KAAN 2025: Full Schedule

The KAAN 2025 Conference will take place at The Grand Hyatt in Atlanta, GA, on June 20-22. The theme this year is Growth and Change. As always, we offer an adoptee-only track alongside our general breakout sessions, which are open to all. We also offer programs for adults and youth (ages 8-17). All are welcome, including adoptees, birth families, family members (adoptive parents, spouses/partners, siblings and children of adoptees), service providers, and Korean Americans. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at tech@wearekaan.org.

Donate to KAAN
KAAN is a Project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor. This permits KAAN to operate as a nonprofit under TFEC’s 501(c)(3) designation. The official registration and financial information of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, at 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. The Foundation for Enhancing Communities is registered in each state requiring such registration for charitable solicitation. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. Thank you!

8:00am EDT

KAAN 2025 Check In

Friday June 20, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm EDT

TBD

Friday June 20, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm EDT
TBD

Check In

10:30am EDT

KAAN 2025 Orientation: Adoptees Ages 26+ (Adoptee Only)

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Speakers

Scarlett Hester

Scarlett Hester (she/her) is a Korean American adoptee living in Muncie, IN, who grew up in central PA (Go birds!). Her first experience with KAAN was KAAN Connect in 2020. Since then, she has been an active member of the KAAN organization and serves on the Education Committee and... Read More →

Chris Wodicka

Chris Wodicka (he/him) lives in Philadelphia, PA, where he is pursuing a PhD in social welfare, with a research focus on U.S. tax and social policy. Since 2022, he has served on the board of Hamkae Center (formerly NAKASEC Virginia), a nonprofit organization in Virginia that organizes... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

10:30am EDT

KAAN 2025 Orientation: Adoptees Ages 40+ (Adoptee Only)

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

Speakers

Phil Pellouchoud

My name is Phil Pellouchoud, and I embraced my Korean adoption identity pretty late in life. Living in San Diego with my wife, two kids, and our dog Casper, I’ve been navigating a birth family search with my family’s support. Along the way, I’ve discovered the profound depth... Read More →

Alice Stephens

Born in Korea, Alice Stephens was among the first wave of intercountry, transracial adoptees. Author of the novel, Famous Adopted People (Unnamed Press, 2018), she is also a book reviewer, essayist, short story writer, facilitator of the Adoptee Voices Writing Group, member of the... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

10:30am EDT

KAAN 2025 Orientation: LGBTQIA+ Only (Adoptees Only)

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Speakers

Maze Felix

Maze Felix (they/them) is a kitchen table solo polyamorous, neuroqueer trans non-binary Chinese transracial Adoptee. Maze grew up in midwest Ohio, but in 2022 moved across the country to the west coast and is now a Los Angeles based working actor, model, and American Sign Language... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

10:30am EDT

KAAN 2025 Orientation: Young Adult Adoptees (Adoptees Only)

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

Speakers

Allison Jin Sullivan

Allison Sullivan is a Korean American adoptee and a doctoral candidate in Sociology at Emory University in Atlanta. She researches issues related to race, work, inequality, and culture, with a special interest in adoptees and Asian Americans. Prior to pursuing her PhD, she worked... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Adoptee-Only Session

10:30am EDT

Veteran Attendee Meet & Greet (Adoptee Only)

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Speakers

Jon Oaks

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

10:30am EDT

KAAN 2025 Orientation: Adoptive Parents

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Speakers

Kala Sharp

Kala Sharp (she/her) is a past KAAN Advisory Council member, past Finance Committee member, and a current volunteer. She and her husband, Gary, are adoptive parents. Their sons are Jae (14 years old) and Sam (12 years old). Their family lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma and enjoys traveli... Read More →

Jen Neis

Jen Neis (she/her) is currently on the KAAN Advisory Council. She and her husband, Erik Kvålseth, are adoptive parents to two sons, Jee (14) and Min (12). They live, work and play in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

10:30am EDT

KAAN 2025 Orientation: General Audience

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

Speakers

Nathan Nowak

Debra Yoo

Friday June 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

11:30am EDT

Lunch On Your Own

Friday June 20, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

TBA

Friday June 20, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
TBA

Meals

12:30pm EDT

Discovering Our Power Through Peer Groups*

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

This panel-style workshop will feature an open dialogue and facilitated conversation around the formation and impact of diverse transracial adoptee peer support groups. Panelists will share insights on organizing their specific groups, offering guidance and lived experiences that highlight the transformative power of connection, healing, and liberation within adoptee communities. This discussion will address key topics such as inclusivity, growth, change, and coalition building, with a focus on fostering a unified and supportive network. Recognizing that many adoptees experience isolation and that groups can sometimes become siloed, this panel aspires to build bridges and promote solidarity across adoptee communities.

This session will also be held on Saturday at 2:45 - 4:00 PM.

Speakers

Anna Mae Hee Kiesnowski

Anna (she/her) is a highly sought-after LGBTQIA+ educator, known for creating engaging learning experiences that challenge assumptions and promote a more equitable, safe future. As a licensed clinical social worker, she offers psychotherapy, supportive group processes, and gender-affirming... Read More →

Sunia Won

Sunia Won is a dynamic leader and creative visionary bringing visibility at the intersection of faith, arts, and justice. With over 25 years of experience leading non-profits, she is the founder of OMIJA, fostering courageous conversations and connections for Asian adoptees, and the... Read More →

Megan 고은 Tulius

Based in the Twin Cities, Megan 고은 Tulius facilitates a monthly support group for transracial adopted people. She studied Korean language and literature at the University of Minnesota, and is currently an LMFT graduate student at the University of St. Thomas. Inspired by discussions... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

12:30pm EDT

Language (Re)Learning: Conversations About Identity*

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Language and identity are inextricably linked. However, language learning experiences for international adoptees might be complicated—how do our language experiences contribute to our sense of identity? When we use our languages do we feel closer to our heritage, or do we feel more distant from our cultures? This two-part session involves hearing about recent research relating to language and identity with international adoptees in Canada, then engaging in discussion about different kinds of language learning experiences, and how they have contributed to our sense of identity. No language learning experience necessary, all adoptees are welcome to share their thoughts.

This session will also be held on Saturday at 4:15 - 5:30 PM.

Speakers

Kiana Kishiyama

Kiana Kishiyama is a transracial Chinese adoptee from British Columbia, Canada. She is an aspiring researcher whose research interests include language, race, identity, and international adoption. Her current research focuses on international adoptees' experiences with (re)learning... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

12:30pm EDT

NaviGAYting Queer Adoptee Experiences*

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

This session will give attendees an opportunity to meet other LGBTQ+ adoptees and provide a space to talk about navigating the adoptee experience. Once out of the fog, how do we come out as adoptees? How do we manage the co-existence of multiple chosen families? How do we work through internalized racism, and how does that impact our dating preferences? How does our queer identity impact the relationship with our birth countries? How can we challenge heteronormativity and contribute toward building a more inclusive adoptee community? Let’s learn from each other and strengthen our collective voice.

