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three major works by the Coalition: the SAMHSA-funded national Action Plan on Behavioral Health 
Workforce Development; the Alaskan Core Competencies for Direct Care Workers in Health and Human 
Services; and the SAMHSA and HRSA-funded Core Competencies for Integrated Behavioral Health 
and Primary Care. Most recently he developed and delivered the Coalition’s intensive Recruitment 
and Retention Learning Collaboratives in Behavioral Health across the nation. Michael has presented 
and published widely on workforce challenges and strategies and consulted to the President’s New 
Freedom Commission on Mental Health and countless federal and state agencies, foundations, 
and provider organizations. He has been a member of two National Academy of Medicine (IOM) 
Committees that addressed mental health and substance use workforce issues for older adults and 
individuals with cancer. He also served as Chair of the Behavioral Health Professional and Technical 
Advisory Committee of The Joint Commission.
Paul W. Lee 
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa
Paul W. Lee is Co-founder and Chair of the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation which is 
working to unite the AAPI community in MA to build a stronger collective voice. He is also Co-founder 
of the Asian Business Empowerment Council which assists AAPI owned small businesses in MA. He is 
a retired partner at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston where he was a corporate transactions lawyer and 
one of the first Asian American partners at a Boston law firm.
Born in Boston Chinatown, Paul has devoted himself to serving the Asian American community as 
well as all communities of color in MA and nationally. He was Co-founder and first President of the 
Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, Co-founder and past Board President of 
the Asian Community Development Corporation which develops affordable housing in Chinatown 
and other Asian American communities. Nationally, He is a past President of the National Asian 
Pacific American Bar Association and past Board Chair of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-
AAJC, the leading national Asian American civil rights organization. Paul is a member of the Boards 
of the Conservation Law Foundation, WGBH and the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity in 
Education (CARE) and a past Board member of the Boston Foundation and Asian Task Force Against 
Domestic Violence. Paul has been recognized for his community service numerous times, including 
the American Bar Association Spirit of Excellence Award for Diversity and Inclusion, Boston Bar 
Association Beacon Award for Diversity and Inclusion, United Chinese Americans National Public 
Service Award, Greater Boston’s 100 Most Influential People of Color, Harry Dow Memorial Legal 
Assistance Fund Long Arc of Justice Award, Chinese Historical Society of New England Sojourner 
Award and Josiah Quincy Elementary School Humble Dragon Award.

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