2026 CKA NextGen Summit
Lead the Future. Connect with Purpose.
🚀 CKA 2026 NextGen Summit | October 23, 2026
Building a career is rarely a straight line—and standard professional networks rarely address the unique realities of the Korean American experience.
How we work, lead, and build our careers is shifting rapidly. While global appreciation for Korean culture and heritage is at an all-time high, dedicated spaces to explore how identity, voice, and culture shape modern leadership remain exceptionally rare. Navigating career transitions, overcoming burnout, breaking into competitive industries, and finding authentic community are challenges no one should have to figure out alone.
As the only national organization dedicated to Korean American leadership development from C-suite executives to emerging trailblazers, the Council of Korean Americans (CKA) is proud to launch the Inaugural 2026 CKA NextGen Summit.
Designed for emerging Korean diaspora young leaders, creators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, this high-impact gathering is a space to rethink what is possible for your career and leadership journey. Whether breaking into tech, law, civic engagement, healthcare, creative fields, or entrepreneurship—or simply seeking a community that truly gets it—this space was built for you.
Designed For You, By Listening To You
This summit was not created behind closed doors. To design a experience that deeply reflects the real-world needs of our rising generation, CKA spent four months on a national listening tour, gathering direct insights from 150+ young professionals, students, recent graduates, and community leaders across the country.
The mandate was clear: emerging leaders want candid mentorship, real conversations about navigating failure, tools for mental health and resilience, and guidance on how to step boldly into their Korean American voice.
Welcome to a day built around those pillars—a space to ask hard questions, embrace new challenges, and forge lifelong friendships. More than just a gathering of young professionals, this summit offers direct access to CKA’s broader executive network, with CKA members and C-suite leaders meeting right next door and joining throughout the day.
Coinciding with CKA’s 15th Anniversary and 20 years of NetKAL, the NextGen Summit turns years of vision into reality—bringing 15+ years of organizational learning into an empowering, home-like space where the next generation can grow, lead, and thrive.
🔥 What to Expect
Direct access to Korean American leaders in various industries
Participate in deeper discussions through roundtable discussions
Get mentorship by signing up for 1:1 Office Hour sessions
Forge new friends and professional alliances
Learn tangible professional skills for career development
Join exclusive morning program with CKA Envision Summit
🍽 Plus breakfast, lunch, dinner bites, and some snacks are on us!
🗓️ Summit Schedule
Morning | Joint Sessions with CKA Main Summit
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Registration & Networking Breakfast
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Opening Remarks
9:15 AM – 9:55 AM | LA Since 4.29: Memory & Evolution
Lisa Yang (Moderator)
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Fireside Chat: Leadership in Higher Education
Jaime Lee (Moderator)
Morning | NextGen Keynotes & Deep Dives
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Transition & Coffee Refresh
10:45 AM – 10:50 AM | NextGen Welcome | Monica H. Kang
10:50 AM – 11:10 AM | Fireside Chat: L. Song Richardson
Moderator: Collin Byun
11:10 AM – 11:45 AM | Roundtable Session 1 (Choose your track below)
11:45 AM – 12:10 PM | Fireside Chat: Ned Koh
Moderator: Sandra Schubert
12:10 PM – 1:30 PM | NextGen Summit Lunch
Afternoon | Action, Strategy & Workshops
1:35 PM – 2:15 PM | Entrepreneurship Panel: Rethinking Failure
Moderator: Michelle Kim
Panelists: David Choi, Senator Rocket, Jinhee Ahn Kim, Bryan Do
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Break
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Roundtable Session 2 (Choose your track below)
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Interactive Skill-Building Workshop
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Closing Fireside Chat: Julie Kim | Moderator: Monica H. Kang
Evening | Deepen Friendships
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | CKA Reception - Reconnect with Summit
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM | CKA x ELOREA Reception
3511 W 6th St, Tower (3rd Floor), Los Angeles, CA 90020
💡 Roundtable Tracks & Mentors
Drop into small-group table discussions led by subject-matter experts across key industries:
⚖️ Careers in Law: Jennifer Chung, Jen Kim
🚀 Careers in Entrepreneurship: David Choi, Senator Rocket
💻 Careers in Technology: Howard Ro
🌏 Global Careers & Working in Korea: Joo Seuk Maing
🧠 Mental Health & Wellness: KYCC (Koreatown Youth & Community Center)
🤝 Relationship Building & Networking: Michelle Kim
🏛️ Civic Mindset and Public Leadership without working in Government: Kenneth Kim
🏛️ Pathways in National Security and Public Service: Rachel Kim
🏥 Careers in Healthcare: Isabella Park
🎨 Identity & Adoptee Experiences: Dan Matthews
📚 Careers in Education: Jeff Kim
🪄 Careers in Innovation & Product Management: Sam Ha
👥 How to Build Movements: Taeju Ko
💡 Leadership & Career Strategy: Monica Kang
And more!
