Our Mission
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower immigrants in the Bay Area through access to education, services, resources and advocacy. We are a bridge helping individuals get needed resources at critical moments in their lives.
Our Vision
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where immigrants and refugees thrive in an inclusive and equitable society and everyone has access to basic health care, housing, work and can be part of a safe, healthy and thriving community.
Our History
Early Settlement
1977 The Beginning
1980 Establishing Non-Profit Status
1983 Our First Home
1984-1989 Koryo Village Center
1991-1996 Immigration & Advocacy
1991-1996 Immigration & Advocacy
1992-1995 Small Business Community
1992-1995 Small Business Community
1994 -2002 Youth Development
2000 Shimtuh Program
2000 Virtual Village Program
2010 Environmental Scan
2011-2013 BIA Accreditation
2013 Covered California
2014-2016 KONA Report
2017-2018 New Program Launch
2017-2018 New Program Launch
2019-2020 Innovation & Collaborations
Team
June Lee
As an immigrant and mother of a teenage daughter, June is passionate about women’s empowerment issues. “I make the world a more wholesome place by helping disempowered people to realize their power and become active participants in our society.”
Yeri Shon, MPH, MSW
Yeri completed her MPH/MSW from the University of Michigan and has a BS in Chemistry from UC Berkeley. Coming from a struggling immigrant family and with over nine years working at non-profit organizations, Yeri developed insights into how systemic barriers cause social inequities leading to negative health outcomes. During her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring diverse eateries around the Bay Area, and being a die-hard Warriors fan when the basketball season starts.
Amy G. Lam, MA, PhD
Amy is also an energy healer and a published poet, playwright, and composer. Amy’s mantra is: “Let’s dream the world we want to see into being.”
Pysay Phinith, LCSW
Pysay is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and holds an MSW from UC Berkeley. She has over 12 years of depth and experience in community-based prevention, early intervention, clinical case management, and mental health treatment services for Asian and Pacific Islanders and the greater communities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Pysay loves running for self-care, “Running is my high! Running is my freedom!”
Christina Yu, LCSW
Christina was born and raised in Oakland by a family who immigrated from Toisan, China. In her spare time, she enjoys visual arts, cooking challenges with her friends, exploring the food scene in the Bay Area, hikes amongst the redwoods, bathing in the sound of the ocean, and tending to her plants.
Christine Yang
Outside of work, you can probably find Christine in front of a sewing machine, doodling, or doing other crafts by hand. On a more rare occasion, you can find her hiking in nature or baking something sweet. Christine goes by both Christine and Yang as a way of gender expression and fluidity.
Dana Kim, MSW
In 2024, Dana graduated from Smith College where she earned her Master’s degree in clinical social work. Her passion lies in collectivistic and holistic approaches to address how trauma and healing manifest in the mind, body, and spirit. During her free time she can be found eating spicy food, strolling amongst the redwoods, or singing karaoke.
Jooyeon Jun
When Jooyeon is not at work, she enjoys being in nature, finding the next best restaurant, baking treats to share, attending a musical performance, watercoloring, and traveling.
Dana Kurlander, MS
Dana has a M.S. in Medical Anthropology from University College London and a B.A. in Global Health and Sociocultural Anthropology from University of California San Diego. Throughout the years, Dana has worked supporting diverse immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeker communities in public health advocacy, direct service, and community-based participatory research in both non-profit organization and academic research settings. In her work, she focuses on centering diverse community wisdom, prioritizing collective care, and advocating for systems change. During her free time, she enjoys dancing, being in nature, exploring new coffee spots, and learning about different healing traditions.
Hye-Yun Graves
Hye-Yun developed a strong sense of devotion to make a community in a healthier and better way while working in another community center. Her experience gave her a deep appreciation for an organization like KCCEB for how to bring positive changes into the community with passion and effort. In her spare time, she loves taking a walk and watching movies.
Paula Junn, MFA
In her free time, Paula makes jewelry, tells (and listens to) stories, crochets, and sings in the Queer Choir. Her dream is to build and be a part of a community so strong and healthy that when someone falls (as is inevitable in life), they are not left fallen and alone for too long.
Juhee Hong
Manith Thaing
Sandra Choi
Victor Lau
Art Choi
Catt Olazabal
Seokjune Hong
As a first-generation immigrant, he is keenly aware of the need to provide helpful information to all newcomers. He hopes that by volunteering, KCCEB staff have one less hurdle to deal with in their jobs.
MHAP Program Interns
KCCEB’s Mental Health Asian Pipeline (MHAP) Program provides comprehensive community mental health service training with attention to culturally informed practices, advocacy, and innovation.
MHAP’s goal is to increase the number of mental health social workers in the U.S. with specialized experience in working with Asian immigrants.
We currently have five MSW Graduate Trainees in the Adult Mental Health and Community Mental Health concentrations.
- Emma Fengnuan Zhao (English, Cantonese , Mandarin, Toishanese)
- Hye Yun Graves (Korean, English)
- Jessica Kuang (English, Cantonese , Mandarin, Spanish)
- Maelin Rose (English, Cantonese)
- Stephanie Chang (English)
Board of Directors
The volunteer board of directors at KCCEB is responsible for long-term strategic and programmatic planning, financial oversight and investments, fundraising, and general governance.
Dr. Bhupendra Sheoran is a physician and public health thought leader with over 24 years of global health experience working at the intersection of equity, technology, and innovation with experience in both social and for-profit sectors. He began his career caring for HIV/AIDS patients in India, and since then has worked throughout Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the U.S. on social impact, youth development, LGBTQ+ healthcare access, and digital health technology/innovation.
Carolline Kim is a Program Manager with the Levi Strauss Foundation responsible for oversight of the grants that advance Immigrant Rights, Democracy, and Philanthropic Leadership. She brings a wealth of knowledge in engaging excluded or under-represented communities and developing relationships with key stakeholders in the immigrant rights and democracy space. Carolline is a founding member of the Black & Asian Pacific Islander Solidarity, a group of activists, organizers, and community members that seek to create a safe space for Black/API unity.
Jen Lee is the Deputy Director at the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Care Organizations (AAPCHO). With 23 years of service within and on behalf of community health centers, Jen brings her passion for providing equitable, quality, affordable, culturally responsive, and accountable health care for all communities. Prior to joining AAPCHO, she served for 14 years at Asian Health Services, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Oakland, California, first as a community health worker to then providing oversight of the health center’s prevention education programs, school-based health expansion, community outreach, translation and medical interpreter certification, and advocacy initiatives including the Health Center’s Patient Leadership Council program.
Joe Lee is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Community Health Synergy, LLC, a queer and Asian-owned business dedicated to advancing health equity through community-centered capacity building. In the span of his 14-year career, Joe has supported Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), FQHC Look-Alikes, community-based organizations, County agencies, Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans, and national training organizations across the continental U.S., Hawai’i, U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands, and Freely Associated States. Joe also serves as a Lecturer of an undergraduate community health equity course at UC Berkeley and advisor for several student-led service and research organizations.