Open to LGBTQ+ adoptees only. Space is limited to 15; please register via this Google Form.

This session will also be held on Saturday at 2:45 - 4:00 PM.

Speakers

Jimmy Byrne

Jimmy Byrne (he/him) is a Korean adoptee who grew up in Central New York and currently lives in Chicago. He has served on the boards of KAtCH (Korean Adoptees of Chicago) and Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, and he is currently the Director of Development at a Korean-led immigrant justice... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

12:30pm EDT

Quiet Confidence: Navigating KAAN as Introverts

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Do you prefer socializing in smaller groups vs large crowds? Do you like time alone to recharge after social events? Join two life-long introverts to break down and demystify what it means to be an introvert and how we can thrive at a large, emotionally impactful, social event like KAAN. This is a space for both first-time and seasoned adoptee attendees to share actionable tips and strategies for navigating this weekend and make meaningful connections that can last beyond our time together in Atlanta. This session is for adoptees that primarily identify as an introvert.

Speakers

Angela Kilsdonk

Angela Kilsdonk (she/her) is a transracial and transnational adoptee. She first attended KAAN in 2019 and is currently a member of the conference Tech Team. Angela was born in Korea, grew up in Wisconsin, and currently lives in Washington state. She is a librarian/archivist and... Read More →

Nick Ramsey

Nick Ramsey (he/him) is passionate about building adoptee and AAPI community. Born in Busan, he was adopted during the height of international adoption from Korea. Nick serves on the advisory council for KAAN and the communications committee for the Chinese Adoptee Alliance (CAA... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

12:30pm EDT

Soundscapes & Stories: Shaping Stories Through Music

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

We grow & change through creative processing. As adoptees, we navigate the 7 core issues of adoption and this session is a jump-start to exploring these issues through a creative lens. Led by professional musicians, Jae Carelli & Jonathan Hurley, you will be taken on a journey through soundscapes and stories.

Speakers

Jonathan Hurley

Jonathan Hurley is a Korean Adoptee residing in Nashville, TN. He is an accomplished Professional Session & Touring Guitarist, photographer & entrepreneur. Jonathan does a lot of activism work as well as mentorship in both the art and adoptee spaces.

Jae Carelli

Jae Carelli is a professional musician living in New York City, working as a music director, voice teacher, and performing artist. They have a decade of experience teaching students of all ages piano, voice, songwriting, and music theory, and are currently pursuing a MFA in Voice... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Fishbowl Session (Adoptee-Centered But Non-Adoptees May Attend To Listen)

12:30pm EDT

Community Conversation: Life Course of Adoption*

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

A substantial body of research has focused on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on adult mental and physical health; however, little research has quantified this relationship among people who experienced adoption. Findings from the community embedded project “Mapping the Life Course of Adoption” study involving a national survey (N= 464) of U.S. adoptees (18+) will be presented illuminating the relationship between childhood adversities, trauma, adult stressors, and mental and physical health.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Hollee McGinnis

Hollee A. McGinnis, MSW, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at VCU. Dr. McGinnis has almost 30 years of community organizing, practice, policy, and research experience relating to adoption and child welfare. Her work centers the lived experiences of individuals raised in adoptive families... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

12:30pm EDT

Supporting Your Adoptee’s Journey*

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Two adult transracial and transnational adoptees who are also mothers to Korean adoptees will share adoptee-centered insights on racial and adoptee identity development, common challenges, meaningful (and harmful) support and advocacy. The experiences and perspectives of adoptees who are also parenting adoptees will illuminate the ongoing nature of the adoption journey. Participants will examine how they can create a healthy and supportive environment for an adoptee whose understanding of their identity grows and changes over time.

This session will also be held on Saturday at 2:45 - 4:00 PM.

Speakers

TK Rojales

TK Rojales is a management consultant with a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A transracial adoptee from Korea, she resides in Atlanta and is the mother of a 24-year-old biological daughter and a 23-year-old son adopted from Korea... Read More →

Sarah Collmer

Sarah Collmer is an elementary school principal in a suburb of Boston, MA. She holds Master’s Degrees in Music Education and Organizational Leadership. Sarah, her husband, and their 10-year-old son are all Korean adoptees. Racial and adoptee identity development hold significant... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

12:30pm EDT

Youth Meet & Greet

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 3:15pm EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

Friday June 20, 2025 12:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Youth Program

2:00pm EDT

Adoptee Perspectives From Around the World

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Join Anna and Svetlana as they discuss the significant adoption changes that have occurred since KAAN last year. With the cessation of longstanding adoption programs in countries like China and Russia, alongside numerous international conflicts and increased public awareness of adoption issues, many adoptees are stepping forward to share their experiences. Engage in our conversation to explore the diverse and shared challenges faced by adoptees of different national origins. We invite you to reflect on how the past year has impacted you personally.

Speakers

Anna Sarkitova

Anna Sarkitova is an international adoptee from Saratov, Russia. She has been traveling the country as a travel nurse since January 2021, an adventure that has taken her and her husband to Baltimore, Detroit, Dearborn, Palo Alto, and Boston. This past fall she settled in Grand Rapids... Read More →

Svetlana Sandoval

Svetlana Sandoval is an International Adoptee from Russia. She was adopted to the U.S. during the peak wave of international adoptions in the late 90s. Svetlana is in reunion with her birthmother and family in Russia, and has been navigating reunion across language, cultural and legal... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:00pm EDT

Digging Deeper: Identity and Community Building*

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Childhood, dating, marriage, parenthood, and the death of adoptive parents are lifecycle milestones. Participants will explore their evolving relationship to adoption as they moved through each of these stages in life. A.D and Phil will share their personal experiences and utilize creative media prompts for each discussion. We all have voices and experiences worth sharing. This session is for adoptees looking to connect with others on a deeper level around their experiences with the goal of learning from one another. This is a community knowledge building exercise.

This session will also be held on Saturday at 4:15 PM - 5:30 PM.

Speakers

A.D. Herzel

A.D. Herzel is a Korean adoptee, artist and educator for over 20 years. She is a mother of bi-racial teenagers, married for 27 years and both her adoptive parents have passed. She served on the Board of Adoptee Hub and shared her community art project Seeds From The East, at IKAA... Read More →

Phil Pellouchoud

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

2:00pm EDT

Naming and Navigating Adoption Microaggressions*

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

In this interactive session, presenters will share key research on adoption microaggressions and facilitate a dynamic conversation for adoptees to reflect on personal experiences. Through guided dialogue, attendees will explore the impact of these microaggressions and work together to strategize empowered, proactive responses. This session creates a supportive space for adoptees to share stories, gain insight into common experiences, and leave with practical tools for navigating future interactions.

