Local Hero: Jack Toan, Disrupting the Cycle of Homelessness
Nominee Name: Jack Toan
Title: Chief operating officer
Organization/Business: Illumination Foundation
Website: ifhomeless.org
"Jack Toan is a respected AAPI community and business leader in Southern California. He started “Delivering With Dignity OC” a year ago to help people affected by COVID-19 to feed them via restaurants in the O.C. region. Additionally, he is the chief operating officer of the Illumination Foundation, which is helping the homeless in the local area."
— Alexander C. Kim and Laarni Rosca Dacanay, nominators
About Jack Toan
As a refugee whose family relied on the kindness of strangers, Jack Toan understands the power of a collective community who cares and actively works to lift others up. His experience drives his belief in creating social change through action. In February 2021, he joined the Illumination Foundation as the chief operating officer to help the organization disrupt the cycle of homelessness. Toan is responsible for the entire operation of the organization including shelters, housing and all infrastructure needs.
Prior to his current role, Toan had an 18-year career in corporate social responsibility at Wells Fargo as the vice president and manager of community relations. He managed the company’s volunteerism, community development programs and oversaw more than $10M of the company’s charitable giving program in Southern California.
His current commitments to the community include serving on the advisory board of the Mix Academy, the board of directors for the UCI Alumni Association and Asian American Futures. Toan is an appointee to the Orange County Commission to End Homelessness and is a co-founder of Delivering with Dignity OC, a collaboration that engages volunteers and supports local restaurants while serving the most vulnerable affected by COVID-19.
Toan holds an MBA from the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business and is a graduate of the Southern California Leadership Network. He enjoys cooking, triathlons, teaching martial arts and spending quality time with his wife and four children.
