Dear Distinguished CKA Members,
I am proud to introduce our 19 newest members to the Council of Korean Americans. Our Winter 2020 membership cohort is composed of trailblazers and innovators in business, technology, health, law, academia, sports, and the public sector. These new members represent some of the brightest Korean American leaders in the country.
We are honored to have them join our ever-growing CKA community. We look forward to their active participation in future programs.
Congratulations to our new members!
Thank you for all your support.
Warm Regards,
Abraham Kim, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Council of Korean Americans
INTRODUCING OUR NEW CKA MEMBERS
For those of you interested in becoming a CKA Member, please submit your member application here. CKA’s Membership Committee reviews & approves these applications on a quarterly basis.
Marshall Cho
Head Boys Basketball Coach
Lake Oswego
Marshall Cho is the Head Boys Basketball Coach for Lake Oswego High School. Since taking over in 2015, Marshall’s team has won the Three Rivers League title for three consecutive seasons (2018-20) while being named league Coach of the Year each of those years. Marshall has also served as the camp lead instructions director for the Yao Foundation Camp in China to deliver basketball instruction to youth across China.
Ji Mi Choi
Vice President
Knowledge Enterprise at Arizona State University
Ji Mi Choi is Vice President at Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise and leads the Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute as founding executive director in service to schools and units across the institution and greater community. Currently, she serves on the boards of the StartupAZ Foundation, the Co+Hoots Foundation, and numerous local and national advisory councils and committees for entrepreneur-supporting organizations and programs.
Connie Chung Joe
CEO
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
Connie Chung Joe, JD, is the CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles. Prior to joining Advancing Justice-LA, Connie served as the Executive Director of the Korean American Family Services (KFAM) for 11 years. She was also a public interest lawyer for seven years before joining KFAM. Connie is active in advocating for and addressing the needs of API communities.
Grace Han McMahon
Executive Director, Business Development & Licensing
Merck & Co., Inc
Grace serves as Head of Transactions for Merck’s BD&L Pacific Innovation Hub, encompassing the North American West Coast and the Asia Pacific. Her team is responsible for structuring and negotiating partnerships with companies that offer differentiated early-stage therapeutic opportunities. Grace holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD in France and Singapore, a J.D. from the School of Law at NYU, and a B.A. from UVA.
Stephanie Han
Author, Educator, and Speaker
Dr. Stephanie Han
Dr. Stephanie Han is an author, educator, and speaker. She authored the award-winning fiction collection Swimming in Hong Kong (Willow Springs Books), the Paterson Fiction Prize recipient, and the sole finalist for the AWP Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction, the Spokane Prize, and the Asian Books Blog Award. Currently, she teaches writing and literature workshops online at drstephaniehan.com.
Joseph Jeon
Professor of English & Center Director of Critical Korean Studies
University of California, Irvine
Joseph Jeon is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of California, Irvine. He is also the Director of the Center of Critical Korean Studies, which has helped engage with the local students and community to develop and nurture Korean studies in political, economic, social, and cultural areas.
Anne Kim
Co-Founder and CEO
Secure AI Labs
Anne Kim is co-founder and CEO of Secure AI Labs, based on her graduate work at MIT. Anne has done several different computer and molecular science projects outside of her research, including quantum chemistry simulations, genome-wide association studies, natural language processing for electronic health records, machine learning, and cyberbiosecurity work with the EFF and ACLU.
Jae Kim
Founder and CEO
Urbantec Development Partners, LLC
Jae Kim is the Founder and CEO of Urbantec Development Partners, LLC. (“UDP”) an Atlanta-based technology-driven real estate development enterprise leading the convergence of technology and traditional real estate industry practice to design and build-out next-generation high-density urban mixed-use urban communities through the application of “Smart City” and blockchain technologies.
Jina Kim
Vice President
Gates Capital Partners
Jina Kim is a Vice President at Gates Capital Partners, a family office based in Denver, CO. She assists in investing and monitoring a portfolio of public equity and private equity investments. She started her career as an Analyst in the Financial Sponsors Group at Wells Fargo Securities in Los Angeles, CA.
Soo Kim
Policy Analyst
RAND Corporation
Soo Kim is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and an adjunct professor at American University. She previously served as an analyst in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she worked on Korean Peninsula issues. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS.
Chil Kong
Artistic Director
Adventure Theatre MTC
Chil Kong has been a leader in theater, film, television, and digital media for 30 years after beginning his career as the Artistic Director of theater companies in Boston, San Diego, Seattle, and Los Angeles. He is also the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. Currently, he proudly serves as the Artistic Director of Adventure Theater in Glen Echo, Maryland.
Jee Abbey Lee
Owner
Common Hour Media, Inc.
Jee Abbey Lee is the founder and owner of Common Hour Media, Inc. The Washington, D.C.-based communications consultancy serves companies in the industries of the future, most notably artificial intelligence. Lee is also a veteran broadcast journalist with more than 10 years of experience in TV, radio, and the web.
Kristen Lee
Senior Medical Director
Pfizer
Kristen Lee is Senior Director of Medical Affairs and Rheumatology Lead in Inflammation and Immunology of Pfizer, one of the world’s leading research-based biopharmaceutical companies. She is also an experienced Assistant Professor at the Division of Rheumatology at NYU Langone Health with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry.
Junie Lim
General Counsel
Novo Ventures Inc.
Junie joined Novo Ventures (US) Inc., in 2016 in San Francisco, CA, as US General Counsel. She manages investment structuring and negotiation, portfolio company management, regulatory governance, and other general legal matters. Junie holds a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, New York, New York, and a B.A. in Economics from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.
Steve Park
Executive Director
Little Lights Urban Ministries
Steve Park founded Little Lights Urban Ministries in 1995 and currently serves as the Executive Director. He is also one of the founders of DC Unity and Justice Fellowship, an all-volunteer faith-based organization dedicated to racial unity and justice, especially in the DC Metro area. Steve and Mary Park were awarded CKA’s Embrace Unity Award in 2020.
Kate Seitz
Assurance Partner
RSM US LLP
Kate Seitz is an assurance partner at RSM US LLP with more than seventeen years of experience related to the public accounting industry, primarily focused on the financial services sector. She is also the National Technical Director of Capital Markets. Kate is active in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion groups and serves as the President and board member of the Midwest Chapter of ASCEND.
Eunice Song
Executive Director
Korean American Coalition – Los Angeles
Eunice Hur Song, Esq., holds two roles at the Korean American Coalition – Los Angeles (KACLA), a nonprofit organization established in 1983 to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community. In addition to KACLA, Eunice serves the community through LA-based organizations and boards.
Paul Song
Director of Trusts and Estates
Bonhams Auctioneers and Appraisals
Paul Song is Director of Trusts and Estates at Bonhams Auctioneers in Los Angeles, with more than 30 years of experience in the auction field. A well-known international expert in rare coins and bullion, Paul joined Bonhams in 2009, established the Coin Department, and successfully implemented the specialty auctions in Los Angeles and New York.
Angie You
CEO
Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Angie serves as Chief Executive Officer of Amunix Pharmaceuticals Inc. Prior to joining Amunix, Dr. You served as Chief Business & Strategy Officer and Head of Commercial at Sierra Oncology (NASDAQ: SRRA), a publicly listed hematology and oncology drug development company, where she helped the company through a successful initial public offering.