KAFH Directors
Song K Choi | DIRECTOR
Song K. Choi, PhD received his BS, MEng, & PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, respectively. He is a member of TBP (Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honor Society), California Upsilon Chapter. His specialization is in autonomous unmanned robotics in hazardous, aerial, & underwater environments. He returned to Hawaii in 1991 and has been a professor/researcher in the Autonomous Systems Engineering Lab, and he has been the assistant dean in the College of Engineering and working with various primary, middle, and high schools in the State in promoting STEM education through robotics. He is also credited as one of the forefathers of scholastic robotics (K-12 grades) in Hawaii. His other interests lie in the areas of innovation & entrepreneurship and international business; and he was a co-founder of the Marine Autonomous Systems Engineering, Inc., a Hawaii-based spin-off company specializing in autonomous marine & robotic technologies and unique academic solutions. He is an active member of numerous engineering & academic societies, and serves as an officer & board member on many of these academic, engineering, technology, business, education, & philanthropic organizations.
Ann Chung | TREASURER
Ms. Chung brings over 30 years of strategic management experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors. She spent 20 of those years in leadership positions in the State of Hawaii including 6 years as Economic Development Director for the City & County of Honolulu and has 14 years of successful lobbying expertise.
Born in Korea and raised in Hawaii, Ms. Chung graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a Pacific Century Fellow alumna, two-time recipient of the Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 award, and has served on the numerous boards including the Korean American Foundation and the Korean Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.
Jeff Chung | DIRECTOR
Jeff Chung has been a Hawaii resident for over 50 years. He currently serves as President of KBFD TV and a Star Advertiser Sunday newspaper columnist for over 18 years. He also served as the Chairman of the Board for the Hawaii International Film Festival 2005-2008 when Korean cinema started to take a global stage. Jeff is one of the current Trustees at his alma mater Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and past Trustee at St. Louis Schools.
Kloe Kang | DIRECTOR
Kloe studied art and architecture (MFA and D.Arch) at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, and has been teaching at the University of Hawai`i and Kapi`olani Community College (KCC) since 1999.
Kloe is a member of Tau Sigma Delta, the National Architecture Honor Society at the UHM, and as a working artist and designer, she is also known for her large oil paintings and drawing video projects, which have been featured in numerous venues including local, national, and international art exhibitions.
Kloe has been actively involved in her local art and cultural community work as well. She has been serving as the founder and organizer of Edith Leiby Visiting Lecture Series at KCC (2007-present), a Visual Art Consultant for Hawaii State Foundation in Arts and Culture (2004-present), a Board member of the Korean American Foundation Hawaii (2021-present) and served as a member of the National Unification Advisory Council of the Republic of Korea (2011-2012 and 2017-2022).
Rex Kim, Esq. | DIRECTOR
Mr. Kim was born and raised in Hawaii. He is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Hawaii and is also a director of Bowers + Kubota Consulting, Inc. Mr. Kim is also a member of the State of Hawaii Judicial Council, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, which nominates candidates for the State of Hawaii Ethics Commission and Campaign Spending Commission to the Governor of the State of Hawaii. Mr. Kim was a founder and director of Ohana Pacific Bank (which is now a part of California-based CBB Bank) and was appointed by the Governor of the State of Hawaii as a member of the State of Hawaii’s Commemorative Quarter Advisory Commission. He is a former director of the East-West Center Foundation, which supports the East-West Center, an internationally recognized education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960. He graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts degree, received a law degree from the University of Hawaii and is a member of the Hawaii State Bar and is also licensed to practice law before the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Mr. Kim is also a former, multiple-term President of the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce.
Gina Kim Nakamura | DIRECTOR
Gina Kim Nakamura is Vice President and Korea Market Manager in the International Banking Group at Central Pacific Bank, handling primarily high-net-worth Korean individuals and commercial clients.
She has been involved with the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce (HKCC) since the 1st Annual Korean Festival in 2001. She served as the president of the HKCC from 2007 to 2011 and is currently serving as the president in 2017 and 2018. She has also chaired the Korean Festival in Honolulu for many years.
Gina was also appointed by the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu to serve as a Commissioner on the Status of Women Committee from 2011 to 2015. She also received a meritorious, a prestigious award from the President of Korea in 2009.
She has committed numerous years of service to various non-profit community organizations in Honolulu, including the United Korean Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Korean Cultural Center, International Affairs Advisory Council, the National Unification Advisory Council, the Korean Language Flagship Center and Korean American Foundation Hawaii.
Edward Shultz | DIRECTOR
Edward J. Shultz is professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He first went to Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1966, after graduating from Union College in New York, and lived in Pusan. He received his PhD in 1976 from the University of Hawaii, and he taught at the University of Hawaii until he retired in August 2013. At the University of Hawaii he served as the director of the Center for Korean Studies and later as the dean of the School of Pacific and Asian Studies. He was secretary of the Korean Centennial Committee in 2002-2003.
Jae Young Lee, Esq | DIRECTOR
Jae-Young Lee is a member of both the Hawaiʻi and Korean Bar Associations. He received his J.D. and Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the William S. Richardson School of Law, as well as a Korean J.D. and B.A. from Korea University. He is currently a partner at the law firms Young Law Group and Jung and Kim, located in Hawaii and Seoul, South Korea, respectively.