Celebrate Korean American Leadership at the 2025 CKA Envision Gala & Summit
Guided by our 2025 theme, “The Power of Our Stories,” we are proud to honor three extraordinary leaders whose journeys reflect courage, generosity, and service. Their stories have shaped communities, transformed industries, and opened doors for the next generation while elevating Korean American voices as vital forces in our nations future.
Join us on November 14-15 in Washington, D.C., for the CKA Envision Gala & Summit, where leaders, advocates, and changemakers will come together to celebrate Korean American stories and legacy. This gathering offers more than celebration: it’s an opportunity to build community, deepen connections, and invest in a more inclusive future.
This year’s honorees are David Chung, Founder & CEO of The Rootist and Founder & Chairman of the Judith Ehm Foundation, receiving the Embrace Unity Award; Laura Kim, Co–Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta & MONSE, receiving the Inspire Award; and Simon Kim, Founder & CEO of Gracious Hospitality Management and Owner of COTE Korean Steak House & COQODAQ, receiving the Trailblazer Award.
Register today to be part of this transformative gathering, or consider sponsoring to help amplify Korean American stories.
Monica Kang Leads Inspiring TEDxLogan Circle on ‘Rethink Courage’
CKA Member Monica Kang, Executive Director of TEDxLogan Circle, successfully led the second annual event in Washington, D.C. this August. With the theme “Rethink Courage,” the program brought together leaders, creatives, and changemakers for a powerful day of ideas and storytelling.
Under Monica’s leadership, the volunteer-driven initiative featured a diverse lineup of speakers who challenged audiences to consider courage as both personal conviction and public action. The event created a safe space for reflection, connection, and inspiration, leaving participants energized to lead with greater conviction in their work and communities.
Michelle Lee Joins MediaCo Holding Inc.—a Public Minority-Owned, Multicultural Media Company—as General Counsel
Michelle Lee recently joined MediaCo Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: MDIA) as General Counsel. MediaCo is a leading multicultural media company that includes iconic brands, including Hot97, WBLS and EstrellaTV, representing diverse ownership, content creation and minority focused brands and talent.
Connie Chung Joe Named President and CEO of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy
Connie Chung Joe has been named President and CEO of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP). Formerly the CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, she led the nation’s largest legal organization serving AANHPI communities and built groundbreaking coalitions in pursuit of equity and justice. At AAPIP, Connie’s vision centers on amplifying AANHPI voices in philanthropy and building authentic cross-racial and cross-cultural solidarity at a time when bold leadership is critically needed.
Ed Park to be Awarded the Deborah Pease Prize
Ed Park will receive the 2025 Deborah Pease Prize from A Public Space on October 20. In the words of novelist and APS board member Yiyun Li, “Ed Park is one of the most innovative and nimble-minded fiction writers working today. His novels and stories are sharp, playful, and imaginative; full of unexpected turns and astute observations of the absurdities of both historical events and contemporary life. He is also one of the most generous and supportive figures in publishing, as a writer, a reader, an editor, and a critic. The world is lucky to have Ed, and we are lucky to have him among us.”
Jerry Kang Examines Asian Americans and Negative Action in Higher Education
Jerry Kang, UCLA School of Law professor and founding vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion, published a new paper in the California Law Review titled Asians Used, Asians Lose: Strict Scrutiny from Internment to SFFA. In it, Kang traces how Asian Americans have been invoked in landmark cases from Japanese American internment to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, often without benefiting from the resulting doctrines. Kang shared these insights in a recent interview on UCLA’s website.
Tammy Kim Leads Korean American Center as the First WASC-accredited Korean Language Institution in the United States
CBS News profiled Tammy Kim’s leadership at the Korean American Center (KAC) and the organization’s national milestone as the first WASC-accredited Korean language center in the United States. As KAC’s founder and executive director, Kim has built a mission-driven, community-rooted program that pairs rigorous standards with cultural depth—expanding credit-bearing pathways for youth, adults, and heritage learners. The segment highlights how KAC is raising the bar for Korean language education, investing in certified teachers, and scaling access from Irvine to learners nationwide.
CKA Members Join Community Screening of Butterfly
with Daniel Dae Kim
In August, Korean American leaders and community members gathered for a special private screening and Q&A celebrating the upcoming Butterfly series, hosted by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Amazon MGM Studios. The global thriller, which premiered August 13 on Amazon Prime Video, stars and is executive produced by Daniel Dae Kim.
The evening featured a Korean-inspired menu by Chef Danny Lee and Anju, a screening of the show’s first two episodes, and a conversation moderated by MPA Chairman & CEO Charles H. Rivkin. Daniel Dae Kim spoke about his groundbreaking role as both lead actor and producer, highlighting how Butterfly bridges cultures through bilingual dialogue, inclusive casting, and collaboration across Korean and American teams.
“We shot it 100% in Korea with a Korean crew,” Kim shared. “Some of our producing team didn’t understand Korean, and some of our crew did not understand English. So we always had to build in what we called ‘Translation Time.’ … As a Korean American, the knowledge of both cultures allowed me to mediate, to facilitate, sometimes to interpret, and really make things run efficiently.”
CKA staff and members—including CKA Managing Director Linda Butcher, Lucy Lee, Charles Yook, Sam Hyun, Suzan Song, Esther Kim, Susan Go, Monica H. Kang, Peter Hyun, and Howard Moon—joined alongside many others in the Korean American community to celebrate this milestone in storytelling.
CKA leadership continued to show up across the country this August, from uplifting Korean American voices in media, to spotlighting storytelling and bold ideas in D.C., to amplifying philanthropic leadership in New York.
We began the month in Seattle at the Asian American Journalists Association’s annual convention, #AAJA25, where CKA was proud to serve as a sponsor. Managing Director Linda Butcher and Community Engagement Manager Alpin Hong joined journalists, business leaders, and elected officials for four days of connection and learning. CKA hosted a Seattle dinner on opening night and convened the panel Ethnic Media, Data, and the Real Stories of Asian America, moderated by CNN Correspondent Natasha Chen and featuring Neil Ruiz of Pew Research Center and CKA Member Sam Cho.
In Washington, D.C., Linda and CKA members attended the private premiere of Butterfly on August 7, celebrating Daniel Dae Kim’s groundbreaking new series ahead of its Amazon Prime debut. On August 14, Linda and Membership & Program Manager Angela Cho represented CKA at TEDxLogan Circle, which we proudly sponsored for its second year. Curated by CKA Member Monica H. Kang, this year’s theme, Rethink Courage, spotlighted powerful talks redefining what bravery and resilience mean in today’s world. Later in the month, CKA President Abraham Kim attended events with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during his visit to Washington, D.C., where he met with U.S. leaders ahead of his first summit with President Trump to strengthen the U.S.–Korea alliance and expand economic partnerships.
Closing out the month in New York, Abe joined a panel hosted by The Korea Society alongside the Korean American Community Foundation’s Associate Board. Rooted in Giving: Leading Korean Voices in Philanthropy highlighted the role of service and advocacy in strengthening Korean American communities, with Abe sharing insights alongside CKA members Jeannie Park, Sue Kim, and Emil Kang.
Stay tuned for September, when CKA will travel to Korea for the 2024 CKA NetKAL Korea Trip and to Philadelphia for the KAI Conference.