focused on housing for families where grandparents are the primary care givers; and Abt Associates, a leading public policy research firm. Most recently, Sam served as Development Director for Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) working to create affordable housing in Boston's Chinatown.

Through these organizations Sam managed development projects ranging from eight bedrooms to 251 units, from $1 million to $88 million in size. He has worked on projects in Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, the Cape, as well as Dorchester, Roxbury, and Chinatown.

As a City Councilor, Sam has written legislation that would secure an additional $35 million for public safety, coined as “Nickel for Public Safety”, and has continually fought to invest in the future of our youth through violence prevention programming. 

Sam is the chairman of the Post Audit and Oversight Committee as well as Youth Affairs Committee.   He has been appointed by Governor Howard Dean to serve as a member of the Rules Committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.