Josie Tong believes in philanthropy, especially the humanitarian principles and missions of the Red Cross. Growing up in Taiwan. Red Cross was always there whenever there was a disaster anywhere in the region. She has been a lifelong fan of the Red Cross.
She and her family immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1977. She became a donor after receiving her first paycheck in 1981.
They moved to Los Angeles and Josie started volunteering for the Red Cross Santa Monica Chapter’s annual gala planning committee in 2008. That was the beginning of her active involvement with the Red Cross.
She joined the Tiffany Circle in 2014, after spending an entire day visiting a nuclear submarine in San Diego and bonding with fellow TC members. She was a member of the Santa Monica Chapter Board 2011-2018 and the Chair of the LA Region Tiffany Circle from 2017-2018.
The 2018 TC International Summit in Geneva was the first time Josie actually met representatives from ICRC and IFRC. What she learned from them changed her life. If she was passionate about the Red Cross Movement before, she is now committed for life.
Today, Josie is a member of the American Red Cross Los Angeles Regional Board, chairing its Board Campaign; a member of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle National Council, serving on its Communications and Resource Committee; and a member of the Tiffany Circle International Council, serving on its Global Outreach Working Group.
The armed conflict in Ukraine reminded her of her parents’ struggles during the wars in the Pacific leading to WWII. The daily news and more specifically, misinformed criticisms of the Red Cross, made her decide to dig into International Humanitarian Laws (IHL). She became a certified Basic Level IHL Instructor in 2022.
Professionally, Josie is a realtor at Sotheby’s International Realty in Beverly Hills, California. She represented the American Red Cross in the sale of their historic mansion and a Cultural Heritage Landmark in Pasadena, California in 2017. Josie and her partner donated 100% of their 6-figure commissions and marketing expenses back to the Red Cross from this significant sale.
Josie loves to travel and enjoys different cultures and cuisines. She did a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2013 and visited Iran with the LA World Affairs Council in 2015. In October 2018, Josie and her daughter journeyed on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing through Mongolia and Siberia to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Along the way, they visited Lake Baikal, the largest and deepest body of fresh water on earth. In April 2019, they visited Finland and saw the elusive Northern Lights. In October 2019, Josie walked over 100KM in 6 days on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Buen Camino!
Josie shares a passion for jewelry with the specialists at Sotheby’s auction house. She has been invited to co-host, with Sotheby’s experts, private teas and viewings for Tiffany Circle members and friends at Sotheby’s LA auction office to preview the traveling exhibits of magnificent jewels, watches and other treasures from upcoming auctions.
Josie also enjoys current affairs, art, and architecture. She is on the Advisory Board of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, a member of the Decorative Arts & Design Acquisition Committee at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and a former trustee of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. She is also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club, Malibu - Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, and Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce.