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.

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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!

10:30am EDT

Veteran Attendee Meet & Greet (Adoptee Only)

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

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

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

Adoptee-Only Session

12:00pm EDT

Quiet Confidence: Navigating KAAN as Introverts

Friday June 20, 2025 12:00pm - 1:15pm 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.

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 12:00pm - 1:15pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

1:30pm EDT

Navigating Love Across Race & Identity

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

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Creating Community

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

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Our workshop BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Creating Community, invites adoptees to explore and articulate their needs and hopes for our collective future. Through guided prompts, participants will visualize their unique journeys, contributing to our shared past and future. This adoptee-only session includes individual reflection, small group discussions, a "gallery walkthrough," and final debrief. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of our collective community's needs as well as their own place within adoptee community, clear vision for how the community can grow, and what they can do as individuals to contribute to make the community stronger and more inclusive.

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

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

2:45pm EDT

Discovering Our Power Through Peer Groups*

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

Highland 1 & 2 (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 Friday at 12:00 - 1:30 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 →

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

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

4:15pm EDT

College: Leaving Home, Leaving the Fog?

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm 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 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only 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