OUR TEAM

Korina brings deep experience in business administration and strategy, having spent 20 years in business development, technology, management consulting, and marketing at international corporations including eFunds (acquired by Fidelity), Hitachi, Charles Schwab, Blue Shield, Wells Fargo, Visa, and Protiviti. More recently, she and her husband founded the Mind Therapy Clinic, an outpatient psychiatric mental health clinic, where she is responsible for corporate strategy, administration and marketing. Korina was born and raised in South Korea, and currently lives with her family in the North Bay. 

Anny spent more than 20 years working as a TV news reporter & anchor in various markets across the country, including KRON 4 in San Francisco and the CBS affiliate in Washington, DC. She also works as a consultant for businesses and corporations in media strategy and social media marketing. She lives in SF with her partner and two young children. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing tennis and exploring hiking trails in the Bay Area with her family.

Phil was born in South Korea and moved to the U.S. at the age of 4. He lived and attended school in New York before heading to California through Teach for America (TFA). He taught for five years and was an assistant principal for two years before transitioning into his current role leading learning and development for TFA alumni. Phil earned his BA in political science at State University of NY at Binghamton and MA in educational leadership from Columbia University. He lives in the South Bay with his spouse and newborn son, and loves to check out new local restaurants.

After a career in the finance sector, Christy now works at the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco. Previously, she was a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, an equity analyst at Goldman Sachs & Lehman Brothers, and a senior director of strategic planning at American Express Bank. Christy earned an MBA in finance and accounting from Columbia Business School (CBS) and a BA in economics from Cornell University. She serves on the leadership board of the CBS Bay Area Alumni Club and co-chairs the CBS Asian Alumni Club of New York. Christy immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea after fourth grade and maintained her Korean language skills, thanks to her grandparents. She lives in San Francisco and enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids.

Andrew has been active in the Korean community since his college days, when he served as President of the Korean American Professional Society. He has been a long-serving member of the KCI Board, including prior service as Chairman of the Board. Professionally, Andrew spends his days as an analytics specialist at Salesforce and evenings helping run his family's financial planning practice. He grew up in the Bay Area and has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley. He lives in the South Bay with his wife and young child and is an avid Bay Area sports fan.

Sedique is a professor in the Dept. of International and Multicultural Education at USF. He has been an educator and consultant since 1980, and has taught English and trained teachers in six countries including South Korea. Sedique has been recognized for his research in bilingual education, code-switching and code-mixing, and has been a featured presenter for national and global organizations in his field. In addition to being an Honored Instructor at UC Berkeley, he has received multiple teaching awards. He holds degrees in English, TESL, Education, and Linguistics. Originally from Afghanistan, Sedique has two sons and lives in the East Bay with his wife, and enjoys gardening in his spare time.

YoonSun moved from her native Korea to the U.S. to study cello and earned master’s degrees in Cello Performance (SF State University) and in Music Therapy (University of the Pacific). She has held internships in music therapy (UCSF) and medical interpreting (Stanford Hospital). After receiving a CA. Certificate in Health Care from the City College of SF in 2013, YoonSun worked at Kimochi, Inc., providing social services to low-income Korean seniors and serving as Assistant to the Director of Programs. She has been working the past five years in the In-Home Supportive Services Dept. of SF’s Human Services Agency and at CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work program. YoonSun lives in SF and in her spare time enjoys cooking Asian food, drawing, crafts, and traveling. 

Tom has more than 30 years experience as a software engineer. Prior to his current position at FJA, an Information Technology & Services firm for the insurance industry, he worked with EmployeeChannel and numerous other companies. Tom has a BS and MS in electrical & computer engineering from Rutgers University and an MBA from NYU Sloan School of Business.

Jordan was born in South Korea and raised in the U.S. He has spent 20+ years in the biotech and consumer packaged goods industries in various operations management, Six Sigma consulting, and strategic project management roles. Jordan is a Board Member for Ascend, the largest pan-Asian business leadership nonprofit in the U.S. He was previously a member of the KCI Board (2013-2019) and also served on the boards of the Association of Korean Adoptees SF, Connect-A-Kid, and Alliance for Smiles. Jordan spends his free time with his wife and four children in San Francisco.

Han is a software engineer-entrepreneur turned attorney. He has a BS in Computer Science from Sogang University in Seoul, where he was born. Han came to the US to attend graduate school, earning a PhD in Information Science from the Univ. of Pittsburgh. After getting his law degree from Santa Clara University, Han worked as a patent attorney before establishing his own law practice (based in San Francisco), handling business transactions as well as intellectual property. Han also provides legal counsel to a wide range of nonprofits including KCI, housing organizations, and human rights advocacy organizations for North Koreans.

Saly is a first-generation Korean immigrant whose career is steeped in art & culture and non-profit work. She holds master’s degrees in Fine Arts and Arts Administration and is a practicing artist and former Adjunct Professor at the SF Academy of Art University. Prior to joining OACC, Saly was the Operations Manager for the Korean American Community Foundation of SF. Her career also includes developing and overseeing culturally based arts programs for the Seattle Art Museum and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. She has also served on the boards of community-based non-profits: OACC and Bay Area Cultural Connections. Saly was born in Busan, Korea, and has been living in the Bay Area for the last 14 years. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, designing and making handbags, and working on ceramics.

Theresa was born in Seoul, Korea, immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was 1 year old, and grew up in Chicago. She has a B.A. in History & Asian Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an A.M. from the University of Chicago. She moved to the Bay Area to attend law school at UC Berkeley School of Law where she was Managing Editor of the Asian Law Journal in 2003. Theresa currently works in the Corporate and Securities group at Pillsbury, where her practice focuses on venture capital financings, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations. Theresa’s hobbies include running, reading, studying Korean, and hiking and camping in the great outdoors with her husband and two boys.

