Esther Suh Kwon

Esther Suh Kwon, M.A., OT/L

Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Esther is a trauma-informed occupational therapy (OT) practitioner and consultant with a focus on community-based and mental health practice, leading the emerging area of OT service provision in anti-human trafficking work. She co-founded the first occupational therapy-based non-profit, Dwelle Collaborative, serving survivors of human trafficking in the areas of wellness support as well as life/job skills and has served as its Executive Director from 2015-2021. As Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of QUALIFIED, Esther believes in going beyond business as usual to push the envelope for what can be done as an organization and what each survivor can achieve when given choices and a voice to navigate their own recovery and occupational journey. 

Esther’s professional career has spanned over 16 years in nonprofit social services for children and adults with special needs via South Central LA Regional Center (SCLARC), California Children’s Services (CCS) and volunteer work locally and abroad. She provides OT consultation to organizations serving vulnerable women and children with specialized needs and frequently speaks at universities/conferences on The Role of Occupational Therapy in Human Trafficking Intervention. Esther holds her OT Master’s Degree from USC and cosmetology license through Paul Mitchell. Esther is using her experiences in the OT and beauty industry to uplift and create opportunities for women who have experienced oppression and institutional dependency to transition into inspired independent living. She enjoys traveling, hair/art design and creating DIY projects.