This session will also be held on Saturday at 9:30 - 10:45 AM as a Fishbowl session.

Speakers

Aeriel A. Ashlee

Dr. Aeriel A. Ashlee (she/her) is a Korean American transracial transnational adoptee scholar and speaker. Her work focuses on amplifying adoptee voices, facilitating expansive (re)imagining of power, and advancing collective liberation by cultivating inner healing. Dr. Ashlee has... Read More →

DeLa Dos

DeLa Dos is the senior director, Leadership & Transformation for the Association of Research Libraries—a nonprofit membership organization of research libraries in major public and private universities, federal agencies, and large public institutions in Canada and the US. DeLa is... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

2:00pm EDT

Navigating Love Across Race & Identity

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Join us in a safe and vulnerable space for transracial adoptees to reflect on their romantic relationships, particularly with white partners, and to explore the complexities of these dynamics. The session will provide adoptees the opportunity to share how their racial consciousness has evolved and how that has impacted their views on partnership and love across race, ethnicity, and culture.

Speakers

Tory Bae

Tory Bae is a Korean adoptee who grew up in Minnesota and has called North Carolina home for over a decade. She works as a personal injury paralegal and does work for undergraduate admissions. She is passionate about supporting liberatory work for adoptees, as well as the queer and... Read More →

Jenna Lee Kim

A 1984 Korean American Adoptee via Holt, Jenna is in reunion with both of her birth parents, and currently lives on Jeju Island in Korea with her family. Writer, educator, former mayor, and current foodie, Jenna can be found on The Janchi Show, Adapted, and Empowered Adoptee podcasts... Read More →

Chris Washburn

Washburn is a proud Korean American Adoptee and a passionate superhero fan nerd that loves Céline Dion, Korean BBQ, Comic Cons, Golden Retrievers and when his cats nap on his chest. He’s a nationally known DJ that has worked with entities such as Disney World, Tao Group, the Las... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:00pm EDT

Beyond Birth Search: Heritage Travel & Identity*

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

Heritage travel goes beyond the birth search; it has transformative effects on an adoptee’s identity. We’ll explore these impacts through a blend of storytelling and discussion. First, we’ll share our own personal journeys. Then, we’ll invite participant engagement, incorporate quotes from past travelers, and review recent findings on the benefits of heritage travel.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Liz Kwon

Liz Kwon was born in Seoul and adopted to Wisconsin. Liz has been involved in the KAD community since she started attending Korean culture camps in Minnesota and Wisconsin at age 5.Liz has been on panels with Adoption Mosaic (Adoptees & Parenting; Adoptees & Adoptive Family Estrangement... Read More →

Tanya Kaanta

Tanya, is a Korean adoptee and former academic with a PhD in Sociology and an MS in Student Affairs. With 20 years in higher education, she supported students, taught sociology, and conducted research focused on education and adoptee identity. In 1999, Tanya returned to Korea to live... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Fishbowl Session (Adoptee-Centered But Non-Adoptees May Attend To Listen), Repeat Session

2:00pm EDT

Adopting Our Own Ways of Being*

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Food, art, and identity, oh my! Join Chinese-Canadian adoptee, Annika Walsh for this hands-on session that explores how to transform your identity into a dish that best encapsulates you. Together, through collaging and conversation, we will dive into the fluidity of identity, culture, and food. Annika is an artist and graduate student at the University of British Columbia who presents experience based work that often relate to their experiences as an adoptee. Annika has used food to connect to all of the cultures they are genetically embedded with but also the ones they have absorbed along the way.

This session will also be held on Saturday at 2:45 - 4:00 PM.

Speakers

Annika Walsh

Annika Walsh is an emerging transdisciplinary artist and researcher who works with food, cooking, and everything in between to further the notion of connectedness and togetherness. Annika completed a BFA with a specialization in Media at the University of Ottawa in 2022. This grounds... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

2:00pm EDT

Affirming Adoptee Youth Identity

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

"Affirming Adoptee Youth Identity" is designed to explore and provide support to the unique experiences and challenges faced by transracial adoptees in forming their identities. The session highlights the importance of nurturing a strong sense of self among adoptee youth and offers practical strategies for families, educators, and professionals to support adoptees in understanding and celebrating their identity development, cultural heritage, honoring birth families, and personal experiences. Participants will engage in interactive discussions and learn valuable tools to create an inclusive environment where transracial adoptees feel empowered to embrace their multifaceted identities.

Speakers

Brad Belin

With nearly two decades of experience, Brad is dedicated to mentoring and empowering youth + peer educators across various school communities. As the Assistant Head of School at an independent school in MA, he brings a passion for creating inclusive and emotionally safe spaces for... Read More →

Liz Kleinrock

Liz Kleinrock is an award-winning educator and best-selling author, as well as a queer, Jewish woman. In 2018, Liz received the Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2019 delivered her TED Talk, “How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics." In 2021, Liz released... Read More →

Friday June 20, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

3:30pm EDT

Conference Opening: KAAN Announcements

Friday June 20, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Speakers

Dr. Katie Bozek

Katie Bozek, PhD. is a licensed and practicing marriage and family therapist. She has been providing mental health services for her community since 2009.

Friday June 20, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Mainstage Event

5:00pm EDT

Adoptee-Only Dinner (Offsite) (Separate Ticket Purchase)

Friday June 20, 2025 5:00pm - 7:30pm EDT

TBD

Friday June 20, 2025 5:00pm - 7:30pm EDT
TBD

Meals

5:00pm EDT

Dinner On Your Own

Friday June 20, 2025 5:00pm - 7:30pm EDT

TBD

Friday June 20, 2025 5:00pm - 7:30pm EDT
TBD

Meals

7:30pm EDT

Minhwa: Korean Folk Painting

Friday June 20, 2025 7:30pm - 8:30pm EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Many KADs who feel disconnected to their Korean-ness due to language barrier and accessibility can connect to Korean culture through art. Art is a powerful educational and healing tool that does not require language or cultural competency. Minhwa: Korean Folk Painting session will be a fun and non-intimidating way to connect to our roots. The publisher (Seo Choi) and author (Hye-Ryung Suk) of the book, “Minhwa Workbook: Learn Korean Painting” will offer a hands-on session where participants will learn about minhwa and create a small painting of their own.

