The Sacramento Bee and Nehemiah Leaders Programs are celebrating this year’s 60 Change Makers. Join them at our gala at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Grand Sheraton in downtown Sacramento. Buy tickets at sacramentochangemakers.com.
Yating Campbell grew up in a military family, and landed in the Sacramento area after she enrolled in UC Davis. After graduation, Campbell found herself working on environmental issues for the office of then-Gov. Gray Davis — not the advocacy for women and girls that she’s known for now in Sacramento County.
Early on, she noticed issues such as the pay gaps between the men and women around her. Then, she became a mom to a daughter. But it was the #MeToo movement inspired her to begin her advocacy.
“The structure that we live in now, that wasn’t built for us,” she said.
In 2020, she became one of the inaugural members of the Sacramento County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Today, she serves as the communications director for the California Commission on Women and Girls. She received a 2026 Women of Distinction Award for her work from Mayor Kevin McCarty. .
Much of Campbell’s work revolves around connection.
“This is a village,” Campbell said. “You just have to find your people.”
One of the major challenges she saw was that many women, especially youth and survivors of sexual assault, are not aware of the services available to them.
“How can you get help if you don’t know where to get it?” she said.
Yating Campbell, communications director for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, poses for a portrait after being recognized as one of this year’s Change Makers on Saturday, July 11, 2026. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com
As co-chair of the Sacramento County Women and Girls Festival, Campbell brought 100 different organizations together to create a space for nonprofits and agencies to network while providing information and resources to area women.
Campbell also leads a Girl Scout troop as well as a Scouting America troop. She volunteers for My Sister’s House, an organization that assists Asian and Pacific Islander women affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Earlier in 2026, she helped organize a special exhibition at the Sacramento History Museum honoring 11 overlooked historical Sacramento women.
“Like the Girl Scout motto, I want to leave the world a better place than I found it,” she said.
This story was originally published August 28, 2026 at 6:57 AM.
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Anne Ewbank is a service journalist and food reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Previously, she worked as a writer and editor for the New York-based travel website Atlas Obscura, where she covered food and culture. A California native, she is a graduate of Occidental College and Yale University.