Yi Ding

Yi Ding (Ding) is a tenured faculty librarian at California State University Northridge (CSUN), committed to democratizing information access in educational and civic spaces. As a first-generation immigrant of color, Ding's personal journey overcoming financial struggles and cultural barriers fuels her advocacy for educational equity and civic empowerment. At CSUN, a Minority-Serving Institution, she spearheads the Library Online Instruction Team and the Affordable Learning $olutions initiative to support students from underserved backgrounds. She also serves as the AB963 designated Civic and Voter Empowerment Coordinator, driving the CSUN Act Now (CAN) campaigns for voter registration and civic engagement. Through strategic partnerships with organizations including the American Democracy Project and League of Women Voters, Ding’s leadership contributed to a 400% increase in CAN membership, earning CSUN recognition as the inaugural ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting in 2022.

In response to challenges of civic engagement in the immigrant community, Ding co-founded the nonprofit organization Community for Holistic Education and Empowerment of Civic Responsibilities (CHEER), which fosters intergenerational, cross-racial service projects. Ding also serves on the Los Angeles County Commission for Women, focusing on women’s empowerment, and co-leads the Xīn Shēng | 心声 Project, a political-education and counter-disinformation initiative, featured in media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Vox, Foreign Policy, and MIT Technology Review.