The maximum number of participants is 10. The first 10 people who register and complete Venmo payment will have a reserved seat & supplies. The presenters will send the first sign-ups a Venmo link. There is a $30 per person material fee per person for registration. Please use this registration form.

Your registration is not confirmed until you submit your payment. Please note: this fee is non-refundable

Speakers

Seo Choi

Seo Choi (최서희) (@seochoi.shaman) is a Korean-American shaman, author, and the founder of Alpha Sisters Publishing. She is the creator of the Morning Calm Oracle and the author of Don’t Be a B*tch, Be an Alpha: How to Unlock Your Magic, Play Big, and Change the World. She has... Read More →

Hye Ryung Suk

Friday June 20, 2025 7:30pm - 8:30pm EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Activities

7:30pm EDT

Games, Stamp Making, and Youth Activities

Friday June 20, 2025 7:30pm - 10:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom

Friday June 20, 2025 7:30pm - 10:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom

Activities

8:00pm EDT

Noraebang

Friday June 20, 2025 8:00pm - 9:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom

Friday June 20, 2025 8:00pm - 9:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom

Activities

6:30am EDT

Wellness Activity: Morning Jog w/Katie Bozek

Saturday June 21, 2025 6:30am - 7:00am EDT

Meet in the Lobby

Speakers

Dr. Katie Bozek

Katie Bozek, PhD. is a licensed and practicing marriage and family therapist. She has been providing mental health services for her community since 2009.

Saturday June 21, 2025 6:30am - 7:00am EDT
Meet in the Lobby

Activities

6:30am EDT

Wellness with Claire, Hollee, and Laurie

Saturday June 21, 2025 6:30am - 7:00am EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Saturday June 21, 2025 6:30am - 7:00am EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Activities

7:00am EDT

Continental Breakfast

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:30am EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:00am - 8:30am EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Meals

8:15am EDT

Mainstage: We Belong: Adoptees Leading Asian Spaces

Saturday June 21, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

How do you build a sense of belonging in a community where you might feel like an outsider? This is often an evolving journey for transracial adoptees embracing our racial identities. Three adoptees share how they’re not only building community, but leading projects that celebrate Asian American identity and culture (AAPI Heritage Month Cincinnati, Asian America @ the Crossroads, and Dallas Asian American Historical Society)…all while navigating their own journeys of belonging. Discover why adoptees bring a unique and powerful perspective to community building work, leading the way in places you’d least expect.

Speakers

Caitlin Jee Hae Behle

Caitlin is a multidisciplinary storyteller based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Caitlin was born in Korea and grew up in Kentucky as a transnational adoptee, an upbringing that instilled a lifelong curiosity about the connections between people, places, and the systems that shape their lives... Read More →

Patrick Armstrong

Patrick Armstrong (he/him) is a transracial Asian American adoptee, award-winning podcaster, speaker, and community facilitator based in Indianapolis, known for hosting Conversation Piece and co-hosting Janchi Show and working with various clients including The Indianapolis Colts... Read More →

Stephanie Drenka

Stephanie Drenka is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society whose mission is to research, preserve, and amplify the legacy of Asian Americans in the Dallas area. She is a facilitator and coach with The OpEd Project and founding editor... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Mainstage Event

9:30am EDT

Healthy Boundaries, Secure Relationships

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Many adoptees struggle to form healthy meaningful relationships that allow them to feel known, seen, and valued. Why is this? Maybe you have been described as “distant” and find yourself “shutting down” in relationships. Maybe you’ve been told you are “too trusting” and find yourself in a pattern of hurt from relationships that feel one-sided. Navigating boundaries is essential for healthy, secure relationships and can be especially hard for adoptees. This session will explore ways the trauma of relinquishment is connected to our understanding of attachment and our ability to form healthy boundaries in relationships with others.

Speakers

Jodi Stelley

Jodi (she/hers) is a Korean American Adoptee and works as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in IL. She holds two degrees – M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and previously worked with underrepresented student populations... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Holy Shift: Beliefs Beyond White Pews

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

This session offers a safe space for transracial adoptees to reflect on growing up in predominantly white religious households and how these experiences shaped their identities. We’ll discuss challenges like cultural erasure and the expectations of assimilation, as well as the role of faith narratives in adoption. Participants are invited to share their journeys—whether it's deepening faith, transforming beliefs, or exploring new spiritual paths. This session affirms diverse faith journeys, highlighting how personal growth, racial consciousness, and spiritual evolution intersect uniquely for adoptees.

Speakers

Tory Bae

Hannah Johns

Hannah Johns (she/her/hers) is a dedicated International Grants Professional, writer, and storyteller with a passion for adoptee rights, family preservation, and community services. As a transracial, transnational adoptee from China, she brings a unique perspective to her work. With... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Honoring, Visualizing, and Building Adoptee Community

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Honoring, Visualizing, and Building Adoptee Community invites adoptees to explore and articulate their needs and hopes for our collective future. Through guided prompts, participants will reflect on their journeys and contribute to our shared vision. This adoptee-only session includes personal reflection, small group discussion, and a final debrief. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of community needs, their own role within adoptee spaces, and ideas for how to support a stronger, more inclusive future.

Speakers

Liana Soifer

Liana Soifer is a transracial adoptee born in South Korea and raised in Oregon. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BIPOC Adoptees VOICES, a grassroots nonprofit based in Portland, OR. With a BA in Human Services, Liana has worked as a Project Manager, overseeing web applications... Read More →

Mai Li O'Keefe

Mai Li O'Keefe (they/them) is a Portland based Korean adoptee that spends their time grassroots organizing, playing outside, and enjoying quality time with loved ones. They are a co-founder, board member, and active organizer for BIPOC Adoptees VOICES, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization... Read More →

Jill Mann

Jill Mann is a transracial, transnational Korean adoptee. She is an artist, writer, and musician, and a member of the BIPOC Adoptees team. She is also secretary of the board of Asian Heritage Association, a local community organization in McMinnville, Oregon, where she lives with... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Reimagining Intimacy in Adoptee-Centered Relationships

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Relationships play a major role in shaping our realities and sense of self throughout life. For adoptees who were relinquished, attachment-related trauma can influence many adult relationships. When we layer on options for non-monogamous relationships with friends, family, and partners, it can raise conflicts in self worth, identity values, and question how we embody belonging. Intersectionality provides a framework to better understand our needs as adoptees when navigating all types of relationships. Adoptee led, speakers will share personal experiences in non-monogamous relationships and invite attendees to engage with their own reflections on relationship identity.

