History
The Korean American Coalition (KAC), incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1983, advocates the interests of the Korean American community which currently represents over one million people in the United States. As recent immigrants and members of an ethnic minority group, Korean Americans face many obstacles in their pursuit of full participation in American society.
As a bilingual and non-partisan membership organization, KAC addresses these concerns by galvanizing first, second, and third generation Korean Americans into taking action. Members work to educate and empower themselves and the community on civic, legislative, and political issues. Over the course of 14 years, KAC has registered more than 75% of Korean American voters; coordinated forums, seminars, and workshops on legislative, political, and social issues; sponsored over 125 college internships and graduated 600 participants through the leadership conference; and processed more than 15,000 citizenship applications. KAC has continued to develop relations with the media, government agencies, and elected officials. In addition, good relations have been built and maintained with the leaders of other ethnic communities including the Asian/Pacific Islander, African American, Jewish, and Latino communities.
The KAC-SF chapter was officially established on March 24, 2001 and will be focusing efforts towards Korean Americans in the Bay Area.
2007-2008 KACSF Staff Bios
PRESIDENT - Louis Hong
Louis Hong has been involved with KACSF for the past four years. He comes to KACSF with a history of civic participation focusing on youth involvement in Seattle, WA. He is a graduate of the University of Washington with degrees in both business and political science. Louis has over four years of business consulting experience at Deloitte Consulting and is currently a marketing manager at Washington Mutual Card Services.
EXECUTIVE VP - Ricky Shin
Ricky Shin is currently serving as KACSF’s EVP and previously served as VP of Programs. He earned a degree in Political Science from UC Berkeley and currently works at Rainmaker Systems as a Program Manager. Rainmaker Systems (www.rmkr.com) is a leading outsource provider of sales and marketing services for companies that want to drive more revenue. Ricky also serves as a volunteer tutor with Lafayette School Mentorship Program in West Oakland, and as a coordinator for New Life Ministries SF – a program reaching out to incarcerated youth at the SF Juvenile Hall. He is also a member of Christ Church of Rockridge serving on the A/V team.
Ricky is committed to working with the Bay Area Korean American community to further increase collaborative efforts among KA and API-interest organizations.
TREASURER - Angela Hong
Angela Hong has the privilege of serving the Korean American community through her involvement in KACSF and the National Unification Advisory Council (for the Republic of Korea). She earned a degree in business administration from UC Berkeley and currently works in the Strategy and Corporate Development Group of Barclays Global Investors. Prior to joining Barclays, Angela was a Manager in the Financial Advisory Services group for Deloitte & Touche, specializing in valuations for high tech and biotech companies.
VP OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS - Christen Lee
Christen comes to KACSF with an interest in grassroots, community-based movements for social change. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 2007, she joined the staff of National Community Development Institute (NCDI), an Oakland-based nonprofit that provides technical assistance to grassroots organizations in communities of color and other underserved communities. She has also served with Asian Immigrant Women Advocates where she employed popular education philosophies to teach English and workers’ rights. A former Articles Editor of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, she remains interested in intellectual property issues related to the nonprofit sector, along with her primary passion for collaborative social justice movements in diverse, low-income communities. She recently participated in the Applied Research Center’s Racial Justice Leadership Institute and NCDI’s Community Builders Leadership Institute. Christen also volunteers occasionally with Project Peace East Bay, which connects the resources of local churches with the needs of local social service providers.
Open Positions
VP of Membership / Social