💡 Featured Speakers
Beong-Soo Kim – President, University of Southern California
Bryan Do – Founder & CEO, Ki One
David Choi – Conrad N. Hilton Professor of Entrepreneurship, Loyola Marymount University
Jinhee Ahn Kim – Co-Founder & CEO, Kumio.AI
Julie Kim – CEO, Takeda (2026 CKA Envision Gala Honoree)
L. Song Richardson – Chancellor’s Professor of Law, UC Irvine School of Law
Michelle Kim – Head of Field Operations, Postman
Movie Kim – CEO, ARIH
Monica H. Kang – Managing Director of Programs and Strategy, CKA
Ned Koh – Co-Founder & President, Aaru
Senator Rocket – Founder, Eat Vermont and President, Farmhouse Chocolates
Wonny Lee – Founder & CEO, ELOREA
and more!
💡 Featured Roundtable Session Mentors
Dan Matthews - Director of Partnerships + Production, Transparent Arts Corp
David Choi – Conrad N. Hilton Professor of Entrepreneurship, Loyola Marymount University
Grace Park - Assistant Director of Behavioral Health, Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC)
Howard Ro – Head of Product for Global Payments, Tesla
Isabella Park – Physician Executive Leader, Northwell Health
Dr. Jeffrey Kim – Educator, Anaheim Union School District / Cal State Fullerton
Jen Kim – Senior Counsel, Parsus Law LLP
Jennifer Chung – Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles County
Joo-Seuk Maing – Managing Director, FUCHS Group Korea
Kenneth Kim – Founder & Executive Chairman, Ark Clinical Research
Rachel Kim – Acquisition Officer, United States Department of War
Senator Rocket – Founder & CEO, Eat Vermont and Farmhouse Chocolates
Sam Ha - Faculty, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley and Head of US & Partner, Log Investment
Taeju Ko – Founder & CEO, NoWhere Running
Yun Pak, LMFT - Lead Clinical Supervisor, Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC)
*And many more!!
⚡ Bonus: 1:1 Mentoring Office Hours
Looking for individual feedback on your career path or leadership journey? Connect with experienced Korean American mentors who are excited to support emerging leaders. Slots are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis—indicate your interest during registration to reserve your spot.
Each session will be:
30 minute per session
1:1 with another CKA Member or KA leader
an opportunity to ask any questions and advice
Featured Office Hours Mentors
Jennifer Chung – Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles County
Nayon Kang, LCSW, Behavioral Health Administrator, Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC)
Howard Ro – Head of Product for Global Payments, Tesla
Michelle Kim – Head of Field Operations, Postman
Dr. Jeffrey Kim – Educator, Anaheim Union School District / Cal State Fullerton
Jen Kim – Senior Counsel, Parsus Law LLP
*And many more!!
CKA x ELOREA Reception
Keep the conversation and connections going at the CKA x ELOREA Reception at ELOREA Los Angeles in Koreatown! We will head over together directly following the program.
Look forward to music, delicious bites provided by CKA, and bespoke beverages crafted after ELOREA’s signature scents. Plus, hear inspiring, brief remarks from Wonny Lee, Founder and CEO of ELOREA, and Mike Kim, CEO of ARIH.
Come raise a glass with us as we celebrate our community.
Thank you Sponsors and Community Partners
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to sponsors, community partners, volunteers, and many contributors who made generous support to help make the 2026 NextGen Summit possible.
Sponsors
Naeil Foundation
Kenneth Kim and Johanna Kim
The Charles & Melita Jung Charitable Fund
Eddie Ahn
Community Partners
KYCC (Koreatown Youth and Community Center)
KACLA (Korean American Coalition in LA)
ELOREA
AHRI
Hayden Los Angeles
Naeil Foundation Scholarship
We want to make sure everyone who wishes to attend can do so! Thanks to support from the Naeil Foundation, we are offering a limited number of subsidized scholarships for those facing financial hardship.
If you would like to apply,
Please request your scholarship request here and
Please send a brief note explaining your interest to monica.kang@councilka.org.
Thank you!
About Council of Korean Americans (CKA)
The Council of Korean Americans (CKA) is a national non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the voice, interest, and influence of the Korean American community through education, collaboration, and leadership development. CKA connects national leaders across business, public service, academia, arts, and philanthropy to mentor the next generation and shape the broader American narrative.
Come ready to connect, learn, and envision what’s next.
If you have any questions reach out to us at info@councilka.org.