Following an extensive national search, CKA’s Board unanimously selects its former Board Chair and Interim President to lead the organization into its next chapter
WASHINGTON, D.C. — May 12, 2026 — The Council of Korean Americans (CKA), the nation’s premier civic leadership organization for the Korean American community, today announced the appointment of Angela Sungmee Killoren as its President. The decision follows a rigorous national search conducted in partnership with a leading executive search firm that culminated in a unanimous vote by CKA’s Board.
Angela brings more than two decades of executive leadership spanning business, entertainment, media, and nonprofit sectors, with a unique record of advancing the Korean American community’s visibility and influence. Angela’s career has included two landmark community contributions: serving as a founding architect of the NetKAL Fellowship – now a signature CKA initiative and the premier Korean American leadership development program – and serving as Chief Executive Officer of CJ ENM America, where she directed the company’s North American expansion and created KCON, the world’s largest fan convention and music festival celebrating Korean pop culture. In both roles, she worked at the intersection of culture, community, and national impact.
Angela brings to the role a perspective forged across two cultures. Growing up in Korea in a bicultural household, she developed fluency, linguistic and cultural, in both the Korean and American experience. That foundation has defined her career: from establishing international media partnerships in Seoul and leading North American strategy in Los Angeles, to building an innovative Korean American leadership program from the ground up. As President of CKA, she will draw on that dual fluency to serve an evolving community that spans rising generations redefining Korean American identity to first-generation immigrants with enduring ties to Korea.
She has been serving as CKA Board Chairperson since September 2025, and, most recently, as Interim President, a role in which she demonstrated both strategic vision and a deep command of the organization’s mission and relationships.
Effective immediately upon this appointment, Angela steps down from the Chairperson position to fully assume the President role. The current Co-Vice Chairs of the Board, Lucy Lee and Randy Sim, will step in as the Interim Co-Chairs.
Founded in 2011, CKA has grown into the only national organization of Korean American leaders dedicated to advancing the community’s voice and influence across sectors. CKA’s national network, spanning finance, law, health care, technology, entertainment, and civic leadership, has demonstrated its value at critical moments. When federal agents raided the Hyundai Motors–LG Battery Plant in Savannah in September 2025, detaining hundreds of Korean workers, CKA mobilized within hours: linking leaders from Georgia to Washington, D.C., to Seoul, coordinating with on-the-ground partners, and providing the national infrastructure and government access that only a trusted organization can deliver. CKA continues to build and grow its capacity to advocate for the Korean American community, build partnerships, celebrate identity and develop leaders through long-term investment in leadership communities and programs to meet the challenges.
Statement from Angela Sungmee Killoren, Incoming President, Council of Korean Americans
“I am deeply honored to step into this role at such a defining moment for CKA and feel both the duty and the privilege of this responsibility. We are here to build the best civic leadership community that embraces our interests, tells our stories, and looks out for all Korean Americans. I could not be more excited to work alongside our incredible board, our valued partners, and the national community we serve.”
Statement from Randy Sim and Lucy Lee, Interim Co-Chairs, Council of Korean Americans
“Angela Sungmee Killoren is a rare leader — someone who combines the institutional knowledge of this organization with the executive experience and national relationships needed to take it to the next level. She is the right person, at the right time. The Board’s unanimous decision reflects our confidence in her vision and ability. We look forward to the chapter ahead.”
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The Council of Korean Americans (CKA) is a national nonprofit organization. Our mission is to advance the national voice, interest, and influence of the Korean American community through education, collaboration, and leadership development.
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