Speakers

Mikaela Smith

Mikaela Li Smith (they/them) is a transnational Chinese American Adoptee who grew up in the midwest. After moving across the country and graduating twice in a pandemic, Mikaela has used past challenges and individual experiences to navigate adoption topics through one-on-one conversations... Read More →

Laura X. Williams

Laura X. Williams (she/her+) is a transracial Chinese American Adoptee who is local to Verona, NJ and currently resides in Denver, CO with a nesting partner and two sweet cats! Relationship counseling, sex therapy, addiction counseling, and folklore/cultural sustainability are Laura’s... Read More →

Maze Felix

Sanjay Pulver

Sanjay is a transnational, transracial, and transgender adoptee. He was born near Hyderabad India, and was brought to the US at 13 months old. Sanjay is an only child to his adopters but has 4 older sisters, one older brother, and a fraternal twin brother biologically. He came out... Read More →

Kurt RuKim

Kurt RuKim He/Him, an educator, dancer, artist, and sex educator, brings his experience as a Korean adoptee and Network of Politicized Adoptees (NPA) steering committee member to co-create inclusive learning environments. Passionate about eradicating shame and ensuring access to accurate... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Taking Action: Organizing a Community Project*

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

Inspired by the “Leading Asian American Spaces” mainstage panel? Want to start something in your own community? Join this hands-on workshop to get inspired and take action. Bring your idea and leave with a solid plan to bring your vision to life. You’ll learn from three transracial adoptees who organized AAPI Heritage Month events in Memphis, Albany, and Cincinnati. They’ll share valuable insights, practical tools, and strategies to help you plan an impactful initiative—no matter where you are or how you define community.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Rachel Hye Youn Rupright

Rachel is a Korean adoptee and adoptive parent. She lives in Albany, NY with her family, where she administers a small healthcare foundation.

Caitlin Jee Hae Behle

SunAh Laybourn

SunAh Laybourn, PhD is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Memphis, author of "Out of Place: The Lives of Korean Adoptee Immigrants" (NYU Press 2024), and TedX speaker. Frustrated by her hometown's lack of acknowledgment of their API community and inspired by... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

9:30am EDT

Naming and Navigating Adoption Microaggressions*

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

In this interactive session, presenters will share key research on adoption microaggressions and facilitate a dynamic conversation for adoptees to reflect on personal experiences. Through guided dialogue, attendees will explore the impact of these microaggressions and work together to strategize empowered, proactive responses. This session creates a supportive space for adoptees to share stories, gain insight into common experiences, and leave with practical tools for navigating future interactions.

This session will also be held as an Adoptee Only session on Friday at 1:45 - 3:15 PM.

Speakers

Aeriel A. Ashlee

DeLa Dos

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Fishbowl Session (Adoptee-Centered But Non-Adoptees May Attend To Listen), Repeat Session

9:30am EDT

Adoptees at Work: Identity and Careers

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

This session focuses on research exploring how one’s identity as an adoptee can impact their professional goals, career trajectories, and experiences at work. Session participants will learn about preliminary findings from an ongoing study involving in-depth interviews with Korean and Chinese adoptees from a range of professional backgrounds, including people working in education, mental health, law, government, marketing, and STEM. This session may be of particular interest to adoption researchers and adoptees seeking to understand how adoptive identity influences the jobs people choose and the ways they navigate work, but anyone curious about the topic is welcome to attend!

Speakers

Allison Jin Sullivan

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

9:30am EDT

Journey to Korea: Healing Through Connection

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

This session explores the transformative journeys of three Korean adoptees returning to their birth country, and the unexpected benefits and bonds formed through this shared journey. Speakers will share personal stories of how connecting with Korea impacted their understanding of self and belonging. The discussion will address the evolution of identity, the effect on relationships with family and partners, and the emotional complexities involved.

Speakers

Peter Beerman

Peter Beerman grew up on Long Island, NY, and has dedicated much of his career to working in nonprofits, technology, and data analytics. He also owns and operates a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school that offers free women’s self-defense classes and workshops to different groups. His... Read More →

Jennifer Simms-Coffey

Jennifer Simms-Coffey, MA, LMSW (she/her) is a Korean transracial adoptee, and a licensed clinical social worker in private practice based in Michigan. She has an MA in Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and an MSW from the University of Michigan School... Read More →

TK Rojales

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

11:00am EDT

Bringing About a Global Adoption Movement*

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

This lecture is about my journey in discovering that my identity was switched with that of a child who likely passed away at my Korean Adoption Agency, KSS - and how my years long investigation into my and my likely twin’s switch cases led to the creation of the 2024 FRONTLINE / AP documentary “South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning”. Ultimately, my story is about swimming upward from the bottom of an ocean of gaslighting, and working for years to help birth a global level of consciousness about Korean Adoption corruption through the FRONTLINE / AP documentary and related international articles.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Rebecca Kimmel

Rebecca Kimmel (born 1975) was adopted through Korea Social Service. Since 2018, she has been investigating her own switch case, and since 2020 she has been investigating her likely twin’s switch case. Rebecca’s investigation into these cases led her to become a contributor to... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

11:00am EDT

College: Leaving Home, Leaving the Fog?

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

For transnational/-racial adoptees, entering college can be a transformative period. Navigating life outside of the white adoptive family may bring a whole host of possibilities: learning the language of the motherland, studying abroad in one’s birth country, searching for acceptance and solidarity in Asian-American campus organizations, and intellectualizing about adoptee identity with professors. Yet, what do these changes mean for the adoptee? How might they shift the relationship between the adoptee and the adoptive family, between them and other Asian-Americans, and most importantly, between the adoptee and themself?

Speakers

Eryn Feng

Eryn Fēng (they/them) is a Chinese transnational/-racial adoptee born in Fengcheng, Jiangxi. They are a recent graduate of Bryn Mawr College and a Mellon Mays Research Fellow. Their research interests are Critical Adoption Studies, trans theory, queer of color critique, and Asian... Read More →

Zhao Gu Gammage

Zhao Gu Gammage (she/her) is adopted from Gansu Province in northwestern China and recent graduate of Haverford College. She majored in East Asian Languages and Cultures with minors in Chinese language and MENA studies. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and elementary Arabic.

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

11:00am EDT

Comfort Food: Nourishing Ourselves Inside & Out

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

The mindful act of cooking and preparing food can be a powerful tool to work through intense grief and a beautiful way to connect to one's culture and country of origin. Through this interactive discussion, the Emilys will share how food has helped them in their own paths to healing, as well as hold space for those wishing to use food as medicine in their own journeys. We will nourish ourselves with snacks from around the world and discuss the importance of somatic practices involving food. A short clip from the upcoming documentary, Tasting Heritage, will also be shown.

