About AKASF
The Association of Korean Adoptees San Francisco (AKASF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves the San Francisco Bay Area Korean Adoptee community.
Our mission is to support, educate, and foster community, inspiring adoptees on their life journeys.
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Our History
Founded in 1997, AKASF began connecting adopted Koreans with one another and their Korean heritage, culture, and birthland. Early activities included sharing experiences through panel discussions, “Playshops” with adopted children, dragon-boating, and co-sponsoring screenings of influential films, including those by local filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem.
In 2017, AKASF joined the International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) and celebrated its 20th Anniversary by hosting the IKAA Annual Convention, welcoming over 230 participants from around the world.
Today, AKASF continues to support and connect adoptees through meaningful programs, events, and leadership, fostering community locally and within the broader Korean adoptee network.
What we do
1) Monthly meet up events, which have included:
Korean Culture: Cooking classes, Film Screenings, SF Giants Korean Heritage Night
Socials: Happy hours (Soju Talks) and dinners
Workshops: Korean Citizenship and Writing Workshops
Discussion Groups: Focused conversations on topics in the adoptee community (adoptees only)
2) Collaborate and participate with local organizations who support the adoptee and/or the Korean American community. Examples include:
Korea Center’s Bay Area Chuseok Festival
CAAMFest (Asian American Film Festival)
It doesn’t matter whether you are new to the community or have been involved for many years—we hope to see you at a future event soon!
2026 AKASF
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Song Lee
Co-President
(she/her)
Song Lee joined the Board of AKASF in 2024. A passionate artist and advocate, she began her journey into exploring her identity as a Korean adoptee earlier that year. Discovering a sense of community for the first time, she was inspired by the Association of Korean Adoptees San Francisco (AKASF) and felt a deep desire to contribute to the organization. Her goal is to help others feel the belonging and connection that she has found. Committed to fostering bonding, positivity, and raising awareness of the Korean adoptee experience, Song is eager to use her passion for painting and the arts to empower others along their journey.
Seonah Taylor
Co-President
(she/her)
Seonah joined the Board of AKASF in 2024. She began dabbling in the Asian adoptee community during the pandemic and the spike of anti-Asian hate, which led her to AKASF. From attending her first event early 2024, Seonah recalls experiencing an immediate sense of belonging. This experience fueled the processing of her identity and of being in reunion with birth family - her "coming out of the fog". The AKASF community has made an everlasting impression and has gifted invaluable lessons. She is devoted to creating safe space for other Korean adoptees to learn - from embracing Korean culture in the Korean adoptee way to sharing her own learnings and reflections.
Keelin Davis
Board Member
(she/her)
Keelin joined the board in 2025. After moving to the Bay Area, she was excited to connect with the local Korean adoptee community. AKASF has allowed Keelin to explore her own adoptee identity while also providing her with the opportunity to connect with fellow adoptees in a safe and positive environment. From her background in classical music, Keelin hopes to incorporate the arts as a vehicle for building community and belonging. She looks forward to contributing to AKASF’s mission of supporting Korean adoptees and fostering community.
Zack Fraser
Board Member
(he/him)
After spending ten years living and working in South Korea, he returned to the Bay Area in 2023, grateful for the new chapter taking shape. His immersion in South Korean culture sparked profound personal reflection and fueled conversations and activism centered on adoption. Those experiences continue to guide his dedication to building connections and offering support within adoptee and Korean American communities.
Amanda Lecher
Board Member
(she/her)
Amanda’s first trip back to Korea opened up a deeper curiosity about identity, culture, and connection. She joins the board with a hope to help create spaces where adoptees can learn, grow, and feel a sense of community together. She also enjoys exploring Korean cooking and loves sharing food as a way to bring people together.
Keri Nelson
Board Member
(she/her)
Keri Nelson joined the AKASF board in 2025, after years of admiring the group from afar, and getting to know the vibrant adoptee community in the Bay Area. Keri spent a childhood participating in Korean adoptee culture camps in Minnesota, and later participated in the first big international gatherings of Korean adoptees in Washington DC and Oslo. She is passionate about contributing to this unique community, and doing what she can to keep it strong and visible so other adoptees can find it when they need to. She encourages anyone interested in making a difference in this group to look for opportunities to volunteer and build community along with us - reach out and get involved!
AKASF ADVISORY BOARD
In 1997, HyunJu cofounded AKASF with her friends Meg Dunn, Bryce Hilton and Don Bearden. AKASF has been one of her most meaningful pursuits, and continues to fuel the greatest passions in her life. In the decades since, she’s had the joy and honor of connecting with so many adopted people and allies. After living in different cities and in Korea, she returned to the Bay, and then served as co-chair of the #AKASF20 IKAA convention in 2017. In other initiatives, she co-created Rad KADs Study Group and KIBAN (Koreans Impacted by Adoption). She also assisted with the first human rights study of Korean Intercountry Adoption for the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. She’s excited to return to our Advisory Board, and looks forward to working further with people locally and globally for our collective healing, growth, and thriving. She’s also a longtime visual journalist, designer, and researcher; and likes 뿡어방.
Advisory Board Member
(she/her)
HyunJu Chappell
Jordan Brown Kang
Advisory Board Member
(he/him)
Jordan is a husband and father of 4 children and a Shih-Poo. He has lived in SF for 25 years and worked in the Biotech, Food Manufacturing, and Consumer Packaged Goods industries in senior positions in operations, strategy deployment, and business process improvement. He has volunteered in the Korean American, Korean adoptee, and pan-Asian business leadership communities in San Francisco for the past 20 years. He was Board member and President for AKASF twice between 2002 and 2010. AKASF has provided him the community to explore the unique struggle that is being adopted from Korea, the opportunity to support other KADs in their personal and professional development and has been the launching pad for his service to the broader Korean American and pan-Asian business communities in the Bay Area and across the US. He is currently an independent business management consultant in search of his “forever” home in Korea.
Emily Shewmaker
Advisory Board Member
(she/her)
Emily Shewmaker joined the AKASF Board in 2022 and served as an AKASF Co-President from 2023 to 2025. In 2026, she continued her involvement with AKASF by joining the Advisory Board. Growing up in rural East Texas, she had limited opportunities to engage with adoptee communities or conversations. After moving to the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the warmth of the AKASF community offered her the solace, space, and connections to more deeply explore her identity and Korean heritage. Emily is committed to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to creating meaningful, affirming spaces where those who may feel isolated can experience a true sense of belonging.
Christy Zaragoza
Advisory Board Member
(she/her)
Christy Zaragoza has been part of the AKASF community since 2021 and joined the Advisory Board in 2026. She previously served as AKASF Co-President from 2023 to 2025, helping guide the organization’s vision and support its growing adoptee community. Christy is committed to cultivating spaces where adoptees can gather, connect, and feel a sense of belonging. Outside of her community work, she enjoys spending time with her dog, working with ceramics, trying new foods, exploring new places, and taking long walks through Golden Gate Park. She hopes to see AKASF continue to thrive as a vibrant, affirming, and safe community for Korean Adoptees in the greater Bay Area.
Ryan Overton
Advisory Board Member
(he/him)
Ryan joined the AKASF Board in 2018 to help grow the community and support the creation of events and programming. He served as President of AKASF from 2020 to 2022, stepped down from the Board in 2025, and continued his involvement by joining the Advisory Board in 2026. Ryan’s passions include traveling, trying new whiskies and wine, collecting sneakers, sports, and spending time with family. He hopes to see AKASF continue to grow and evolve as a meaningful resource for the Korean Adoptee community in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.