Board of Directors

 

The KKOOM Board of Directors presently consists of eight people, and each director is elected to a one-year term. Directors may be re-elected to serve additional terms. KKOOM currently also has one honorary board member from South Korea. The Board meets monthly via Internet teleconference and once annually in person. Directors are responsible for paying for their own travel expenses to the annual meeting. Since 2007, sixteen different people have served on the volunteer-driven Board of Directors.

 

 

Aimee Jachym

President/Treasurer/Co-Founder, since September 2007

Aimee was born in South Korea and adopted by a Detroit-area family as an infant. In 2004, she made her first return to South Korea on a Fulbright teaching grant. Aimee spent her free time in Korea volunteering at Samsungwon, the orphanage in Gumi, and developing basic Korean language skills. She never expected that the 2004-05 ad-hoc holiday fundraising drive would evolve, with the help of great friends, into KKOOM three years later. Prior to becoming KKOOM’s first Chief Administrator in February 2011, Aimee practiced corporate law in Michigan.

Erika Senneseth

At-large; Co-Founder, since September 2007

After graduation from Connecticut College, Erika spent the 2004-2005 school year teaching English as a foreign language at the all boys’ Gyeonggu High School in Gumi, South Korea. Her favorite times in Korea were working with preschool and early elementary children at Samsungwon orphanage. She now uses her Masters in Education to coordinate the educational components of KKOOM’s 360 degree giving campaign. She is originally from Minnesota, but is currently the Assistant Head of School at Sandhills School in Columbia, South Carolina.

Helen Shin

At-large, since January 2012

Helen Shin is a corporate attorney in the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. In addition to corporate legal experience, she brings to the Board a passion for social justice and international human rights matters. Her experience includes co-supervising an international human rights clinic at Fordham University School of Law and researching and doing fieldwork on various humans rights issues in Sierra Leone and Malawi. She has devoted significant amounts of time to legal pro bono work, and looks forward to utilizing her talents and resources to benefit KKOOM and the children in Korea.

Sara Shin

At-large, since January 2012

Sara Shin was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea in 2006-07. During her time in Cheonan, she volunteered at Samil orphanage where she taught English to elementary school-aged girls. Since returning from Korea, she has worked in nonprofit fund development in New York and brings a wealth of operational expertise to the KKOOM board. Sara has been a strong advocate for KKOOM since its inception and looks forwards to helping KKOOM achieve its mission: to improve the lives of orphans in South Korea.

Leanne Stein

Secretary, since September 2007

Born and raised in Los Angeles County, California, Leanne graduated from Pitzer College of the Claremont College Consortium in 2005. At Pitzer Leanne double majored in Psychology and English &World Literature, played varsity softball, was active with Pitzer College’s student senate, and spent a semester studying abroad in Botswana. After graduating, Leanne was a 2005-2006 Fulbright ETA, teaching English to the boys at Gyeonggu High School in Gumi. Leanne spent her free time volunteering with the Samsungwon Orphanage preschool children, first and second grade elementary school girls, and a middle school boy. Currently, Leanne is back in Los Angeles working and pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences to become a speech-language pathologist.

Lindsey Terbrack

At-large, since November 2010

With a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Western Michigan University, Lindsey Terbrack has over seven years of graphic design and marketing experience – three of which she ran the marketing department of a $15 million non-profit. When she is not enjoying the amazing Michigan outdoors, building a website or keeping up on the latest social and online media trends, Lindsey works for a large Michigan home-builder, freelances, and dedicates her skills to KKOOM and a local non-profit park and land preserve organization. She has no direct ties to Korea, but Lindsey has been an advocate of KKOOM since the first volunteer project in 2004.

Julia Unger

At-large, since January 2012

Julia Unger is the Executive Director of a San Francisco-based private foundation. Previously, she managed the U.S. operations for African Leadership Academy, a start-up non-profit that develops and supports future generations of African leaders and entrepreneurs. Julia received a Fulbright grant to teach English in South Korea. She is a graduate of Smith College.

Beth Van Fossan

At-large, since October 2011

Beth is a Korean-American adoptee and a licensed social worker in the state of Washington. She recently returned from 18 months in Gimcheon, South Korea, where she taught English in South Korea through the EPIK program and volunteered at Emmanuel Children’s Home. As a volunteer for KKOOM, Beth was instrumental in launching many programs at Emmanuel, including Skype English tutoring and the volunteer stay program, along with very popular Christmas and summer carnivals for the kids. In addition to having professional expertise in counseling at-risk youth, Beth has extensive grassroots fundraising experience and strong connections within the Korean adoptee community.

Sujin Kim

Honorary member, since January 2012

For the last ten years, Sujin has worked at Emmanuel Children’s Home, an orphanage in Gimcheon, South Korea, where she is the early education (preschool) and piano teacher. Since the fall of 2011, she is also the English-speaking liaison for international volunteers who visit Emmanuel. Sujin has a unique perspective on the needs of children in Korean orphanages as well as a wealth of firsthand knowledge on Korean children’s welfare issues.