Scott has more than 30 years of professional experience including leadership and C-level finance roles with specific experience in capital markets, private equity and M&A with companies such as GE Capital, Platinum Equity and BMO Capital. Prior to joining Igneo Technologies as it's CFO, he spent 15 years in the clean tech and renewable energy industries with companies such as Sunverge Energy, NRG Energy and Suntech. Early in his career, Scott passed the CPA exam and worked in accounting and auditing. He has an MBA in economics and finance from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors in accounting from Andrews University. Scott lives in the North Bay with his wife and sons.

Eun-Joo has 30-plus years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including in international health, professional associations, and philanthropy. Most recently, she served as the founding Executive Director of the Korean American Community Foundation of SF (KACF-SF). She has consulted for the United Nations and nonprofits in strategic planning, programming, evaluation, and grantwriting. In addition to KCI & KACF-SF, she also volunteers with the Bay Area’s Asian Women’s Shelter and Simple Steps Community Connection. Born in Seoul, Eun-Joo lived most of her life on the East Coast.  She has an A.B. from Harvard University and a master’s from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She loves traveling, photography, cooking, and hiking.

Jennifer began her career in traditional PR, then forged a path to social media and digital content marketing in the early years of the social web. She has led successful digital marketing campaigns for global brands in television, publishing and technology. She eventually opened her own consulting business -- Jenius Consulting -- and has been pursuing her passion within the restaurant and beverage industry, including in Seoul where she splits her time. Jennifer’s relationship with KCI began with volunteering her digital marketing skills for the 1st Annual Chuseok Festival in 2019. When not working, Jennifer contributes to Forbes Travel Guide and Food Travelist, a leading food and travel blog, and moderates their popular weekly #FoodTravelChat Twitter chat. She is an avid world traveler and concert goer. 

Kiyoung has been a strategic business leader for 20 years in new business development, transformation, and organizational leadership driving results. She co-founded Kbean.com, an online marketplace for digital art. Born and raised in South Korea, Kiyoung received an MBA from Cass Business School in London and worked as a managing director and CEO of Danish companies in South Korea including Royal Copenhagen and Georg Jensen. Kiyoung is a passionate artist and curator connecting traditional Asian art to western living and digital technology. Prior to joining KCI as executive director, she served on its Board of Directors. Kiyoung lives with her husband/business partner in the East Bay, and is a foodie and wine connoisseur and enjoys playing golf.

Sewon is a digital marketing leader with over a decade of experience launching multichannel marketing campaigns and developing content strategies for startups, nonprofit organizations, and global brands. Currently the Director of Digital Marketing & Content Strategy at SuccessKPI, she previously worked at the Exploratorium, Samsung Electronics, and Brafton. Sewon holds a masters in Oral History from Columbia University, and a dual B.A. in Literary & Cultural Studies and Sociology from The College of William & Mary. Born in Korea, Sewon grew up in Seoul and Virginia and lives in San Francisco with her husband. In her personal time, she enjoys weightlifting, pottery, makgeolli brewing, hiking, and creative writing. She has been volunteering as a Multilingual Language Advocate at the Asian Women's Shelter since 2017.

Jeannie is a seasoned restaurateur and entrepreneur.  Over the past 15 years she transformed SAMS American Eatery in downtown SF from a small cafe to an award-winning restaurant and started other businesses including Fermentation Lab and Divine Indulgence Catering Company. Her latest venture is in the wine business, having partnered with a Korean female winemaker in Napa. Jeannie was born in South Korea and grew up in San Francisco. She graduated with BA in Biblical Studies and Sacred Music before going on to SF Theological Seminary (SFTS) where she received a Masters of Divinity Degree. Jeannie was ordained as a Presbyterian Minister in 2001 and served in many local churches working with youth and young adults in the Bay Area.She received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020 from SFTS and currently serves on several university boards. Jeannie has three grown children and lives in Concord and Napa with her husband. She enjoys traveling, cooking, learning and spending quality time with family and friends.

So-Eun has been with Fyber, Inc., a global tech company, for the past 10 years. She witnessed the start-up acquire three companies and played a pivotal role in its acquisition by a NASDAQ-listed company in 2021. Her volunteer experience spans across international film festivals, UNESCO, the Asian Art Museum of SF, and SF Public Library. Her love of books drew her to volunteer for KCI’s library project. So-Eun holds an M.A and a B.A in Communication & Media Studies from Stanford University. Born in Japan, and having spent time in Korea and Chile, she has a travel bug. In her free time, she can be found urban-hiking around SF, discovering new restaurants or surrounded by books.

Matthew recently moved back to California after four years in Korea teaching English and learning about his Korean ancestry, including the art of makgeolli making. He brings to KCI experience as an event coordinator and public relations manager. Matthew has a degree in journalism from Humboldt State University.

Donna is a San Francisco native who spent the last two years teaching English in elementary schools in Daejeon, Korea. She majored in Communication and minored in Theater at UC Santa Barbara, where she took her first Korean language class. Donna brings social media marketing and web content experience to KCI.

Ara was born in the Republic of Korea and has 9 years of living abroad experience in various countries including India, Australia, Mexico, and the United States. She studied Media Communication and Business at Sookmyung Women's University and worked as an online merchandiser at Hyundai Homeshopping in Korea. After moving to the United States in 2019, she acquired 'Certification of Teaching Korean, level 2(한국어교원자격증 2급)' and worked as a Korean language teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. She enjoys camping, traveling, and playing the violin.