For Immediate Release
April 4, 2013
Contact: Jane Yoo, jyoo@nakasec.org, 202.630.4013
NAKASEC Announces New Executive Director
Washington, D.C. – The Board of Directors of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) is delighted to announce the appointment of its new Executive Director, Ms. Son Ah Yun. She assumed her new role on March 15, 2013.
Ms. Yun served on the NAKASEC board for a number of years and comes into the position with extensive experience in building and leading national grassroots movements on a variety of issues including health care, immigration reform/immigrant rights, welfare reform and social security. Most recently, she was the Senior Campaign Organizer for the Center for Community Change (CCC) and the Campaign for Community Change (C4CC), a national social justice non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. Among the notable accomplishments in Ms. Yun’s 13-year tenure with CCC includes building its immigration work that led to the development of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) into the leading voice for grassroots immigrant organizations across the country. She began her career with CCC in 2000 with the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, a coalition of over 1000 anti-poverty groups to build support for the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
“I am excited to be joining NAKASEC as its new Executive Director,” Yun said. “I look forward to the new opportunities that will help our organization grow, and to also continue what we’ve been doing so well – organizing our communities, mounting strategic campaigns and making sure our community members’ voices are heard. We will also have some challenges ahead, but I have no doubt that with the strength and commitment from our affiliates and communities, we will chart new ground and further our mission.”
“We feel incredibly privileged to be working with Ms. Yun whose enthusiasm and vision are refreshing. At the same time we are extremely grateful for the outgoing Executive Director Morna Ha’s dedication and achievements during her tenure,” said Wan-Mo Kang, Board President of NAKASEC.
“Ms. Yun’s extensive campaign experience, knowledge of the field of immigrant rights and her love for the community, will make her a strong advocate and ensure that our communities’ voices are not only heard but acts as a forceful drive that shapes national narratives on issues including immigration,” said Sik Son, executive director of the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center, NAKASEC’s affiliate in Chicago.
“Since Ms. Yun’s transition, we have already quickly moved to coordinate local/national efforts to keep the pressure on for immigration reform,” added Dae Joong Yoon, executive director of the Korean Resource Center, an affiliate in Los Angeles. “We also have key mobilizations happening very soon and NAKASEC is well into planning to ensure that our presence is strong.”
Ms. Yun immigrated to the U.S. when she was 5 years old. She received her Bachelor of Science from Emory University and a Masters in Social Work from Washington University. She currently lives in Smyrna, GA.
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The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) was founded in 1994 by local community centers to project a national progressive voice and promote the full participation of Korean Americans as a part of a greater goal of building a national movement for social change. NAKASEC is based D.C. and Los Angeles. NAKASEC also has affiliates in Chicago (Korean American Resource & Cultural Center) and Los Angeles (Korean Resource Center).
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