Speakers

Emily Flynn

Emily Flynn (AKA 양선미, she/her/hers), textile designer and Also-Known-As board member, resides in Brooklyn, NY with her partner, 2 kids and husky, Alkong. She has shared some of her story on a couple of podcasts (including This American Life), and is featured in 2 documentaries... Read More →

Emily Brillon

Emily Brillon (she/her/they) is a transracial and transnational adoptee born in Manila and raised in Massachusetts. Half-Chinese and half-Filipina, she has had a long relationship exploring sustainable food systems and methods. Most recently, she has earned a Community Composting... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

11:00am EDT

No Heirs?

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

What does it mean to have no biological heirs? How do we define our purpose and leave a legacy? Who will take care of us when we’re in need? Speakers will share their personal journeys, choices and circumstances leading to these life questions, as well as dialogue in smaller groups with attendees about being childfree. This is intended to be a brave space centering adoptees without biological children in order to build community and help normalize the childfree experience.

Speakers

Kerry Bondy

Kerry was born in South Korea and adopted to a Midwestern suburb in the US. Her involvement in the Korean adoptee community began in 2001 after her first trip back to Korea on a Motherland tour. Since then, she has participated on adoptee panels, volunteered at and co-facilitated... Read More →

Chris Wodicka

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

11:00am EDT

Workplace Resilience: Adoptee Identity & Navigating Growth

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

We spend a third of our life working. Our ability to hold a job and earn income directly impacts our ability to maintain wellbeing (i.e. access to healthcare, housing, etc). There is an adoptee community concern with job instability, burnout, and unsafe working environments whether it be mental, physical or emotional. We know childhood trauma impacts adult functioning including job stability and mental health.

This session would:
-explore how these traumas inform adult identities and workplace behaviors
-discuss the impact of these identities on mental health
-provide tools to identify unsafe working environments, establish healthier workplace boundaries and self-advocacy

Speakers

Jordan Bayer

Jordan Bayer (She/Her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Oklahoma. Her professional roles have included serving as an embedded therapist in a Public-School setting, acting as the Foster Care Program Director for the state's largest private foster care agency, and fulfilling... Read More →

Stephanie Fieldman

Stephanie Fieldman is a transracial Korean adoptee currently living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is a conference management professional with experience working with both privately held and publicly traded media companies and industry brands across multiple vertical markets. Stephanie... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

11:00am EDT

Ambiguous Loss: Navigating the "I-don't-knows"

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

Ambiguous loss is experienced from the moment adoptees are separated from their first family. Though there are many avenues to search for and locate first families, there is still a high percentage of adoptees whose circumstances do not lend themselves to be able to be in reunion. Being in reunion also does not end the ambiguous loss that adoptees had experienced up until that point. This session explores what ambiguous loss is, how adoptees experience it throughout the course of their life, and ways to navigate through the deep sense of grief and loss that has no end.

Speakers

Dr. Katie Bozek

Katie Bozek, PhD. is a licensed and practicing marriage and family therapist. She has been providing mental health services for her community since 2009.

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Fishbowl Session (Adoptee-Centered But Non-Adoptees May Attend To Listen)

11:00am EDT

Challenges & Transformation: Adoptees Living With Cancer

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

Cancer rates have been rising generally, yet navigating this life-threatening disease has been less widely discussed in the adoption community. This session will elevate the lived experiences, challenges, and opportunities of living with cancer and the adoption journey.

Speakers

Elliot Bliss

Elliot Bliss, a Korean adoptee, experienced a profound shift in his outlook and priorities following his diagnosis with a rare blood cancer in 2023. The challenges of navigating cancer treatment without access to his medical history underscored for him the unique barriers adoptees... Read More →

Hannah Gershone

Hannah Gershone is a Chinese adoptee from Zhejiang province. She received her B.S. in Environmental Studies from Mount Holyoke College and, upon graduation, worked for Saguaro and Grand Canyon National Park monitoring soundscapes. She received her M.S. in Environmental Studies from... Read More →

Hollee McGinnis

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

11:00am EDT

Dealing With Aging Parents — Adopted/Birth*

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

This session will deal with those adoptees who are dealing with aging parents -- adopted and/or birth and the limited time we have with either getting to know them or telling them information we need to tell them while they are still able to understand it or acknowledge it.

This session will also be held as a Fishbowl session on Saturday at 2:45 - 4:00 PM.

Speakers

Zhen E 젠이 Rammelsberg

Zhen E Rammelsberg is a transnational, transracial Korean adoptee, adopted in the 1970s through Holt. A passionate advocate for adoptee rights, she actively supports the Adoptee Citizenship Act and has shared her story on NPR, podcasts, and as a “Human Book” at the Human Library... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

12:30pm EDT

Buffet Lunch

Saturday June 21, 2025 12:30pm - 2:15pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Saturday June 21, 2025 12:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Meals

1:15pm EDT

Mainstage: Citizenship 4 All & We Mean ALL!

Saturday June 21, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Adoptees For Justice (A4J) includes a diverse group of adoptees, adoptive families, grassroots organizing/advocacy groups, & allies, all of whom work together to amend a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 that resulted in the exclusion of thousands of intercountry adoptees from receiving citizenship. A4J is the only adoptee-led organization advocating for an inclusive Adoptee Citizenship Act (ACA), & leads alternative relief efforts to support adoptees without citizenship, such as support groups, fundraising for mutual aid for legal/medical/living expenses, Pardon Campaigns, and Prosecutorial Discretion for deported adoptees. The session informs how to best support adoptees without citizenship.

Speakers

Amanda Cho

Amanda Cho is a Korean Adoptee and Policy Manager for Adoptees for Justice (A4J), a project affiliate of NAKASEC which advocates for the Adoptee Citizenship Act and supports adoptees who are without citizenship. Amanda volunteers for adoptee-led organizations and is a founding member... Read More →

Daniel Yoon

Daniel Yoon (any pronouns) is a non-binary, transracial adoptee from South Korea. They are the Volunteer Attorney Coordinator for Adoptees 4 Justice and the Director of Compliance for the Metro Human Relations Commission in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with his partner and... Read More →

Rachel Koelzer

Rachel Koelzer (she/they) is an organizer, writer, activist, and advocate passionate about healing and connection. Currently, she focuses on advancing systemic and structural equity for current and future generations as the Communications Manager for the National Korean American Service... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Mainstage Event

2:45pm EDT

BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Storytelling: Navigating Boundaries

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

In BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Storytelling: Navigating Boundaries, a group of Black and brown adoptees will share a story about boundaries. Following storytelling, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in guided reflection and group discussion. Stories and discussion could touch on lacking boundaries, creating boundaries, and learning lessons in our relationships with ourselves, family, friends, adoption, and more.

