Michelle Li

Michelle Li is an award-winning, veteran journalist who co-launched The Very Asian Foundation in January 2022 alongside friend and fellow journalist Gia Vang.

Her response to a racist voicemail became a global movement of unity and caught the attention of "The Ellen Show." Ellen Degeneres’ monetary gift of $15,000 helped start the seed money to create a nonprofit focused on shining a light on Asian life through advocacy and celebration. Not only has The Very Asian Foundation raised tens of thousands of dollars for AANHPI nonprofits in its first 100 days, it is also launched a national awareness campaign called "The May Book Project" designed to help schools and libraries build and maintain robust Asian American youth literature collections for all readers.

A Korean adoptee, Li spent many years supporting adoptees through heritage camps and volunteer tours to Korea. She also launched a program to support Missouri children in foster care. This work led to a congressional award in 2010.

Li’s reporting has been honored with a national Peabody Award, four national Murrows, and multiple regional Emmys -- often for covering topics related to race or gender inequities. She resides in St. Louis, where she is a news anchor and reporter at KSDK, the NBC affiliate. She is also an author, having released a children’s book called "A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food."