This adoptee-only session intends to continue expanding the adoptee community by uplifting BIPOC adoptee voices, integrating self reflection, and offering points of connection. We believe storytelling is a powerful tool for self expression, healing, and shared wisdom.

Speakers

Kit Myers

Kit Myers is an assistant professor in the Department of History & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Merced. He is the author of The Violence of Love: Race, Adoption, and Family in the United States (University of California Press, 2025), which is available... Read More →

Mai Li O'Keefe

Liana Soifer

Lisa MM Butler

Lisa MM Butler is a US domestic transracial adoptee from Wyoming. She is an illustrator, author, advocate, community organizer and library worker. Lisa is a board member of VOICES, a BIPOC Adoptee community organization. Lisa currently lives in the pacific NW.

Madelaine Reis

Madelaine Reis, a transracial Puerto Rican adoptee, is the Assistant Director of the BIPOC Disability Collective, where she drives education, leadership development, and skill-building for activists of color. She partnered with BIPOC Adoptees to ensure accessibility at their national... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:45pm EDT

Discovering Our Power Through Peer Groups*

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Speakers

Anna Mae Hee Kiesnowski

Sunia Won

Megan 고은 Tulius

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

2:45pm EDT

Finding Home: Navigating Cultural Betrayal Trauma

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

By defining what Cultural Betrayal Trauma (CBT) is and looks like, adoptees can receive validation, engage in self-reflection of their unique and shared experiences, grieve the pain/loss that comes with (CBT), and identify and grow a healing community for themselves. We will create and hold contemplative space for sharing, witnessing, and collective healing through discussion, writing, and connection. We will learn about CBT on an individual, relational, and community level, and provide pathways for healing in connection with each other.

Speakers

Becky Jenkins

Becky is a Korean American Adoptee and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Chicago, Illinois. Her work with individuals who have experienced trauma has profoundly transformed her work as a practitioner, and her life a human being. Becky enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:45pm EDT

NaviGAYting Queer Adoptee Experiences*

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Speakers

Jimmy Byrne

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

2:45pm EDT

Relationship and Movement

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

People with a history of adoption often experience ongoing grief and loss of connection to their biological family. It is not uncommon to experience the impact of relationship disruptions throughout their life. How can one change their relationship to the experience of relationship disruptions? Our lived experiences are stored in our body according to The Body Keeps The Score by van der Kolk. Identifying relationship patterns when engaging others and repatterning the dysfunctional reactions are one of the ways we can make changes in relationships. Embodiment of change via experiential exercise is the essence of Somatic Movement Therapy.

Speakers

Mihyun Lee

Mihyun Lee studied Korean Dance, Counseling Psychology, and Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis. For about 30 years of practicing dance professionally shaped her understanding of the primal nature of the body and its expression. Under the theme of Polarity and Integration, she supports... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:45pm EDT

Dealing With Aging Parents — Adopted/Birth*

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

Speakers

Zhen E 젠이 Rammelsberg

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Fishbowl Session (Adoptee-Centered But Non-Adoptees May Attend To Listen), Repeat Session

2:45pm EDT

Adopting Our Own Ways of Being*

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Speakers

Annika Walsh

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

2:45pm EDT

Supporting Your Adoptee’s Journey*

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

Speakers

TK Rojales

Sarah Collmer

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

4:15pm EDT

Digging Deeper: Identity and Community Building*

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

Speakers

A.D. Herzel

Phil Pellouchoud

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

4:15pm EDT

Finding Belonging: Dangers of Incel Culture

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

This session delves into the unique challenges Asian men face regarding identity, masculinity, and belonging, while addressing the harmful impact of red pill and incel ideologies. We’ll discuss how these toxic narratives exploit male insecurity and alienation, and propose healthier, growth-oriented models of intimacy, vulnerability, and community. Through storytelling and dialogue, participants will build deeper connections and foster a sense of belonging rooted in self-acceptance. This session is for Asian adoptees who identify as men, including cis men, trans men, and others who resonate with masculinity.

Speakers

Kurt RuKim

Chris Detrych

Residing in Chicago, Chris Detrych was adopted from Korea to the Detroit area. While attending University of Michigan, he founded an adoptee student group before taking a break from adoptee spaces for a decade. He returned to the scene by volunteering with Korean Adoptees of Chicago... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

4:15pm EDT

Language (Re)Learning: Conversations About Identity*

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

Speakers

Kiana Kishiyama

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

4:15pm EDT

The Adoptee Consciousness Memoir Writing Workshop*

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Writing can be an important tool to process the impact of adoption. The Adoptee Consciousness model, developed by Susan Branco, JaeRan Kim, Grace Newton, Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, and Paula O’Loughlin in 2022, gave adoptees a language and framework to understand the five stages of adoptee awareness: status quo, rupture, dissonance, expansiveness, and forgiveness and activism. Using those “five touchstones within the spiral” as writing prompts, the workshop facilitators will guide participants to write a memoir in poetry and prose of their own adoptee journey of growth and change.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Alice Stephens

Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello

Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello is the author of Hour of the Ox (University of Pittsburgh Press), winner of the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry. She and E.J. Koh co-translated Yi Won’s The World’s Lightest Motorcycle (Zephyr Press), which received the Grand Prize from the Literature... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

4:15pm EDT

Embrace Intersectional Identity: Support Your Needs

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

Over time children available for adoption from China to the United States changed; to include boys and girls who were often older or needed complex medical care.These adoptees joined a growing sub community of adoptees that emerged in the intersection of adoption and disability and or, chronic Illness and medical complexities. We aim to support adoptees that identify with this intersectional identity, and their allies by sharing our experiences as adult Chinese adoptees with disabilities, and the resources that we use in our lives to navigate the unpredictable, isolating, and confusing changes that this intersection brings in adulthood.

Speakers

Ava Busto Schiff

Ava is a 29 year old, Chinese adoptee with cerebral palsy living independently working full time. She is an ambulatory wheelchair user and service dog handler. Ava grew up in NYC surrounded by other Chinese adoptees, exploring her birth culture through language and culture classes... Read More →

Maddy Ullman

Adopted from Hong Kong to America, Maddy is a writer, photographer, and storyteller based in Dallas TX with cerebral palsy and diabetes. Through her career as a showrunner’s assistant at Netflix and Warner Brothers, Maddy is dedicated to raising authentic portrayal of disabilities... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Fishbowl Session (Adoptee-Centered But Non-Adoptees May Attend To Listen)

4:15pm EDT

A4J: Citizenship 4 All, and We Mean ALL!

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

Adoptees For Justice (A4J) includes a diverse group of adoptees, adoptive families, grassroots
organizing/advocacy groups, & allies, all of whom work together to amend a loophole in the
Child Citizenship Act of 2000 that resulted in the exclusion of thousands of intercountry
adoptees from receiving citizenship. A4J is the only adoptee-led organization advocating for an
inclusive Adoptee Citizenship Act (ACA), & leads alternative relief efforts to support adoptees
without citizenship, such as support groups, fundraising for mutual aid for legal/medical/living
expenses, Pardon Campaigns, and Prosecutorial Discretion for deported adoptees.

The session deep dives from the informational Main Stage to group and individual action steps attendees
can participate in NOW.

Speakers

Amanda Cho

Daniel Yoon

Rachel Koelzer

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

4:15pm EDT

The Violence of Love: Rethinking Adoption*

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

I will present on the concept of “the violence of love” in transnational adoptions, which is drawn from my recent open access book, The Violence of Love: Race, Family, and Adoption in the United States (University of California Press, 2025). Even though love by individuals, agencies, and the nation has fueled transnational adoptions, I will discuss the ways violence has been attached to them in complex ways. I will provide brief examples of how love and violence inform “positive adoption language,” federal adoption legislation, transnational adoption policy, and heritage summer camps for adoptees.

Website: https://sites.ucmerced.edu/kitmyers
Book: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-violence-of-love/paper

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Kit Myers

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

6:15pm EDT

Interest Group Pictures/Pre-dinner entertainment

Saturday June 21, 2025 6:15pm - 7:00pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Saturday June 21, 2025 6:15pm - 7:00pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Activities

7:00pm EDT

Community Dinner & Program

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Meals

8:00pm EDT

Adoptee-Only Group Photo

Saturday June 21, 2025 8:00pm - 8:15pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Saturday June 21, 2025 8:00pm - 8:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Activities

8:15pm EDT

Mainstage: How to Answer Weird Adoption Questions

Saturday June 21, 2025 8:15pm - 9:00pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

As an adoptee, I'm often asked the same questions when I meet new people. I've been touring around the country, addressing how media has misshaped our view of adoption. Adoptees have also shared questions they have received. This will be part show and part interactive session where we encourage adoptees to share the questions they have received. We will then invite them to improv how they would answer and push the convo further. Maybe they will use humor, or perhaps cause some discomfort but I will be there to guide them and act as the person asking the questions.

Speakers

Edward Yoo Pokropski

Edward is a two-time Emmy nominated Senior Writer/Producer for Cable Entertainment Brand Creative at NBCUniversal. He is also a Co-Founder of The Asian Comedy Fest. The largest, longest running Asian led comedy fest in the country. He has been touring his solo storytelling show, Case... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 8:15pm - 9:00pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Mainstage Event

8:00am EDT

Continental Breakfast

Sunday June 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:30am EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Sunday June 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:30am EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Meals

9:45am EDT

Bringing About a Global Adoption Movement*

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Speakers

Rebecca Kimmel

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

9:45am EDT

Keeping the Peace

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

Has your relationship with your adoptive family changed as you’ve aged and matured? What challenges or obstacles have you faced in relating to them over time? How have you navigated that? We invite you to hear our stories as adopted Koreans who are working through these dynamics on a daily basis, and engage in a discussion about reconciling these feelings as our own identities and definitions of family change. All adult adoptees are welcome to attend this session, however, we hope to hear specifically from those who are actively in contact with their adoptive families.

Speakers

Kerry Bondy

Chris Wodicka

Katie McLemore

Katie McLemore is a transracial Korean adoptee, raised and currently living in Minnesota.

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:45am EDT

Taking Action: Organizing a Community Project*

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

Speakers

Rachel Hye Youn Rupright

Rachel is a Korean adoptee and adoptive parent. She lives in Albany, NY with her family, where she administers a small healthcare foundation.

Caitlin Jee Hae Behle

SunAh Laybourn

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

9:45am EDT

The Adoptee Consciousness Memoir Writing Workshop*

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Speakers

Alice Stephens

Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

9:45am EDT

Therapy: A Beginner's Road Map

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Connecting in adoptee communities like KAAN is essential to knowing that we are not alone. In fact, we are part of a tribe. And yet, there are limits to what volunteer-led organizations’ can do to support adoptees when it comes to complex struggles of mental and emotional health. Join two adoptee therapists in a safe, non-judgmental space for a discussion on when to seek professional therapeutic help. The presenters will share their experiences as therapists and provide attendees with resources for connecting to adoption-related, therapeutic supports.

Speakers

Nicole Sheppard

Nicole Sheppard, MA, LPCC, is a mindfulness-based, adoption-competent psychotherapist and board-approved supervisor based in Minneapolis, MN. She was a project manager of a MN Department of Health-funded mental health and suicide assessment of the Korean adoptee community. Nicole... Read More →

Sarah Ahn Lentz

Sarah Ahn Lentz was adopted through ECWS in 1979 and raised in Minneapolis. She currently lives in Saint Paul with her teenager and two cats. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and clinical supervisor who enjoys working with people who want to explore their identities... Read More →

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:45am EDT

Beyond Birth Search: Heritage Travel & Identity*

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Maple (3rd floor)

Speakers

Liz Kwon

Tanya Kaanta

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Maple (3rd floor)

Fishbowl Session (Adoptee-Centered But Non-Adoptees May Attend To Listen), Repeat Session

9:45am EDT

Community Conversation: Life Course of Adoption*

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

Speakers

Hollee McGinnis

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Buckhead BR 2 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

9:45am EDT

The Violence of Love: Rethinking Adoption*

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

Speakers

Kit Myers

Sunday June 22, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Buckhead BR 1 (Lower lobby)

General Session (Open To All Attendees), Repeat Session

11:15am EDT

Reflections and Futures: Our Next Steps

Sunday June 22, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

In this interactive closing session, participants will engage in thoughtful reflection on their personal journeys and the impact of the conference. Through guided writing prompts, we will explore individual aspirations for change and growth within the adoptee community and beyond. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with others, sharing how they plan to use their experiences at KAAN to shape the future - whether through conversations, actions, or other contributions. Together, we’ll foster a collaborative environment to envision a more inclusive and empowered community, encouraging each participant to take meaningful steps forward in their personal journeys, relationships, and advocacy.

Speakers

Dr. Katie Bozek

Katie Bozek, PhD. is a licensed and practicing marriage and family therapist. She has been providing mental health services for her community since 2009.

SunAh Laybourn

Sunday June 22, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Mainstage Event

12:15pm EDT

Conference Closing

Sunday June 22, 2025 12:15pm - 12:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A & B

Speakers

Dr. Katie Bozek

Katie Bozek, PhD. is a licensed and practicing marriage and family therapist. She has been providing mental health services for her community since 2009.

Sunday June 22, 2025 12:15pm - 12:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A & B

Mainstage Event